Pushing my chair in, I move to pick up my plate and clear my spot. “No stalling,” Millie scolds. “Put that plate down, take some mints, and get your fanny on the road.”
“Sheesh,” I grumble. “You’re very ‘here’s your hat; there’s the door.’”
“Ashley Helena Colton. Get your legs moving. If you wait any longer, Jeopardy will be on. It’s a well-known fact that unexpected visitors after the shows start for the night are a nuisance.”
As nervous as I am about talking to Tyler, I still laugh. Only in the Cove is that accurate. After thanking them both for dinner, I stop at the table by the door and take six chocolate mints, which I tuck into the back pocket of my jeans. I then pluck a seventh mint from the bowl, which I unwrap and pop into my mouth. Dropping the plastic wrapper into the rectangular bowl that’s left on the table for that very purpose, I straighten my shoulders, open the door, and head to Tyler’s house.
CHAPTER TWELVE
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ASHLEY
A TRIP THAT should take less than two minutes has so far taken about four. If I were walking any slower, I’d be crawling. It’s taking me so long that I’ve moved on to a second mint. I imagine the way I’m staring down at the pavement gives off an on-the-way-to-the-guillotine vibe.
I startle when two furry white paws come into my line of vision. Looking up, I watch as Boo skids to a halt in front of me. Stopping, I reach down and scratch the top of her head. She basks in the attention as she always does, her eyes reflecting the joy she takes from our interactions. I keep my focus on her for what I know is an excessive amount of time, because I’m avoiding what comes next. When I know I can’t delay any longer, I look up and meet Tyler’s steady gaze.
“Hey.”
He looks me over carefully before he responds. “Hey. You okay?”
I furrow my brow, wondering how he already knows something’s up with me. But that’s probably a dumb thing to question, considering he’s a cop. Attention to detail has probably woven itself into his DNA by now.
“I’m okay.”
“Really?” he asks, disbelief evident in his tone. “Because you’re out here walking like it’s the green mile. How personally should I take it that you’re all but literally dragging your feet to come to talk to me?”
“How do you know—”
He gestures with his chin toward the road behind me. “Millie called and told me that you need to speak to me about something important.”
Oh, she’s getting it later. She probably looked out the window, saw me doing my best to delay the inevitable, and decided to make sure I didn’t chicken out.
“Don’t take it personally.” I sigh. “I wasn’t dragging my feet because of you. Not really, anyway. I just really don’t want to have this conversation.”
He frowns. “That bad?”
I grimace. “Well, it isn’t ideal.”
“Are you… fuck, Ashley, are you going to quit?”
Do I lie and pretend that wasn’t on my mind every step of the way here? I don’t want to quit, but if he blows me off about what Rita has been doing, I won’t have a choice. That means honesty is the best policy here.
“I don’t want to quit,” I answer.
He lets out a heavy sigh and gestures with his head back over his shoulder to his house. “Let’s go inside and talk.”
I nod and begin to walk. When he falls into step next to me, I do my best not to notice his cologne. I also try to ignore the way he keeps looking over at me.
Once I walk into the house, I lose track of the things I want to say for a moment, because it’s so beautiful. Everything has been overhauled since Chief Perry lived here, and it’s a lot to take in. The most significant change is that the loft over the kitchen is gone. Everything is open, which makes the ceiling seem even taller. I never would’ve thought to remove the loft, but I like what it does for the space.
Although it’s still small and compact like my cottage, the hardwood floors have been sanded and stained a whitewashed gray color that makes it seem bigger. The walls are a beautiful navy, which should close the space in, but because the ceiling has been painted the same crisp white as all the doors and trim, it isn’t closed in at all. The kitchen cabinets are also white, as is the subway tile backsplash done in a herringbone pattern, and the counters are a shiny pale-gray quartz.
There’s a round table with seating for four on the other side of the counter. The rest of the open space at the front of the house is the living room. There’s a couch and a loveseat, both gray, and a cream-colored area rug with blue, gray, and yellow accents woven throughout. On the wall across from the couches, there’s a fifty-inch flat screen on the wall, which, in a house this size, seems larger. All of the windows are fitted with plantation shutters, which I love.