Page 15 of Rogue Wave

I whirled in place, looping my arm around Vivi’s and effectively forcing her with me back off Dougie’s porch and to my place.

“Nice to meet you, Vivi,” Dougie yelled from behind us.

“Umm…bye…both of you,” Vivi tried to politely respond, but I moved us quickly and I wasn’t sure they heard.

I inhaled deeply and then exhaled a few times while we walked back. I needed to calm down so I could enjoy girls’ night and not take my frustration out on Vivi.

“Sorry about that,” I told her.

“It’s okay. I see what you mean about Hank. He’s sexy, but in a scary way.”

“He’s not scary,” I told her, finding myself oddly defensive of him, even though he wasn’t a fan of mine. “He’s just so by the book when it comes to every single rule, and he seems to enjoy playing up his straight-and-narrow persona by targeting me specifically.”

“I’m sorry,” she said to me.

I’d told her about every single ticket or note Hank had ever left me, so she knew all the details.

“Umm…your other neighbor seems nice.” She nervously tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear and looked at the ground—a habit I’d noticed she often did when she was nervous.

“Dougie’s very nice, actually,” I said, assessing her reaction. “I don’t think he’s dating anyone, but I’ve never asked. Do you want me to?”

Her eyes jumped to meet mine and went wide. “Oh no, no. I’m not interested. I was…umm…just noting he was nice. That’s all.”

She was nodding emphatically, as if trying to make herself believe the words she’d just spoken and not just me. “Hank’s dog was cute.”

I saw the topic change for what it was. I wasn’t going to push her tonight, but I would definitely be bringing his name up again.

We spent the next hour doing face masks and then our nails, ate copious amounts of chocolate therapy, and were finally settling in to watch a movie when my doorbell rang.

It was after nine o’clock. Who in the world was at my door at this hour?

“I swear to God, if Hank is here to give me another ticket, I might punch him,” I grumbled, getting off the very comfy couch.

“Probably not the wisest decision since he’s a sheriff. Just saying,” Vivi pointed out with a tiny smile on her face.

“Go ahead and cue the movie up, and I’ll be right back…hopefully.”

I looked out the peephole, expecting Hank or maybe a package delivery person, but instead was met with something even worse—my ex.

My head sank forward as a deep sigh came out of me. I unlocked the door but only opened it a crack, enough to let him see my face and that was it.

“Rourke, what are you doing here?” My words were polite, but I made it clear that he was not welcome.

“I saw you on the news about the drugs you found at the beach, and I wanted to check on you,” he said, looking genuinely concerned.

Except he wasn’t. I knew that face well enough to know this was all a ruse. He was here because he wanted something.

“You could have just called or texted,” I pointed out.

“I didn’t think you’d answer, to be honest.”

He was right. I wouldn’t have, but that should have given him the clue that he shouldn’t contact me again.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine.” My voice was again pleasant, but I was trying my best to keep this short and sweet so I could get back to Vivi and the movie. “No injuries and the police have it handled, so I’m all good. If you don’t mind, I have company. Have a good night.”

At my mention of “company,” his face changed. I knew that look. It was a look I saw on his face several times whenever I would talk to or even mention another man—even just a coworker. Jealousy, and not the healthy kind—the scary kind.

“My friend Vivi is over, and we’re trying to watch a movie,” I said to defuse the situation. “Have a good night.”