Page 18 of Wilde Flame

“Lilibeth? Is everything okay?” Mike asked.

I blinked a few times to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing. It was Caden, talking to a woman, his fingers twirling a strand of her long hair as she looked up at him, smiling.

Was that the woman he was rumored to be sleeping with here in Granby?

“I’m fine. I saw someone I know, that’s all.”

Mike looked in the same direction. “Do you know Caden or Millie?”

Millie. So the rumor was true.

“Um, Caden. He’s my best friend’s brother. How do you know him?”

He glanced back over. “We’ve known each other since high school. We played football in high school, and our football teams were combined because of how small our schools were.”

“And Millie is…?” I asked, not sure I really wanted to know.

He motioned for us to head back to the table. We walked through the crowd, and when we sat down, he went on. “Millie’s a waitress here at the bar. They kind of have a…thing…going on.”

“A thing? Like they’re dating?”

Mike shook his head. “No, theirs is more like a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Caden doesn’t come around often, but when he does, he usually leaves with Millie when she gets off work.”

When I didn’t say anything, he frowned. “Are you and Caden a thing?”

It was my turn to laugh. “God, no. He doesn’t like me, and I’m not really a fan of his, either.”

“He’s a nice guy. Why don’t you like him?”

I screwed up my nose. “Where to even start.” I waved my hands and said, “You know what, it’s not worth talking about. Enough of that. Did you always want to be a cop?”

“I have, yes. There’s never a dull moment here, even though we’re not a big city. With all the tourists, it keeps us on our toes. I’m sure River Falls is a lot quieter. I’d love to work there, but it’s such a small police force that it’s hard to get in.”

“You don’t know anyone who can get you in?” I asked.

Winking, he replied, “My father is best friends with the River Falls chief of police, but it would be frowned upon if he fired one of his officers to make room for his friend’s son.”

“I would say so,” I laughed.

As the night went on, Mike and I got to know each other better, and I hardly saw Moreen and Ensley. They would occasionally come to the table, get a drink, then head back to the dance floor. I’d had one too many beers and was starting to feel tipsy. When the waitress came back with some shots, Ensley grabbed one for herself, then pushed another in my direction.

“I don’t think I should. I’m starting to get a serious buzz.”

“That’s why we’re out,” Ensley insisted. “To get wasted!”

I frowned. “No, we came out to have a bit of fun. I don’t want to get wasted, and you’re supposed to be the designated driver, Ensley!”

“Ensley, maybe you should slow down. You said you have to work tomorrow, remember?” Moreen added. She, herself, had been knocking them back, but she could clearly hold her liquor better than Ensley and me.

Ensley pouted, but she put the shot down and pushed it away.

Steve returned to the table, and when I looked up at him, the room spun.

“Whoa,” I giggled. “I think it’s kicking in.”

“How did you get here?”

The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn’t Steve’s or Mike’s…not even Jack’s. When I looked around, I asked, “Who said that?”