Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

" H ey, what's up?" Kirk asked when Corey got close to where he sat on the riding mower.

Jaw clenched, Corey was just about to tell the smiling scum before him exactly what was up when Josie sprinted past him, skidding to a stop.

"Hey, Kirk. We, uh, just had a question for you."

His smile widened at Josie's appearance, which had Corey's blood pressure rising.

"Sure, beautiful. What's that?"

Perhaps the growl in Corey's brain had come out audibly because Josie shot him a sideways glance before she said to Kirk the jerk, "Um, remember that day you came to the library and found me upstairs in the archives?"

"Of course. I'll never forget it." He continued to smile broadly and Corey felt his fists clench.

"So after you walked me out, did you go back inside the library for anything?"

Kirk frowned and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe? Why?"

"I thought you said you'd never forget that day?" Corey said with enough attitude even surfer boy should be able to pick up on it.

"I'm there a lot. If I went back in?—"

"There's no if about it. You did go back inside. We got you on tape," Corey corrected him, arms now crossed over his chest.

Kirk shot a quick glance at Corey then focused back on Josie. As if she were going to save him? Forget that. This jerk-off was going to have to deal with Corey and the ramifications of his actions whether Josie was there or not.

"I usually go inside to use the bathroom before I leave. I like to wash up," Kirk continued.

Corey scowled. Of course he had to wash up. Never knew when he'd find a girl to flirt with. Sleaze ball.

Josie swallowed hard. After a quick glance at Corey, she said to Kirk, "Did you happen to see anyone else around there? Inside? Outside? That day. The day we met."

"No, I didn't. The library was closed. You were the only other person there. What's going on, Josie?" Kirk asked, his gaze too intensely focused on Josie for Corey's liking.

She drew in a breath and let it out.

Was she actually going to tell this guy about the compass?

She'd sworn him to secrecy. Not to mention drilling into him the threat to his reputation if it got out that he was in possession of the key even for part of the day during which the damn thing went missing. He wasn't even allowed to tell his own mother , but Josie was going to spill the whole thing to surfer dick here?

And damned if the little fucker's gaze didn't drop to take in Josie's tits when she breathed in like that.

Corey took one step forward, debating punching the dickhead in at least one of his wandering eyes, when Josie said, "It's nothing. Just I noticed some things might have been possibly moved inside the archive room. I thought maybe somebody else was in there after me."

One of Kirk's brows rose high. "If you've got a tape, can't you see everyone else besides me who went inside?" he asked.

Josie kind of paled at the question. "Yeah, we can. We, uh, should… check that, I mean. We just saw you go in and I thought it would be worth asking. That's all."

He tipped his head. "I understand. But like I said, I don't have a key to the archive room. Only the front door. I've never been inside that room. I'd never even seen inside it until that day with you."

"Mmm-hmm. I remember you said that. I was just hoping you'd seen something to solve the mystery." Josie forced a laugh, although Corey was probably the only one who realized it was fake.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful. I probably left less than an hour after you did," he said.

"No, I'm sorry for bothering you with this," Josie said, apologizing.

Apologizing!?

The guy was a suspect and rightfully so. He was in the building. Key or no key, he had access to that archive room. He looked the type to be able to pick a lock.

Meanwhile, Kirk was smiling at Josie again as he said, "You can make it up to me."

"Um, oh?" she stuttered.

"There's a new movie at the Mudville Drive-In this weekend. I hate going alone. How about you come with? Keep me company. Saturday?"

What the hell?

"Um. Okay. I guess. Sure."

"Great. I'll pick you up at your house. Eight o'clock Saturday."

"Okay." She nodded while avoiding eye contact with Corey.

"Now I gotta finish this up before the boss gets word I left his lawn half done," Kirk joked.

"Of course. Go ahead," Josie said, taking a step back from the mower.

With a cocky grin, Kirk started the machine and took off in a puff of gasoline fumes.

"What in the hell was that?" Corey asked the moment the dick had engaged the blades on the mower and could no longer hear them.

"What do you mean?" Her innocent act needed work.

He spelled it out for her anyway. "You're going out with him?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So? He could still be the thief."

"You heard him. He doesn't have a key."

Corey glanced up at the sky, his silent prayer for patience. "Josie, stop being so naive. Thieves don't need keys."

"He said he didn't do it?—"

"And you believe him?" he spat. Literally—an embarrassing little projectile of spittle flew out of his mouth. It just missed hitting Josie in the face, thank God.

"Yes, I believe him. His excuse for going back inside was perfectly plausible. Besides, you saw the surveillance footage. He was in shorts and a tank top?—"

A much too tight tank top and a pair of stupid-looking just as tight jean shorts. Corey remembered.

