Running Scared by Renee Fowler

Author:Renee Fowler [Fowler, Renee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-11-20T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Gemma heard the gate squeak. An odd prickle of anticipation heated her skin as she waited. Not the nail biting, edge of her seat type of anticipation, but something else altogether that she didn’t want to think about too carefully.

Really, what was she thinking? Why torment herself like this? Nothing could happen. This wasn’t going anywhere.

Wade appeared at the back screen door. He held his hands up, palms facing out. “I come unarmed.”

In the last few weeks, it had become sort of a joke between them. Gemma felt her lips pull away from her teeth in a smile.

He winced at the loud squeak of rusty hinges on the screen door as he let himself in. He let it fall shut again carefully. “I wasn’t sure you’d still be up this late, but I spotted the candle burning.

“It’s not that late.” She’d been curled up on the padded porch swing when he appeared. Unable to sleep. Waiting for him perhaps, which she could barely admit to herself. Now Gemma scooched over, making room for him to sit down. Her eyes fell on the squat jug cradled in his hands. “What’s that?”

“Some of Martha’s famous wine.”

“It’s done already?”

“Nah. She gave this to me when I dropped those blackberries off to her a while back.” He sat down beside her, leaving a fair amount of space between them. “I don’t usually drink much, but I figured after the night I had…” He laughed, a gruff, troubled sound. “What did you and Danny get up to this evening?”

“The usual. Went for a swim. Danny found a frog.”

“A frog, huh? Sounds like you got yourself a new pet.”

“I never said he caught it, not that he didn’t try.”

Wade’s laugh sounded a little more real.

“Was it a bad scene?” she asked.

“Pretty bad.” A loud, hollow pop echoed through the night air as he loosened the cork. “But I’ve seen worse.”

“Worse than those pictures I saw?”

Wade took a swig from the jug, He sputtered and coughed. “Jesus. Martha’s really outdone herself this time.” He passed the glass jug off to her, and she took it carefully. “Yeah, it was worse.”

Gemma sniffed the fragrant liquid. She took a tentative sip and grimaced. “I’m not an expert, but are you sure this is wine?”

“More like berry flavored rocketfuel.”

She laughed, but the sound died off fast. “Was it another robbery?”

“No.” Wade took the jug from her, braved one more drink, then tried to pass it back.

“I’m not much of a drinker either,” she said.

He nodded, replaced the cork in the neck, and leaned forward to set the bottle on the nearby table. When he sat back down again, the swing rocked back and forth slightly. He seemed closer, or maybe that was only her imagination.

“This stays between us.” He stretched his arm out over the back of the seat. He wasn’t putting his arm around her, in fact no part of him was touching any part of her at all, but it still seemed close. Simultaneously too close, and not close enough.

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