Just a Little Sincerity Read Free

he’d lie—”
    “No,” Luke said. “I’m just surprised he didn’t come dressed as a frog.”
    “Why?” I asked, detecting a hint of resentment in his voice. “Because he’s slimy? Green with jealousy because he knows I’m crazy about you? Or maybe because—”
    “Every frog wants to kiss their princess,” Luke said, fighting a smile.
    “Then maybe you should have come as a frog.”
    “Maybe,” he whispered, inches away from brushing his nose against mine. “And for what it’s worth, I didn’t know if I’d be out of the hospital in time to come tonight. I didn’t want to make a promise I couldn’t keep. In case you forgot, I was shot.”
    “Oh, right,” I said. “How silly of me to forget.”
    A hint of a smile crossed his lips. “You’re still not going to listen to me then? After everything that’s happened, you still trust him?”
    “Luke,” I said, my voice fading into a whisper. “Don’t hate Derek for what happened… if you’re going to be angry at someone, direct that at Hannah—”
    “I’m not angry,” he said, brushing a stray hair from my face. “Far from it, kid. Getting hurt… taking a shot or two… I’m okay with all of that. It’s a risk that comes with the job.”
    “Being a policeman?”
    “No,” he said, his nose finally meeting mine. “Protecting someone you care about.”
    And just as his lips were a moment away from mine, Luke’s cell phone rang. He dropped his head, closed his eyes for a moment, and finally stepped back to pull the phone from his pocket.
    He stared at the screen in disbelief.
    “Bruno,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. He looked up at the front yard to see Detective Bruno waving his phone in the air. He accepted the call and the two men simultaneously brought their phones to their ears.
    “What?” he said with an edge of irritation in his voice. He listened to Bruno on the other end, all the while watching him from across the yard. He kept his head low and lips covered, so I couldn’t interpret what the Detective was saying on the other end. Without another word, Luke hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket.
    “I’ve gotta hit the road, Julie,” he said, looking past me and not meeting my stare. “Have fun tonight and good luck with the contest—”
    “Whoa, wait,” I said, taking his arm. “What’s going on? You just got here—”
    “Duty calls—”
    “You’re not on duty,” I said. “And you won’t be for the next month—”
    “Julie,” he yelled, shaking his arm free from my grasp. “Good night.”
    And as he walked away, further and further from the fire, my heart sank from my chest.
    After all we’d been through, Luke was still running.

Chapter Two
    Wednesday October 31
    “What in the world do you think you’re doing?” Matt ripped a frozen pizza from my hands and tossed it in the trash.
    “Matt,” I whined. “I’m starving—”
    “Then I’ll make you something to eat,” he said. “You can’t put that garbage in your body—”
    “That garbage is what I lived off of for sixteen years before coming to this house,” I said. “It hasn’t killed me—”
    “Yet.”
    I rolled my eyes and slumped into the barstool at the center island. I watched as Matt made his way through the kitchen, stopping at the refrigerator to pull out a celery stalk and carrots before opening the cupboard to retrieve a simmering pan, two pots, and a handful of utensils.
    Much to the surprise of everyone who knew him, Matt jumped right back into his normal routine after the Oakland PD carted Hannah—his unofficial girlfriend—off to jail. I, more than anyone, expected him to go into shock, break down, and completely exclude himself. But he didn’t; Matt only spent a day or two in the dumps. In no time at all, he’d picked himself up, brushed it all off, and moved on as though nothing ever happened.
    “Just a heads up,” Matt said. “I’m not going to be able to make it to school Friday night—”
    “Matt,