"—where would he have been hiding the compass when he came out of the building if he did take it?" Josie pointed out.

Huh. That was a consideration. Luckily, Corey's brain was operating fairly decently today and came up with an alternative answer. "Maybe he hid it somewhere inside the building so he could go back for it later."

"Why? Do you really think he knew you and I would be looking at the gas station footage days later?"

"The best thieves are smart and cautious—" Corey pointed out, even though he didn't want to give Kirk credit for being either.

"You're being ridiculous?—"

Corey let out a scoff filled with derision. " Pfft! No. You are."

She frowned at him. "What has you so upset?"

He could let it go. He should let it go.

Not say a word, head back to the gas station and watch the rest of the footage to see if Kirk went back in and did come back out with the compass at any time between that day and now. And if not, go back inside with the key and search the place from top to bottom looking for his hiding spot.

Corey didn't have enough restraint to do all that at this moment. What he had, was a pounding pulse and a sore jaw from clenching it.

Pissed off, he said, "For one thing, not only do you blindly believe him, but you also agreed to go out with him!"

Her eyes widened. "And? So what? What business is that of yours? None. None of your business is the answer."

"Wrong," he said, arms crossed defiantly.

"How can I possibly be wrong?" she asked.

"Your parents aren't here. And neither is your brother. And in their absence, I feel like it's my responsibility to keep you safe from low-lifes like him." He pointed toward where Kirk had made another swath with the mower and was now heading back toward them.

"I'm not talking about this out here with you." Josie spun and headed for the house.

Corey followed close behind, easily keeping up with her shorter, quicker steps.

She flung the door open and stormed ahead, leaving him to close it behind them after he came inside.

In the living room, she spun back to face him. "You have no claim, no responsibility, no business taking care of me. You had your chance for all of that years ago and you gave it up."

"What are you talking about?" He frowned.

She paused staring at him as if evaluating him. "How bad is that brain of yours?"

"What?" he shook his head at the change of subject.

"You do remember—us. Right?"

"Us?" he asked.

"Corey. We had sex ," she hissed the word, as if there were anyone else there to hear it besides him.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Josie. I remember we had sex."

"So…" She shook her head while spreading her palms before him, as if that would explain it all and alleviate his confusion.

"So, what?" he asked.

"If you'd wanted to be responsible for me, you could have been. You would have bothered to call, or text, or I don't know, email even. Anything. You didn't. Hence, you get no say now about what I do or who I go out with."

"Is that what you wanted? Me to call you? For us to…" Corey shook his head, at a loss. "Josie, I thought we were on the same page that summer."

"And what page was that?" she asked.

"We were just…having fun." He shrugged. "Nothing more."

"Just fun? Nothing more?" she parroted his words but with a lot more attitude and in a good octave higher than her normal voice.

"Yes. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" She let out a huff. "No, Corey, we weren't on the same page. We weren't even in the same book. I was a virgin! I thought you cared about me. I th—" She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Never mind. I was young and stupid and fell for the bad boy. I knew who and what you were. It's my own fault."

"Josie. Stop. I was in no shape for any kind of relationship that summer. Definitely not a long distance one. My dad had just died. I was trying to navigate the biggest change of my life—being in the Navy. I was about to ship out on my first deployment, not knowing what I was going to face there plus I had the guilt of leaving my newly widowed mother home alone. I couldn't take on a girlfriend too."

"You had no problem taking on a quick fuck though, did you?" She scowled.

"Stop. You were never that. You saved me that summer. You were the one bright spot in a dark world. Those times with you were the only moments I wasn't wallowing in grief or guilt… or fear. I could just shut off my brain and lose myself in you. Your smile. Your jokes…"

"My body," she added, but she sounded slightly less bitter than before.

"Yeah. I'll admit it. That too. Those particular memories got me through quite a few low points those first few months away." He reached out and brushed the hair from her face. "But I am sorry. I had no idea how you felt. You never said."

He drew in a breath and let it out, letting his hand drop as she continued to scowl.

"If I'd known…" He shook his head again. "Isn't there supposed to be blood or something?"

She laughed. "Virgins only bleed in historical romance novels and movies. I've been using tampons since I was thirteen and first got my period. One super plus heavy flow tampon and that hymen was long gone."

"Jeezus, Josie." He ran a hand over his face.

"Oh, did I embarrass you? You'll live." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll live," he mumbled.

He'd live through the embarrassment. But possibly not through her date Saturday with Kirk. Because suddenly Josie didn't seem like just a good time he'd had one summer years ago when he needed to escape reality.

Now it felt like she was something much more. That maybe back then he should have considered more with her.

How bad would long distance have been? Someone to write to. Share thoughts with. Commiserate with?—

Sext with. That could have been nice. Could still be nice now.

Only now might be too late.