For the next two days, Leona put Simon out of her mind. Mostly. They didn't run into each other, and the hordes of holiday shoppers leaving smudgy fingerprints on Leona's favorite vases distracted her enough for the time to go by fast.

On Friday night at six, when her shift ended, she realized she was nervous. Or that odd, ticklish feeling was excitement? Simon just kept getting more fascinating; there was so much more to him than she had thought at first. When she'd run her fingertip down her throat, his gaze had practically branded her.

Back at home, she changed into a slinky black top, tight jeans, and heels. A few minutes later, she pulled into Simon's driveway. He was waiting on his porch, wearing a dark brown barn coat over a collared shirt. He had his cop face on, but when she leaned across the car to pop the passenger side door open, he gave her a guarded smile.

"Hello, darling," she said, as he slid into the car next to her, bringing the cool, clean scent of his shaving cream. She wanted to cup his freshly shaved face in her hands and kiss him, but she held back.

"How was your day?" she asked.

He shrugged. "All right. How was work?"

"Ridiculously busy, but good." Look at us, acting like a couple, she thought, as she nudged Lulu's sizeable nose into the street. It was certainly far more foreign to her than discussing a fetish. It should have bothered her. But as she told him a few highlights from her chaotic day, she found herself secretly delighted to see his tense shoulders relaxing, his face opening up. She especially loved to make him laugh. His laugh always started out so reluctant, even begrudging, but quickly turned rich and resonant.

Spotting the Thai place, Leona pulled into the lot, excited about the possibility of pad see ew.

"Can I ask you something before we go inside?" His eyes turned serious again, even sad.

Her skin prickled. "Sure."

"Do you have a—a fetish, or anything?"

She shook her head, relieved. For her, the question was pretty safe territory. "Nope. I mean, I like to tie guys up and make them tell me how pretty I am, but that's not really a fetish as much as me having a huge ego." She was joking. Mostly. She did like to be admired—who didn't?—but she didn't need it to get off.

Simon still looked completely serious. She was about to clarify that it was a joke when he said: "You don't need to tie me up to get me to tell you that. Unless you want to, I guess."

"Aren't you sweet," she said, with a confused mix of joy and embarrassment.

"I mean it." Leaning across the center console, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. His fingertips trailed down the side of her neck. His eyebrows creased. A flush crept slowly up his cheekbones.

Was he thinking about it—was he going to try it?

With a little sigh, she tilted her head back, exposing her throat but still letting him lead. His hand settled alongside her neck. She wondered if he could see her heartbeat, ticking faster and faster underneath her skin.

He stroked her jaw lightly with his thumb, back and forth. It would be so easy for him to slide his thumb down onto her throat, slip his fingers into her hair, let his big hand engulf her. Strange how badly she wanted him to.

He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her, very gently, deepening the kiss slowly, with lazy strokes of his tongue. Her head spinning with desire, she sank back into the seat.

"You are beautiful," he murmured, pulling her lower lip between his teeth. "You are perfect, Leona Chaisty."

His other hand came to her throat, but after the slightest touch, he slid his fingers into her hair and pulled her in for another kiss. His taste, his touch, his words drove her wild. She wanted to fuck him right here, in the car, in a public parking lot.

He drew back, releasing a tight breath. "Christ, you're trouble."

She laughed, a little giddy. "To be fair, you started it." She paused. "I suppose a cop can't get caught fucking in public?"

"Uh, no, definitely not."

"Operative words being 'get caught'?" she suggested.

At that, he grinned back. "Impossible woman."

Inside, they were seated at a booth in the middle of the restaurant, where they ordered drinks. As the waiter walked away, Leona slipped off one of her heels and drew the top of her foot along Simon's leg. He tried to give her a stern look, but his mouth kept crooking up at one corner.

The waiter came back with their drinks, and they both ordered extravagant noodle dishes. Afterward, Leona glanced around, admiring the restaurant's cheerful, elephant-themed decorations.

The hostess walked into Leona's line of sight, cutting off her view of a gold elephant on the far wall. Two women followed the hostess to a table in the center of the crowded restaurant. The taller woman had shimmery ash-brown hair. Even from across the room, Leona could see her wide, expressive smile, so much like Leona's own.

Leona's whole body went cold. No way it was her. She lived in Massachusetts now. There was no reason for her to be in Vermont.

Leona shivered so violently she knocked over her water glass. Simon caught it before it could fall to the table. Water sloshed across the tablecloth.

How could she be here? Her night with Simon had been going so well. This was like some kind of cruel prank.

"You all right?" Simon asked. "What's up?"

Leona balled her hands into fists in her lap. "It's nothing."

"Do you know that woman?" Of course Simon, cop that he was, had noticed.

"Never seen her before," she lied. She was still shaking, which just made her angrier. She shouldn't care. Not after all this time.

