Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
J esse pulled into the parking lot outside the sheriff’s station, still smiling at the memory of Aspen’s eyes as they’d flared. At the small separation of her lips as he’d whispered into her ear.
God, she was cute. Hell, cute didn’t even do her justice.
He undid his seat belt and climbed out.
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses though. Living with her was getting harder every day. Her scent was everywhere. She was everywhere. Some days he wondered what the hell he’d been thinking by asking her to live with him.
But he knew exactly what he’d been thinking. That he didn’t want to leave Misty Peak, because she was there. That the couple months they’d spent getting to know each other weren’t enough. And that he’d wanted her away from that jerk of an ex of hers.
He shook his head. He needed to get Aspen out of his mind and focus on his job. It was his first day as sheriff, a position in which he hadn’t expected to find himself. A position that was important. The sheriff of Amber Ridge needed to take sudden leave because of his health, and the likelihood of him returning was slim.
The town was counting on him to do a good job, and he couldn’t do that if his mind was on Aspen all day.
Bea, the young receptionist, smiled up at him from behind the front desk as he stepped inside. “Good morning, Sheriff .”
“Jesse is still fine, Bea.”
“Hey, hey! It’s the big boss man!”
Jesse looked up to see Luke, one of the deputies, heading down the hall toward him, two mugs in hand. They’d gone to high school together, but since getting back, Jesse had found it hard to connect with his old friend.
“You don’t need to call me boss man,” Jesse finally said.
“Of course I do. You’re my new boss and it has a good ring to it.” Luke nudged open the door beside him. “Your new office awaits.”
Jesse stepped in. The space was big, with a desk at the end in front of a window and storage cabinets to either side. “Tell me again why I want this job?”
“Because you wanna be in charge of locking up the bad guys and cleaning up this town.”
Jesse scoffed. “Amber Ridge is the size of a shoe, and the only real crimes are the coffee and Burt’s terrible pizzas.”
Terrible was underselling it. They were somehow both burnt and soggy, often with a fishy aftertaste. It was an art Burt had perfected over the years.
Jesse dropped behind his new desk. “And doesn’t everyone hate the sheriff?”
“They hated Rowan because he was a grumpy old ass. You are young and vibrant and loveable.”
“I don’t think any of those things apply to me.”
“Of course they do. Maybe not today though. Today you’re looking a little worse for wear. Trouble at home with your roommate ?”
Shit. He did not want to talk about Aspen. “No trouble. In fact, she seems completely unaffected by me.”
Luke cringed. “That must hurt the ego.”
“My ego’s fine.” The other parts of him? Not so much.
“Why did you ask her to live with you again? Because you like torturing yourself?”
He could have laughed because wasn’t that the same question he’d been asking himself all morning? Hell, all month. “She needed to get out of Misty Peak, and I had a room.”
“Oh, yes, because of the ex and the unstable mother. And maybe you were hoping that if she stayed with you—”
“No. I wasn’t hoping anything. She just got out of a bad relationship. She’s not in a place to date.” She’d said that more than once, and he needed to respect it, dammit.
Luke’s nose wrinkled. “You poor son of a bitch. You know what you need?”
“A drink?”
“Let’s agree you need a few things, but first, coffee.”
Jesse took the outstretched drink. What the fuck? “The mug has breasts.”
“You’re welcome. And the second thing you need is a date.”
“No.” Hell no. He couldn’t date when Aspen was all he could think about.
“Yes. And I know just the right woman. I met her in yoga.”
“You do yoga?”
“Hell yes, I do yoga. Have you seen the women there?”
“I thought you were dating Margot?” Margot was a deputy here at the station, and honestly, Jesse didn’t know if they were dating or friends.
Luke lifted a shoulder. “You should know that no woman can tie me down.”
Jesus Christ. This was why he’d found it hard to reconnect with Luke since coming back. While Jesse had grown and matured, he wasn’t so sure Luke had.
“Come on.” Luke leaned forward. “One date. The two of you might hit it off over a slice of pizza.”
“I’m not dating a woman from your yoga class. And even if I was, I wouldn’t be doing it with Burt’s Pizza.”
“Chinese then.”
“I need to check my emails.” He turned toward his computer.
“Fine, but I’m picking this conversation back up at lunch.”
“Close the door on your way out.”
Luke laughed as he stepped into the hall.
Jesse’s computer was just booting up when a text came through from his brother.
Becket: We still on for drinks at CJ’s Saturday night?
CJ’s was one of three bars in town. It was the most popular because there was pool, often a band, and it was right in the center of town.
Jesse: Depends, is Clara buying?
Becket: Which sister are you talking about? It can’t be ours.
Jesse: Sorry, I forgot. I’ve been away for too long.
Becket: Damn straight you have. So are you coming?
Jesse: I’ll see you there.
He dropped his phone and turned back to his computer.
The best part of being back home was all the family time he’d missed out on while in the military. His brother had retired as a Navy SEAL a few years ago and was the town’s fire chief.
His sister was now an acupuncturist but had once been a lawyer. One year into her first job, she’d been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.
Every muscle in his body tightened at the memory. It was a tough time for everyone. He and Becket had wanted to come home and look after her, but both she and their mother had refused to let them. Five years had passed since treatment, and there were no longer any signs of cancer in her body, but she still suffered from chronic fatigue. And that meant at times he and Becket were more protective than Clara liked.
Then there was his mother. She was a powerhouse of a woman, raising three kids on her own since their father had died when they were young.
Jesse’s family was the main reason he wouldn’t consider living anywhere else.
He logged into his inbox to see it full of emails. Damn, looked like a day of admin.
He spent the morning with his butt plastered to his seat. Some emails were easy questions he had to answer; others were fires to put out.
At first, he’d been surprised to be promoted to lieutenant over Luke, since Luke had been at the station much longer. But then Luke had told him he didn’t want the position. And since spending more time with him, Jesse could see why. He probably didn’t want the responsibility.
Whereas Jesse liked the challenge. Hell, he needed it. And right now, he also needed the distraction from Aspen.