Lost and Found by Chris Van Hakes Read Free Book Online Page B

don’t even like him like that!”
    “Aw, it’s just like when she denied she liked Twilight. Sweet, really,” Emily said.
    “I didn’t like it that much, ” I said, crossing my arms.
    “Whatever. You told me once in college when you were drunk that Edward was your fantasy,” Emily said, and Ursula murmured her assent and added, “I’m Team Jacob, all the way, though.”
    “That’s just because of the jorts,” I said.
    “Oh hell yea h,” Ursula said. “Team Jorts.”

Oliver
    The next morning, I caught up to Delaney as her foot hit the bottom step. “Wait up,” I said.
    She didn’t turn or say hello, but she stopped.
    I put a hand on her shoulder and her muscles tightened. “I’m sorry,” I said as I dropped my hand.
    She stared hard at the floor and then said, “Those are the ugliest shoes I’ve ever seen.”
    I glanced at them and then nodded. They were every single color of the rainbow, woven together in the worst way possible. If Delaney found them abhorrent, they had to be bad. “Yup. I got them for free. They’re great.”
    “You got them for free? From where?”
    “The lost and found. I find all the best stuff there. Jackets, scarves. One time I found an MP3 player.”
    Her eyebrows lowered. “Isn’t that stealing?”
    “Nah, I wait around. Months sometimes, but no one claims that stuff. Anyway, don’t worry, I disinfected the shoes.”
    “Can’t you afford new shoes? You are a doctor,” she said.
    “I’m cheap,” I said with a shrug. “And after a while, stuff grows on me. Metaphorically, not literally. I used the hot setting on the washer.”
    “It would explain why you’re living here.”
    “Yes, it would. And I’m sorry,” I said.
    “You’re always sorry. For what this time?” she asked.
    “Can I walk you to the library and explain?” She nodded and we fell into step together, our footsteps creating a cadence. “At first, I thought you were upset at me for hitting on your friend, but she seems like the type of woman who can take care of herself.”
    “She is. She takes after her mom, who you do not want to mess with. She’s German, and she speaks English just like she does Ge rman, so we all have to wait until the last word of her sentence to hear the verb. But we wait, and we don’t complain.”
    “Right,” I said. “Germanic patience. Right.”
    “So, what are you sorry for?” she asked in a softer tone.
    “I’m sorry for upsetting you and calling you Skunk Girl. I didn’t know it bothered you. I was just teasing.”
    She shrugged and said, “It doesn’t. I’m used to it,” but her bo ttom lip quivered a little.
    “I won’t call you that again. Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “I told you, it’s fine . You can call me whatever you want. I don’t care. ”
    “Fine,” I said, clenching my jaw. “You don’t care. I’m still sorry I upset you, for whatever re ason. But to be fair, you upset me, too.”
    She stopped and turned to me.  “I upset you ?”
    I ran my hands through my hair. “I told you. This isn’t the best neighborhood. You can’t just go around running in the dark, all alone.”
    “Oliver, I was with Emily.”
    “Are you always with Emily?”
    She stayed silent, and so I continued. “I work in an ER, remember? I know of what I speak. Don’t run alone.”
    “Okay, but Oliver, I used to run in LA, and that’s a lot scarier than this podunk town. I grew up around here and I ran in the early morning in high school. I’ve never had a problem,” she said, picking up her speed, walking slightly ahead of me.
    I increased my stride to catch up with her. “Just b ecause it hasn’t happened doesn’t mean it won’t.”
    “Oliver. It won’t happen,” she said with a sigh. “I’m sure of it. I don’t keep any cash on me and I a lways keep an eye out for people. And I usually keep my hair pulled back.”
    “So?” I said, completely puzzled. “Is any of this a crime preve ntion program?”
    “Yes,” she said through her