"She looks a lot like you."

"No, she doesn't." Leona had started dyeing her hair black at fourteen, and still did, so that she wouldn't look like the willowy, gray-eyed woman a few tables away. The woman who meant nothing to Leona, because Leona meant nothing to her.

The waiter was back, holding steaming plates of noodles. Too late to escape.

"Leona...tell me what's going on," Simon said, after the waiter left.

Reluctantly, she met his gaze. His light eyes were concerned, but his mouth was set in a grim, schooled line, as if he were waiting to find out how many heads he had to bash together. She felt a sudden rush of affection for him.

"That's my mother," Leona admitted.

"I'm guessing you guys aren't close."

"You could say that."

"I heard about the mall," Simon said quietly. "That they left you at a mall for an entire day, when you were a kid."

She stared at the condensation on the side of her beer. "It was two days."

"How did they leave you at a mall for two days?"

"They used to drop me off at one sometimes, while they went to the casino in upstate New York. It was on the way. But I guess they forgot about me and went home. It wasn't...totally uncommon." She didn't look at him as she said it. Even after all these years, she still felt a little bit ashamed of being so irrevocably unwanted.

"That is so fucked up."

"Actually, at first, it was kind of cool. Being locked in the mall overnight, you know. But then the next day, the mall cop caught me stealing a pretzel, and I ended up spending the rest of the day at the local police station. Until my folks finally showed up." She laughed. "Told you I had some experience with the police."

"Jesus Christ," he muttered. "That is insane."

Simon scowled across the restaurant at Leona's mother, who was laughing at something her friend had said. Leona was sure he thought her mother looked perfectly nice and normal. Everyone always did, including Leona's own friends. The same friends who had nicknamed Leona Maleficent.

"How could she do that to you?" Simon asked, turning back to Leona. "What's wrong with her?"

She sighed. "There's nothing wrong with her. Or my father. It's not like they're evil. They were young. They didn't want a kid. They just wanted to be able to do whatever they felt like, whenever they felt like it."

That had always been the worst part. They didn't actually dislike her. They'd never screamed at her or beat her. They had just never cared if she were there or not.

"Could be worse," she said. "I could've had Iris's mom. Complete psycho."

He shook his head. "You can't just abandon your kid at a mall. That is not okay."

She freed a piece of broccoli from a tangle of noodles, but couldn't stomach actually eating it. She set her fork back down. "It wasn't being left at the mall that made things so hard for me, growing up. It was the little stuff. Never having any food in the house. Washing my shirts in the sink because the washing machine was always broken. Walking everywhere because no one ever remembered to pick me up. It was never malicious. It was just, 'oh, Leona, you're here?'"

As soon as she'd turned eighteen, she'd moved out. Paul had co-signed a lease for her so she could get her own apartment. It was, without a doubt, the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her.

She'd wondered if they'd notice her absence, or maybe even miss her. But they didn't. A few times, she'd seen them walking around downtown with friends, and they'd waved at her as if she were someone they used to play cards with. Oh, Leona, you're here?

"We should get out of here before I end up saying something to that goddamn woman."

Leona looked up at Simon in surprise. He still had his cop face on, but she could see his fury in the narrowing of his eyes. She couldn't remember the last time that she'd actually told someone—especially one of her lovers—about her family. She hadn't expected anger. At most, she'd expected to be pitied.

"I'll get the check," he said, "if you want to go out to the car."

"It's all right." As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She desperately wanted to go out to Lulu. Anywhere but here, watching her mother not see her.

"It's not all right," he snapped. "Go outside."

Numb and shaky, she picked up her purse. She should thank him. She wanted to, but the words froze in her throat. She couldn't stop herself from looking over one last time. It was like looking in a mirror, but aged by about twenty years.

Her mother happened to look up. Mild recognition flashed across her face. She smiled Leona's smile and fluttered her fingertips in a vague, polite wave, as if she couldn't quite remember Leona's name.

Leona did not wave back. She was trapped in a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

Her mother's friend glanced over and waved awkwardly, too. Leona didn't recognize her, but it didn't matter: they were all the same. Her parents' friends had always been puzzled by the pale, gangly child who'd lingered around the edges of their parties. The women had ruffled her hair while the men had told her to smile, but she'd never minded, because she'd liked the attention.

Pathetic. She drew a trembling breath and thought of Lulu. All she had to do was walk outside. Then she could be with Lulu, and Simon, and she could go back to her beloved apartment. She could exorcise this night from her mind forever. 

*** 

This is the end of the free seven-chapter preview! If you'd like to find out what happens next, check out the buy links in the story description. I hope you enjoyed the story so far! 

Thank you so much for reading!

London

🔥 U P D A T E 🔥

Are you curious about Leona's friend Iris?? What's her deal? Does she ever come back to Grenton? 

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