Lib Novel Page 75
“Sugar cookies.” I jumped back, holding my dripping cup away from myself.
“Watch it, lady.” The man was scruffy with unkempt hair and a scraggly beard. His lip curled in a sneer.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
“If you get burned, it ain’t my fault.”
That was an odd response to an apology. “I didn’t say it was. Did I spill on you?”
He looked down at his T-shirt. It had a wet splotch on the front. “Ruined my damn shirt.”
“I’m so sorry. That was totally my fault.”
“Damn straight it was. Don’t go tattling on me to your cop boyfriend. The dick’ll probably haul me in again. I didn’t touch you. We clear?”
“I never said you did.”
He pointed a finger at me and opened his mouth to say something else, but another male voice cut him off.
“Move on, Trent. No need to make a scene.”
I glanced at the new arrival. He was a nice-looking guy, probably mid-thirties, with light brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a black T-shirt and jeans, and although his voice was calm, his posture was like a coiled spring.
“The fuck’s your problem, Haven?” Trent asked. “Trying to start something?”
Haven? Was he one of Garrett’s brothers?
“The only one trying to start something here is you. She spilled a little coffee and she apologized. Let’s all go on with our day.”
“Tell your brother to fuck off.” He spat on the sidewalk and kept walking.
“Are you okay?” the other guy asked.
I looked down at my mess of a shirt. “Yeah, fine. Not the first time I’ve spilled coffee all over myself. Thanks, by the way.”
“No problem. I’m Luke, Garrett’s brother.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Harper.”
“Good to meet you too.”
“Who was that guy and why was he so angry? I mean, I wouldn’t be happy if someone ran into me on the sidewalk and spilled coffee on my shirt. But wasn’t that a little excessive?”
“Trent Jones. He’s a local, and kind of a hothead. Likes to steal cars.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, he has a reputation. Sometimes you hear wild stories about people in this town, but in his case, they’re mostly true.”
“Wow. I wonder if that’s why he said Garrett would probably haul him in again. Do you think Garrett’s arrested him before?”
“More than likely.”
Trent had disappeared around a corner but my heart still felt jumpy.
“Don’t worry about him. Guys like that are the exception in this town, not the rule. Most of us aren’t rude car thieves.”
“That’s good to know. And your chivalry just now totally made up for his rudeness. You didn’t have to stop and help me.”