Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 359

+25 BONUS

I opened my social media and noticed a new friend request. Normally, I don't accept random adds unless they got my number, but I clicked on it out of habit. The name? Cedric Sawyer. Apparently, he's a cop.

I racked my brain, trying to place him. Then it clicked-he was the officer from yesterday, the one who handled my parents' case. I didn't catch his name at the time, but yeah, that had to be him. Plus, he'd asked for my number, so it made sense. I shrugged and hit accept. A notification popped up, saying we were now connected. I didn't message him, though. If he had something to say, he'd reach out first.

I flipped over to Lena's profile and shot her a message: [Girl, you need to tone down the superhero vibe. Be playful, maybe even a little flirty. Let him feel like he's gotta protect you or something. Right now, you're making him feel like he's the sidekick.] After sending it, I glanced across the café at Lena, but she was totally absorbed in her drink. Classic Lena -always oblivious. I didn't expect her to respond right away anyway. It was more of a note for her to think about next time.

"Stop staring at your phone and eat," Hayden nudged me, snapping me back to reality.

"Okay, okay." I mumbled and poked at my pasta. My throat was still sore, so I wasn't really into it.

But the juice? Absolute heaven. Sweet and warm, perfect for my throat. It would've been better cold, but Hayden insisted on warm since, you know, I was on my period.

someone who looked so rough around the edges, his table manners were surprisingly on point. Not a crumb left behind. This wasn't just a one-off

me too. I remembered

like always, I couldn't resist teasing. "Hayden, you're a little too od at this whole 'clean your plate' thing. Sure, at home, it's practical-fewer dishes to wash. But here?

he'd finished my leftovers, but

still wrong," he said, all

couldn't really argue with that, so I just watched him devour

food like that, so I nudged him under the table with my foot. He froze

Adam's apple

1/2

Chapter 359

+25 BONUS

like I was innocent, lightly biting down on