One Night

Chapter 9, One Night

Kate could not believe this night. It was one of those nightmares that just seemed to go on and on, even though she was with that hot cop. She also needed to thank Mr. Harris. If it hadn't been for him, she was sure the detective would have had her sitting in his car naked, with only a blanket around her instead of the Seahawks sweatshirt Mr. Harris had dug out for her. Maybe he had agreed it wasn't okay that she couldn't go back into her own apartment and at least grab a robe—not that she remembered where she'd stuck it, in the closet or the laundry. But even a pair of jeans and shoes!

Here she was, still barefoot, sitting in the detective's car as he spoke to someone on his cellphone. There had to be some law against this. As far as she was concerned, she was tempted to push it.

Then there was her mother, whom she'd called and woken up. Added to that was the shock of hearing a man's voice in the background of the call: her dad's. Great, were they back together again, or was her mom just sleeping with him? She didn't want to go there, and she rubbed the bridge of her nose. There was a tap on her window, and she rolled it down. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been in a car with manual windows. Everything these days was electric.

"Yes?" she said to Detective Pruett.

"I thought you might like a pair of shoes." He not only handed her a pair of sneakers, the Reeboks she loved, but also a pair of jogging shorts and a tank top.

"Thank you. I thought you weren't going to let me have any clothes."

He was shaking his head, and his expression was pure mischief. Boy, talk about swallowing her heart. "No, I said you weren't going back in. I didn't say anything about me going in and getting you some clothes."

"So you ransacked my underwear drawers."

He was staring at her now with those deep green eyes, and she didn't know what to make of it. She unfastened her seatbelt and stepped into her shorts, pulling them on, not missing how his eyes flared when they rose up a bit. Then she bent over to slip her bare feet into her shoes. She heard him clear his throat, and she had to smile to herself. She put the tank top on the seat, as she was wearing Mr. Harris's sweatshirt. It covered her well, and she was warm, so she didn't feel the need to take it off in front of the detective.

"No, I found them in your front closet in a gym bag," he finally said. "Figured it was a safe bet."

"Sorry, I don't mean to be so—"

"A pain in the ass?"

"I'm not a pain in the ass! I just want what I want, and I didn't expect to have my life turned upside down tonight. I'm trying to meet someone nice and decent, not a loser. I mean, I'm a great catch, right?" she said. Maybe it was the way he was watching her, but she was starting to question everything, including herself. She ran her hand over her hair and wondered how she looked. Okay, why did he have to look so intense while he watched her? "What's wrong with me? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He was leaning in through the window, and he finally broke eye contact and glanced away. "So where am I taking you?" he said.

Talk about a change of subject. That worried her more. Maybe there was something wrong with her, and she was doomed to the same fate as her mother.

"To my mom's, which should be interesting, as my dad's there," she said. "I heard him in the background."

"And that's not a good thing?" he asked.

"No, it's not, considering my dad's cheated on my mom more times than I can count. My entire childhood was spent watching a revolving door of my dad leaving and coming back. They divorced five years ago, now..." She waved her hand and realized she was rambling again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go on and on. I'm sure it sounds pretty pathetic, but I've got to tell you it helps that you at least brought me some shoes and shorts, as my parents are going to want some answers about why their only daughter is showing up half naked this time of night."