The Bad Boy's Girl (The Bad Boy's Girl #1)(6)
“Then ground me,” I tell him with a huge grin on my face.
It’s not like I go anywhere except the mall at times with Megan and Beth. Neither of them is a keen shopper so we mostly end up sitting at Starbucks and Beth winds up inside a music store, lost for hours as Megan shares gossip.
He sighs. “Just do it, Tess, and no arguments. I would’ve sent your brother, but since it’s morning according to whatever clock he lives by, he’ll either be too drunk to function or too hungover to actually comprehend what I just said.”
“But Dad, Cole might be there, and you of all people know how bad he is to me!” I whine, practically willing to fall to his feet and beg him not to make me go.
“Now is not the time for theatrics, sweetheart. Take these papers and go.” He pulls me upright and basically pushes me toward the door.
“You’re a cruel and heartless parent; you know that, right?” I say as he walks me down the stairs and to the front door, which he oh so graciously opens for me.
“You don’t become the mayor by being nice. Now hurry along.”
Then he shuts the door in my face.
Bloody brilliant. I wonder how many bones I’d break trying to sneak back into my room.
***
I wish I could say that the Stone residence is miles and miles away. If that were the case, I could say that I experienced severe dehydration, fainted, and ended up at the local hospital. The image of my father apologizing profusely for being such a dictator is surprisingly pleasant.
Sadly for me, the universe never fails to deliver, and it only takes about five minutes before I end up outside their mammoth three-story house. Farrow Hill is a town filled with people who have old money. Houses are more like estates, and the residents tend to be obscenely rich. Sheriff Stone may not be making millions but he comes from money and it shows. It’s the same for my own parents, which means that I’ve long stopped being intimidated by the grandeur.
My hand lingers on the bell as I imagine all the possible scenarios that might occur if Cole actually is inside. Most of them end up with me in the local hospital with a lot of broken bones and a badly bruised ego. While Cole has never physically hurt me, many of his pranks have been designed to target my obvious lack of coordination, and somehow I always end up in a cast. Now, even though I haven’t been there for nearly four years, it’s not like I exactly miss the place and the wonderful smell of disinfectant. I’d rather not visit old Martha, who’s my favorite nurse, anytime soon.
I squeeze my eyes shut and press the damned buzzer twice. After waiting five minutes, I decide to turn the doorknob. Maybe I’m lucky and no one’s home. That way I can drop off the papers without human interaction.
The sheriff often spends long hours at the police station, and his second wife, Jay’s mom Cassandra, is a doctor who works late-night shifts at the hospital. Jay could be out, too, I think grudgingly. He could be canoodling with Nicole, and the thought makes me clench my fists.
Luckily, I turn the knob and the door opens. Saying a quick thank-you prayer, I stick my head inside to find the entrance room empty. A single light illuminates the path to the kitchen, which is mostly dark. From memory I recall that the boys’ rooms are upstairs while Sheriff Stone’s is down here. I step in lightly, just so that I don’t make a sound. I was told to deliver the papers to a person and not just leave them lying around, but I could always tell my dad that no one was home. I walk farther into the house clutching the file in my hands, treading lightly. I leave the folder on a small desk that holds some other important-looking documents.
“Think fast, Tessie!” comes a voice that sends chills up my spine, and my head shoots up instinctively. A rookie mistake after all these years.
The moment I look up I see the bucket in his hands but as usual am too slow to respond. Cole stands half hidden behind the banisters and spills the contents of said bucket directly onto me, and in a matter of seconds I am completely drenched in a mixture of ice-cold water and green food coloring.
While the shock settles in, I hear the burst of evil laughter that erupts from the monster’s mouth. I stand there open-mouthed and soaked, the fact that I’d just been pranked not settling in.
He basically skips down the stairs, still laughing, as I stand rooted to my spot.
“Ah, Tessie, how I’ve missed you.” He chuckles when he nears me but the amusement in his face dies when he sees me. “You’re not Tessie.” He frowns, standing right in front of me.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Cole Stone. An entire six feet one of pure evilness, he could fool the world with his shaggy brown hair and baby blue eyes, but not me. On first seeing him, any other person would see a devastatingly gorgeous, runway model God, but I’d call that person a fool. I see him for exactly who he is, and that’s the devil incarnate. He’s a jerk, a complete dickleweed filled and, and he’s . . .
Checking me out. Gosh darn it! I need him to stop staring at me while I look like a drenched green Smurfette.
“But you’re still an immature nincompoop,” I seethe as I pull my soaked T-shirt away from me and push away the hair that’s stuck to my mouth. Attractive, Tessa, attractive.
“You called me a nincompoop and you’re in my house when Tessie’s father said she’d be here. Who are you and what have you done to my shortcake?” he exclaims, gripping my shoulders and pushing me forward.