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“So not actual car thieves then, just looking for them,” said Max. “And why?”

Tilly opened her mouth to answer his question and then realized that she didn’t actually have an answer.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Max said. “Jules, Amelia, and Cass are all her friends. It might have been a crazy, drunken plan, but they had a reason. If they all went out and tracked down some car thieves, then you wouldn’t be able to blame Sophie and her family.”

Tilly closed her eyes. “And then there’d be no reason…” She trailed off.

Max sighed. “I’m not arresting them. Dougie doesn’t want to press trespassing charges, so there’s no real reason to. They weren’t doing any harm. But I suggest that you have a think about what it is that you want and what you’re doing here. Like it or not, that girl has feelings for you. And if you don’t return them, you owe her the courtesy of being honest about that, and not hiding behind excuses about who her family are.”

She opened her eyes again. “I’m confused,” she confessed miserably.

Max’s face cleared a little. “You’re going to be a good police officer one day, Tilly. But you won’t do it alone. I swear to you that without Mila there to back me up, I’d have burned out longago. Having someone at home makes a big difference. It’s not a weakness to have feelings.”

“I do have feelings,” Tilly said, stung.

Max grinned. “Then if I were you, I’d tell Sophie because she apparently has feelings, too.”

“What about the car thefts?” began Tilly.

Max shrugged. “As long as you’re not giving her privileged information, which you shouldn’t be giving to anyone, then I don’t see a problem.”

Tilly glanced over at the interview room.

“Till, she likes you enough to go on some kind of personal vigilante mission to give you a reason to be with her. Whatever doubts you have, Sophie deserves someone to at least hear her out.”

Tilly thought about how she’d felt when she heard Sophie’s voice. Thought about the kiss, a kiss she’d never wanted to end. Thought about how Sophie had felt in her arms. Thought about how definite Sophie had been about her family not finding out. She turned to Max. “You can’t tell anyone. This is personal.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Max said. “This is your business, not mine.”

And a smile slowly slid across Tilly’s face. Because if it was only a question of what she wanted, the answer was a very simple one indeed.

Chapter Nineteen

Sophie’s eyes were sticky and her head was bleary and she seriously, seriously regretted opening the second bottle of wine. Not that alcohol was an excuse. She should have known better. She did know better. She’d just got carried away in the moment and…

“Here.”

The smell of the coffee sent a message straight to her brain to wake up. She blinked and saw a hand offering her a mug. She struggled to sit up and then took it, cradling it in her hands and eagerly taking a sip.

“So,” Tilly said, sitting down in the chair opposite her.

Sophie wanted to close her eyes again, wanted to block all of this out. “I know,” she said. “I know. I’m an idiot and I deserve whatever it is that’s about to happen to me. I’m mortified. The only thing I can do is apologize.”

“Mr. McKeefe seems to think that you were just indulging in some kind of hijinks,” Tilly said. “His word, not mine.”

With a sigh, Sophie looked up and for the first time saw Tilly’s eyes, soft and blue and crinkled at the corners. She looked… not entirely angry. “No hijinks,” she said. She cleared her throat. “This is all my fault though, I mean, if Jules and—”

“We’ve already sent them home,” Tilly said. “McKeefe isn’t pressing charges. Though he is interested in learning some of the lyrics that the four of you were singing last night.”

Sophie groaned. “I’m just so embarrassed.” She could feel it aching in her stomach, like a weight she’d never get rid of.

“What were you doing?” asked Tilly.

“Looking for car thieves,” Sophie said. She looked at Tilly again. “We just thought… I just thought… Never mind.”

Tilly leaned forward a little, almost like she was going to take Sophie’s hand. Not that she would. Not that she ever would now. Sophie was more than aware of the fact that she’d blown it, that there was no way in hell that Tilly would have anything to do with her now. Not that she could blame her.

“I’m sorry,” Sophie said. “I’m just…” She blinked away tears. “I get it. I get why you don’t want anything to do with me and I’m sorry.” There was a long silence, and Sophie could feel the sadness building up inside her.