“Then Ronnie caught it.” I nodded. Man, fishermen really were nuts.
“And Ben kept pulling up all those traps. Kyle was going berserk. All this time, I thought it was because we weren’t getting any closer to catching the MWB.” He shook his head.
“So what happened? How’d you beat him?”
Antonio puffed up his chest. “Well, I had him pretty well pinned when Luke showed up.”
“Luke? How did Luke know?” My throat hurt when I talked.
“I called him when I couldn’t focus on the game because I was so worried about you, and he met me at the reservoir. I’m just glad you were at the shop. Otherwise we may not have found you in time.”
“And Luke is—”
“I imagine he’s booking Kyle as we speak.”
At least Carmen would be happy.
“I think that’s enough for now.” Mom cut in. I was silently thankful.
“That’s okay. I should probably get home anyway. I’m glad you’re okay.” I don’t know whether it was the fact that he saved me from near death or that he was just that handsome, but when he smiled at me before walking out the door, my insides turned gelatinous.
“Well, he certainly is a very handsome gentleman,” Mom said when he was gone.
“A very married gentleman,” I replied.
To which she wrinkled her nose. “Too bad.”
My thoughts exactly.
16
They kept me in the hospital overnight for monitoring but let me go home the next day. My neck was bandaged so the rope burn could heal, but otherwise I was apparently in perfect health.
“Luke’s coming to visit in about an hour, if you want to get spiffied up,” Mom informed me as we pulled into the driveway.
“Great,” I replied, trying to keep the sarcasm from my voice. I was glad he had helped Antonio, but I didn’t really want to see him after I knew he’d been with Nikki.
“Do you need any help?”
“No, I’ll just throw on some clothes and swipe on some mascara.”
“And do something with your hair. It’s a mess.” And just like that, my mom was back.
Luke and I sat in silence at the dining room table. He ran his fingers through his hair, and I tapped my freshly broken fingernails on the table.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he finally said.
“Me too. Thanks for helping Antonio.”
The look on his face at my mention of Antonio was almost enough of a payback for his willingness to date the vilest girl in the world. Almost.
“When he called, I dropped everything and got there as fast as I could.”
I just nodded.
“You know, me and Nikki—”
I held up a hand. “You don’t have to explain yourself. She’s a beautiful girl. And you and I are just . . . friends.”
He frowned but didn’t contradict me. My heart squeezed a little at that. I sort of wished he had.
“I tried to call you, to check up on you,” he said.
The memory of my phone buzzing in my pocket rushed back to me reminding me I’d have to somehow come up with the money for yet another new phone.
“I was busy trying to stop a killer.”
“And stop him you did.”
I nodded.
“I should probably go, let you rest.”
Every part of me wanted to grab his hand. To cry on his shoulder. But he didn’t need to be my fixer. Some things, I was just going to have to learn to handle on my own. “Thanks for stopping by.”
The moment the door closed behind him, I dissolved into tears. Mom, who had likely been eavesdropping, plopped into the chair where Luke had just been and pulled my head onto her shoulder. “It’ll be okay.”
Maybe living at home wasn’t the worst thing ever. Maybe.
A week later, I arrived back at the shop where I’d nearly died, dressed in my uniform and ready to return to work.
“It’s good to have you back,” Ben said. I thought he might hug me, but he didn’t. “I’m glad you didn’t quit.”
“Quit? No way.” Though the thought had crossed my mind, especially with Nikki working there.
“Great! And maybe this time you’ll get the full-time position. I, personally, am hoping they pick you.”
“What full-time position?” I’d been off painkillers for a solid three days, but my brain still felt a bit fuzzy.
“Kyle’s. We’ll need to fill it by the time summer’s over. Just promise me you won’t find any more dead bodies.” He winked in the most big-brotherly way possible.
“Trust me, I’ll be happy to put the dead bodies behind me.”
Another full-time position. My heart raced. This was it, my chance at a fresh start.
That position was mine.
Thank you so much for reading Catfished!
I would be honored and eternally grateful if you would post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads about the book.
If you’d like to continue onto more adventures, check out Suckered—the second book in the Rylie Cooper Mystery Series and Throttled—the third book in the Rylie Cooper Mystery Series.
You can get a FREE short story about how Rylie found Fizzy, if you click here.
I also have a Patreon page where you can get a bunch of exclusive content like deleted scenes, ranger journal entries, and more.
Also, I love hearing from readers! Email me at [email protected].
XOXO,
Stella Bixby
Acknowledgments
There are so many people to thank. Wow.
I must first thank God because He has given me every bit of ability, talent, perseverance, and grit I have. Without Him, there would be no me.
A very close second goes to my family. You are my heart and soul and I love you with every fiber of my being.
Nolan, you are my rock, the love of my life, and my best friend. Thank you for always seeing the best in me and believing I can accomplish anything I put my mind to, even when I don’t. Your support of my writing has made all the difference. I thank God every day that He gave me you.
Faith, thank you for every single smile and word of encouragement that you so freely give. I can’t
