Page 7 of Incomplete
Sex was my preferred method of exertion to release any pent-up energy after a long shift. I was a guy, after all, and since that wasn’t a viable option because it came with unwanted strings and or the promise of town gossip, pounding the pavement had become one of my go-to’s. Even the guys at the station had been giving me shit for months as I was no longer considered a regular at McQuade’s bar, Sutton River’s central watering hole.
Slowing my pace as I neared home, I studied the one adjacent to mine. The porch light was on, but the rest of the place was bathed in darkness. The woman inside the house had taken up residence in my head since I’d pulled her over a few days ago and discovered she was also my new tenant. Lakelyn was full of sass during our short exchange, but since moving in, she’d been scarce, and I couldn’t help but wonder why.
Walking up my driveway, I popped my earbuds out and removed my phone from my armband to see my sister had texted.
Brooke: Your favorite sister has a huge favor to ask of you.
Me: You’re my only sister. What’s up?
Brooke: Any chance you can puppy sit the weekend of the 20th?
Me: Just a sec. Let me check my schedule.
I toggled from my text screen to my calendar app.
Me: I’m working days Friday/Saturday, but I can pop home during my shift a few times if you think she will be okay.
Brooke: My flight isn’t till 3:45 p.m. Friday, so she’ll only be alone for a few hours. It’s Saturday that I worry about.
Me: I promise I’ll check in on her during the day.
Brooke: You’re the BEST little brother!
Me: Worst case, I’ll give my door code to my new neighbor.
I playfully wished.
Brooke: New neighbor? Who are you, and what have you done with my police officer brother who doesn’t trust anyone?
Me: Ha-ha, it’s my new renter.
Brooke: Male or female?
Me: Female.
Brooke: Is she pretty?
Pretty doesn’t suffice it. Lakelyn’s a fucking-knockout, I wanted to text, but I wasn’t about to give my sister that kind of lethal ammunition, I’d never hear the end of it, and I’d volunteered too much already.
Me: Enough with the interrogation. I’m done answering your questions. You want the favor from me, not the other way around. Where are you heading?
Brooke: Ugh, you’re no fun! Luke will be in San Diego for a conference next week and asked if I could join him for a weekend getaway.
Me: Never claimed to be a barrel of monkeys!
Brooke: You’re ridiculous, you know that.
Me: Yep! Anyway, glad you guys are putting in the effort. I know you’ve both been passing ships lately.
Brooke: I have a feeling your time is coming. When you least expect it, the love bug will bite you on the ass, and I’m going to enjoy watching you squirm your way through it.
Me: Good night, Brooke!
My sister was relentless in her interest in my affairs—relationship-wise, not actual affairs, that was a hard stop for me. In the end, I understood why she wanted me to find love; it had been just the two of us since our parents passed in a plane crash almost fifteen years ago, and now her husband, meaning whenever we got together, which was often, I was a third-wheel per se.
Brooke: Ignoring my comment doesn’t make it any less accurate.
I read the text and did just that, ignored it as I bent down to pick up the newspaper a few steps shy of my front door whena woman’s scream pierced the night sky. I jerked upright on full alert. The homes on the street weren’t smashed together like in newer developments, so my feet carried me in a blur, confident it was my tenant screaming in distress.
