Chasing Bristol (The Finding Trilogy Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

“Where’d you go?
And what brings you back to Rhode Island? Newport, at that?”
    Yikes. I must have seemed interested in
him, interrogating him like that.
    Mason smiled as he answered, “My family
moved to New Hampshire, but I love Rhode Island. This is my home. It’s like I
was being called back.”
    “What do you do, Mason?” Julian probed.
    “I’m a police officer here in Newport,”
he replied, looking at her. “On the force for almost two years now.”
    “So cool, and you’re only twenty-four,
just a year older than me and Bristol.” Amber seemed intrigued, and I was too.
    “What made you decide to be a cop?” I
asked.
    “It’s…a long story,” he said. Uneasiness
screened his face. He finished his drink and looked around the lounge.
    “Bristol’s single,” Amber announced. “In
case you’re wondering.”
    “Amber!” I yelped and bumped her knee
under the table.
    Julian chuckled before taking a drink.
    I peered down at my lap, embarrassed.
    “That’s good to know,” Mason said. I
felt him watching me. “Bristol?”
    The sweet and sincere way he spoke my
name made me hold my breath. It pulled back my undivided attention.
    “Would you like to dance?” he asked in a
hopeful tone.
    I almost said yes, but then I thought of
Tyler and my feelings for him rushed back. Regardless of Mason’s intention, I
wasn’t ready for anything. “I can’t, Mason. Sorry.”
    Amber kicked my leg. When I met her
gaze, she flashed me a “what the hell” look. I turned to Julian. She twitched
her mouth as if fighting to resist saying something. She drank her beer
instead.
    Had they forgotten that this night was
supposed to be about having fun and not about guys?
    An awkward silence engulfed us for a
moment, then Mason got up from the seat. “Well, it was nice meeting you ladies.
I’m the driver tonight and my shift starts in the morning, so I gotta head
out.”
    Staring at me, he said, “Good seeing you
again, Bristol. Take care.” I noticed the disappointment in his demeanor as he
spun away.
    My stomach sank. Strangely, it felt like
regret was stabbing me in the chest.
    “Bye,” Julian and Amber said in sync,
both pouting.
    “Damn, Bristol,” Amber scolded as she
cut back to me.
    I crossed my arms. “What?”
    “Look, I know you just broke up with
Tyler and you loved him—”
    “And still do,” Julian interjected.
    “Even after what he did,” Amber
continued. “But come on.” She glanced over her shoulder at the exit. Mason and
his friends were leaving. “That guy is clearly interested in you.”
    “Clearly,” Julian stressed, bobbing her
head.
    Amber went on, “And if my instincts are
correct, which they usually are, he probably came back to Rhode Island in hopes
of meeting you again.”
    I tittered. “What? That’s ridiculous. He
had to have known that the possibility of meeting me again was slim, and if
that’s the case, it’s weird.”
    “Yeah, and plus,” Julian chimed in. “Now
that I’m thinking about it, rebounds aren’t healthy.” Eyeing me, she added, “I
think Mason seems nice too, but I get it, Bristol. You need time to figure
stuff out.” She traced the tip of her bottle as she deliberated. “Take as much
time as you need and don’t rush into anything.” She started drinking again.
    “ But ,” Amber reasoned, “There’s
nothing wrong with having a little fun—handcuffs are kinky.” She laughed.
Julian spilled some of her beer, unable to stop her giggles.
    “Stop.” I glared at them playfully.
    Amber composed herself. “Okay. Okay. But
who knows, maybe you’ll have something better with Mason.”
    Julian wiped her mouth with a napkin
then gave her two cents. “If you guys met again so randomly, chances are you’ll
see him again soon. Just wait.”
    “Yeah, or she could go to the station
and ask for him,” Amber teased.
    “Okay, you two,” I smiled at them and
relaxed my body. “Like I said, I need time.”
    Amber reached over to squeeze my