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 pulled the door open the rest of the way and fixed me with a suspicious look.
“What are you doing here, Cohen?” she questioned me as she crossed her arms over her chest. She wore a white tank top without anything underneath and a silky pair of black sleep shorts, showing off her sleek legs.
I would’ve been lying if I said she wasn’t attractive, but her profession clouded my attraction.
“I need to talk to you,” I replied.
“About?” Zoe pried as her eyes slightly narrowed.
Something heated stirred low in my stomach. Damn it, I should’ve been more pissed off that she was looking at me like that, but… something about her eyes and the way she pursed her full lips did something to me. Something that I wouldn’t dare admit.
“You,” I said, silence following my words.
Zoe ground her teeth for a second before sighing.
“Come in,” she replied before turning and walking out of the foyer.
I was surprised that she let me in, but she didn’t come off as a passive person. She was determined and stubborn, but so was I. When we entered her living room, which only had an orange area rug, a coffee table, and a couch, neither of us sat down. We faced each other with stern looks and tension crackling between us.
“Why are you so attached to my crew?” I questioned her.
Zoe blinked at me in shock.
“What? I already told you that I wanted to work with you guys to find out who is causing all of these fires,” she explained.
“We’ve told you all that we know. Why hang around?” I wondered as I crossed my arms.
Zoe frowned.
“Because going on calls with you guys lets me see the scene as soon as possible. There’s a bigger chance that I’ll find clues,” she defended herself.
“So, you’re hanging out with guys and laughing it up for work?” I scoffed as I stepped closer to her. “Or are you trying to manipulate them into getting everything you want? Are you trying to be a distraction? Because there’s no reason for you to be flirting with them other than to get them to do what you want!”
Zoe stared up at me with wide, glimmering eyes.
“It’s because I have nowhere else to go! Because I can’t even get the courage to see my own dad and there’s no other people in town that I feel comfortable being around!” Zoe suddenly shouted at me, her voice filling the entire room.
I blinked in surprise, getting caught off guard by her revelation,
“Your dad? What? What are you talking about?” I asked.
Zoe sniffled as a tear broke from her eye and coursed down her flushed cheek.
“My mom died three years ago in a hit and run accident. The other driver was never found,” she unveiled, her voice slightly shaking. “I… I can barely talk to my dad now. I’ve stayed away from here for so long because I can barely handle being in the same place where she died. There are just… too many memories.”
My frustration toward her died down as I frowned, hearing the pain in her voice. No one had said anything about her mom dying, but it sounded like it was a very sensitive topic to bring up.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” I apologized.
Zoe swallowed hard and shook her head.
“It’s hard to talk about. She was my best friend, and she’s gone. Coming back here was tough, so I tried to focus on work,” she sighed as she fought to get the words out. “But I started talking to people from my past and people I hadn’t met before and started feeling… better. Happier than I have in a while. I promise you that I’m not trying to hurt or manipulate anyone on the crew. This is just all that I have right now.”
Well, now I felt like an asshole. I thought she was some bloodthirsty, nosy journalist who was willing to do anything, including screwing over my family, to get what she wanted. Truthfully, she was just… lonely. I could hear the grief in her voice.
She couldn’t even turn to her own dad, but the guys made her feel comfortable enough to open up. I felt bad for giving her the cold shoulder when I didn’t even know her. I just assumed.
I moved closer to her, drawn by the magnetic effect of my sympathy and guilt. My thumb gently brushed away her tears.
“I really am sorry. I was a dick to you because I was nervous about you being a journalist,” I admitted.
Zoe looked up at me, our gazes colliding.
“I’m here to help my hometown, even if it’s hard to be here,” she promised me, her hand finding the side of my forearm. “I’d never do anything to hurt you guys. I know you and I haven’t been on the best terms, but I wouldn’t even screw you over.”