Chapter 47: Panther Hunted

Lainie walked into Everglades, relieved that her official first day of being a new deputy had ended. The boredom had almost killed her. Chet had offered for her to take the day off after everything that happened yesterday with Miles, but Lainie refused. She would not admit that the encounter in the woods shook her up, not in front of people who expected her to have their back in case of trouble. Luckily, her friends were there to protect her.

She glanced around the inside of the bar and noticed Josh sitting alone at one of the high tops. Searching the rest of the bar, she noticed Alanna was nowhere in sight. Maybe at work? Then it dawned on Lainie, she had no idea what the other woman did for a job. She waved hello to Wes, asking for a beer as she did, and weaved her way through the tables toward Josh. He glanced up as she got closer, smiling at her. "Drinking alone?" she asked as she slid into one of the chairs. "Isn't that a sign of a drinking problem?" She giggled a little as she se