Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Zoe laughed a little and shook her head.
“I tried dating, but it just didn’t work out. I’d rather just focus on work now I guess, especially now that I’m on this case,” she replied. “I don’t know if I’ll get anything as good as this.”
I flashed her a pointed look.
“I bet you will. Especially after you nail this story,” I told her, not wanting her to put herself down. She was the smartest person I knew, and if anyone could help us figure out what the hell was going on, it was her.
“You have quite a lot of faith in me,” Zoe commented as she raised an eyebrow at me.
“Of course, I do. You accomplished what you set out to do,” I replied. “When I heard you left to become a journalist in a bigger place, I had no doubt you’d do it. I don’t think anyone doubted you.”
Zoe’s face softened.
“Well, that means a lot because I did doubt myself for a while there,” she said. “Sometimes, I still do. If I’m honest… this case makes me nervous.”
I frowned and completely turned toward her.
“Why?” I asked.
Zoe shrugged.
“It’s the biggest story I’ve been put on. If I mess it up, I don’t think my boss will trust me again with anything this big,” she explained with worry in her voice.
I shook my head and reached out to take her hand, feeling her tense up in surprise at first before relaxing. Maybe I was making things up in my head, but I swore she tightened her grip a little.
“You don’t have to worry about that because you won’t mess up. You have the whole crew to help you,” I assured her, feeling an electric current pass through us as our gazes locked. We were connected in a way that we hadn’t ever experienced before.
Zoe smiled a little, but there was uncertainty in her eyes.
“I don’t know if the whole crew will help me. I haven’t met all of them yet, and I know that Cohen isn’t a big fan of me,” she pointed out.
I scoffed and waved my free hand in a dismissive manner, not wanting her to worry about him. He could get worked up about certain things and shut down. Media people were one of those things.
“He’ll come around. You’ll just have to give him some time,” I told her. “He’s like the grumpy old man of the group.”
Zoe laughed a little.
“Well, I’ll win him over,” she said with a determined gleam in her green eyes.
“You’re already winning the others over,” I replied before drumming my thumb against her knee. “And you didn’t have to try with me.”
A faint pink hue adorned her cheeks as she shook her head at me.
“Oh, stop,” she said.
I chuckled and leaned even closer, able to smell the sweet scent of her shampoo. It reminded me of strawberries.
“What?” I teased her.
“You,” Zoe replied as her eyes met mine. “And all your sweet words.”
Something told me the alcohol was getting to her a little.
“I am a sweet talker,” I admitted before giving her knee a squeeze. I wanted to continue sweet talking her and making her blush, but it was getting late. She had enough to drink, and we both had a long, busy day ahead of us tomorrow. I supposed I had to be somewhat responsible. “Can I walk you back to your place?”
A warm expression filled her face as she nodded.
“That’d actually be nice. I’m getting kind of tired,” she said as she rubbed her eyes.
I rose to my feet and extended my arm out to her to help her out of her chair, my other hand digging into my pocket to drop a few bills on the table.
“Where are you staying?” I asked once she took my arm and rose from her seat.
“On Red Cove,” Zoe said as we walked out of the bar together, her hand still remaining on my arm.
That was… interesting. Of course, we were never touchy-feely with each other in the past because I was dating Rachel, so this was new. But I wasn’t complaining in the slightest.
A light breeze blew through the air as we strode under the dim glow of streetlights. A dark night sky with a dash of stars and a crescent moon hung above us, near silence lingering around us beside the faint sound of nearby cars. We were only a few blocks from the fire station, and I knew that Red Cove Avenue was only a five-minute walk from the station.
“Not too far away,” I replied, enjoying the feeling of her tight grip on my arm.
My high school self would’ve never imagined us doing this. Leaving a bar late at night after having a bunch of laughs and sharing memories. I didn’t even see this coming when I found her in the hospital, but I was glad this happened.