Page 21 of Justice for Samara

“Good. Don’t wanna see that.” When she reached her car, she turned and leaned against it. She wondered if Michael would just keep walking, but he didn’t. Instead, he stopped in front of her. “Tomorrow morning I’m going to get up and work like hell to get stuff put away. Want to come over tomorrow night for dinner?”

“Sure? That’s a lot of work to then cook dinner.”

“I can handle it.”

“I’ve got a better idea. How ’bout I pick up something at the Cadiz Diner and bring it over?”

“You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all. They have a different special every day, so I’ll give you a call when I get there and find out what they have, and you can tell me what you want. Does that sound good?”

“Sounds great. Okay. It’s a date.” She hadn’t even realized what she’d said until she got a look at Michael’s face. “What?”

“A date?”

“Yeah. Do you not want that?”

“I-I-I-I-I didn’t say I didn’t.”

She cocked a hip and folded her arms across her chest. “So you don’t want a date with me?”

“I didn’t say that either.”

“Are you the least bit attracted to me?” She couldn’t wait to hear his answer.

“Uh, yeah. I am. Very.” He stood there for a second and stared at her. “You’re not playing a trick on me, are you?”

“I wouldn’t do that. Why would you think I’d do that?”

“Sorry. I’m just not used to… women wanting to… spend time with me.”

“Women have been overlooking you. That’s been their mistake. But I’m not like most women. I’ve…” She wanted to tell him what she’d survived, but she couldn’t. “I’ve lived a different life than most women. I don’t know if this will work. It may flop. But it may fly. Do you want to find out? Or do you want to forever wonder, ‘What if?’”

“I don’t want to wonder. I’m in.”

“Okay. Call me tomorrow when you get to the diner and let me know what they’ve got. And I’ll see you when you get there.”

“What time?”

She opened the car door and put her right foot on the floorboard with her hands on top of the door. “I’m going to be there all damn day. Doesn’t matter. Just whenever you want.”

His smile was shy but bright. “Maybe sooner rather than later?”

“Sooner rather than later is my favorite.”

“Good. See you then. Be careful driving back.”

“You too. Night.”

“Night, Samara.”

She slid behind the steering wheel and watched as he did the same. As soon as she started up her Jeep and pulled out, he pulled in behind her and followed her until she got to the trailer. When she pulled into the drive, he tooted his horn and drove on. He was making sure she was safe. It had been a long, long time since anybody had given a shit whether she was safe or not. But he did.

He couldn’t possibly know how happy that made her.

* * *

“Oh my god.Oh my god.Oh my god.” Michael drove along the dark highway, but there was a blinding light in his heart. He’d been trying to figure out a way to ask her out, or to at least let her know that he liked her, and he’d never dreamed she’d feel the same way. All his life, he’d been told he was too sweet, too kind, too shy, too quiet. The first time he’d dropped a suspect to the ground and cuffed them, he’d felt like he was showing the world what MichaelEdwards was really made of. Of course, Glenna hadn’t seen that. She was already gone.