Play It Again
Worried about Jimmy? I think that’s the funniest
thing I’ve heard all night.
    Shaking my head, I meet his eyes, still
laughing. “Trust me,” I say. “You do not have to worry about
that.”

Chapter Five

     
    Vance
     
    An hour creeps by and the girls have
officially gone past happily buzzed to wasted.
    They joke around, drinking and laughing.
    Piper eventually loosens up.
    I mull over their new theory on who’s been
harassing her in silence.
    Jimmy starts doing shots.
    I switch to water.
    I’ve come to the conclusion that the person
is most likely watching Piper, although I know she won’t admit
that. She doesn’t like the thought of a stalker, or maybe it’s just
the word. I’m not really sure.
    What I am sure about is that for ten days
straight, something has happened, and then yesterday after an alarm
system is installed, nothing.
    It’s possible that it’s just a coincidence,
but it’s also possible the person was watching, saw us put it in,
and decided to regroup.
    It’s the latter that feels right to me. Ten
days is a long time to mess with someone to just … forget about it
and move on. And the stay away warning that was spray
painted on her garage tells me this is personal.
    She probably knows the person.
    She’s most likely wronged them in some
way.
    I check my phone again, ensuring it’s still
on and I haven’t missed anything. The bar is loud; people are
getting rowdy, their voices rising, and their laughter louder as
more drinks are served. It would be easy to miss an alert in here,
but with another glance at the security app, I find her house dark
and quiet.
    “What are you looking at?” Piper asks,
leaning into me, resting a hand on my thigh as she peeks at my
phone.
    My eyes shift to her, scanning her in the dim
light. “Your house.”
    Piper tenses and she pulls her hand away from
my thigh, bringing it to her mouth. “Oh, no. Did something
happen?”
    “No,” I say. “Everything’s fine.”
    She sags back into me instantly, a small
smile appearing on her face. It’s relief, I think, but there’s
still a trace of uncertainty in her eyes. “Can I see?”
    Holding my phone so she can see, I tap on the
screen, first pulling up the front of the house, the garage, and
then the back, showing her that everything’s fine.
    She’s silent for a moment, staring at the
phone, before she shifts her gaze to me, eyeing me warily. “I told
you I didn’t want you looking into this for me,” she says, sounding
somewhat annoyed, but her hand comes back to my thigh.
    My eyes leave hers momentarily distracted,
and they settle on her hand. Her small hand, palm down; her slim
fingers slightly squeezing the muscle there. I bring my hand down
to hers, entwining our fingers. It feels so natural, and for the
second time today, I find myself wondering why it’s taken her
needing help for me to finally make a move.
    It strikes me then, a feeling of loss.
    I wasted so much time.
    Missed so much.
    I blow out a dismissive breath, but whether
it’s to the comment or the feeling, I’m not entirely sure. “You
knew I wouldn’t listen.”
    “It’s kind of creepy,” she says, reaching
over with her free hand, tapping the screen and closing the
app.
    My brow furrows. “What’s creepy?”
    “With just a couple taps on your phone, you
can watch my house any time you want,” she says. “It’s kind of
creepy.”
    I put my phone away, glancing at her, seeing
an unexpected look of curiosity on her face. Before I can respond,
however, Kim chimes in. “She’s right. It’s creepy.”
    I roll my eyes. “It’s not creepy, it’s
security.”
    “Nope,” Wes says, his shoulders shaking with
silent laughter. “It’s definitely creepy. Maybe I should watch the
house instead.”
    I cock a brow. “How is that any
different?”
    “Because he’s not trying to, uh … date me,”
Piper says, blushing.
    Regarding her curiously, I ask, “Do you want
Wes or Jase to watch the house instead of me?”
    Piper

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