Chapter Five
Grayson
At the top of the hill, we stand together staring at the beautiful scene before us.
I love this hike, and I’m so glad I did it.
I needed a stress reliever, to get out of the norm and into nature.
And I’m thrilled Tandy came with me. She makes things light and joyful.
She’s like a breath of fresh air, refreshing and invigorating.
I sneak a glance at her, grateful for our friendship. With the nerves of this week, I’m feeling extra sentimental toward her. Her hazel eyes are wide as she soaks in the setting sun. Her fiery red hair flows in the breeze. She shivers slightly, pulling my coat tighter around her body.
Her nose scrunches up as she blows into her cupped palms. Before I think it through, I’m beside her with my arm around her shoulders.
We don’t do this—our friendship lives in playful jabs and casual fist bumps.
When her eyes lift to mine, surprise flickering across her features, she hesitates momentarily before resting her head against my chest.
“Better?” The word comes out softer than I intended.
“Mhm. Perfect.” She shifts closer, and something kicks in my chest.
Surely it’s the adrenaline from the hike—my body’s natural response to exertion or the altitude, not that we’re very high. We huddle together against the chill as the sun transforms into cool purples and blues.
“Before you turn into a Tandy-sicle, we should start heading down.”
She nods. As she untangles herself from my hold, I feel the loss of her warmth.
“Race you to the bottom.” A playful glint sparkles in her eyes right before she takes off down the trail.
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Cheater!” I shout as I run after her.
Catching up to her isn’t hard, not with my long strides. Tandy’s laughter turns into anxious giggles as I close the gap between us.
“Cheating’s only cheating if you get caught,” she tosses over her shoulder as she picks up speed.
This, right here, is what I love about our friendship. The carefree moments, the fun moments. And with Tandy, it’s always fun. The trees whip past me as I gradually get closer to her.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” I lunge for her, managing to catch hold of her hand. She lets out a small squeal of surprise as she turns around to face me. Her giggles are contagious, and I join the laughter.
“Got ya!”
“Fine, fine, you caught me,” she says, holding her hands up in surrender. “Go ahead, arrest me.” She holds her wrist out to me.
“I’ll let you off with a warning this time, ma’am.”
“You’re too kind, Officer Sanders.”
The sparkle in her eyes fades away, and her face becomes serious. Then, without warning, she breaks away from me and starts running again. “Last one to the truck buys hot chocolate!”
For a girl who hates to run, she sure is running a lot. I race after her again, but despite my longer strides, she reaches the truck before me. She throws her arms up in victory, panting heavily. “I win!”
I stop next to her, leaning against the truck to catch my breath. “Only because you cheated…twice!”
She grins broadly. “You know what they say. All’s fair in love and hot chocolate.”
“Wipe that smirk off your face, Bookworm.” I wag a finger at her, and I can feel the corners of my mouth tugging up into a smile. Try as I might, I can’t keep a straight face. “Cheating shouldn’t be rewarded.”
She playfully rolls her eyes.
“But,” I pause, “for a girl who doesn’t like running, you did a lot of it.”
Her face glows, clearly pleased with herself. “I run when it’s worth it. And hot chocolate is definitely a worthy reason.”
As I step into the bullpen, Andrew greets me from his desk.
“Hey, man.” I give him a fist bump.
With my one-year review this week, I’ve been a bit nostalgic thinking about how much this year has changed me.
Last year during the summer, I came to visit my Gramps.
I try to come every year, especially since my grandma passed, but being in the police academy and on probation, it was hard to get away every year.
But last year, it was just us for a week.
We went hiking, fishing, and golfing with his buddies.
One of those buddies was Gerald, the Oakridge Hollow PD Captain.
They’d been looking for young officers to fill in spots as seasoned officers retired.
And the timing was perfect, actually. I was looking for a change.
I loved being an officer and in the city where I grew up, but I wanted more experiences to grow as well.
And that’s how I ended up here. Small town opportunity.
“How was the hike yesterday?” he asks, causing me to furrow my brows in question. “Tandy mentioned it to Jane. Jane mentioned it to me.”
I nod in understanding. “It was good. Got a bit cold for Tandy, but nothing a little hot chocolate and pasta couldn’t fix.”
Randy, Andrew’s partner, walks by with a smirk on his face. “Mhm.”
“Something on your mind, Randy?” Andrew calls out.
Randy grins. “Is that coffee brewing? Or is it…love?”
Andrew looks at me, holding in a laugh. I shake my head. “We’re just friends.”
“Riiight.” He drags out the word. “Friends. Platonic and nothing more.”
“Exactly, Randy.”
“You know, Melissa and I started as just friends,” he says.
“Nothing more than friends,” I echo, arching my eyebrow at Randy.
It’s not the first time they’ve brought this up, and it won’t be the last. It was nice while they were gone in the city, two fewer people to hassle me about her.
Randy keeps talking as if I said nothing. “Friends until I made the first move that led us to where we are now. Happily married and a kid.”
“Nothing romantic about us, seriously.” I shake my head and look at Andrew for support.
He throws his hand up. “Can’t help you here, Sanders. Jane and I think you’d be great together.”
“You’ve talked about this with Jane?”
“Well, Jane brought it up. But yeah, we think you two work well together. And I’ve seen the way you look at her, man.”
Before I can respond, Gramps walks in. “Afternoon, boys,” he greets. “What are you chatting about now? Who’s lookin’ at whom?”
Randy and Andrew chuckle.
“Apparently, Randy, Andrew, AND Jane think Tandy and I should be more than friends.”
“Add me to that list.”
“Grandpa,” I groan. These people are going to drive me up a wall.
“Well, I’ve seen the way you two look at each other.” He shrugs nonchalantly.
“Why does everyone keep saying that?”
He has a knowing glint in his eyes. “You just need to stop pretending. Admit your feelings. And ask that girl out already.” He sternly nods.
Andrew shrugs like “well, he’s right.” And Randy holds his hand over his mouth, covering his smirk.
“Well, I’m off to see Gerald. The Captain doesn’t have all day. See you at home, Grayson.” He taps my shoulder, then turns to Andrew and Randy. “Gentleman, see you later.”
Randy lets out a low whistle, and Andrew claps me on the shoulder, sympathy etched on his face.
“He’s got a point,” Andrew says. “Love is a blessing, man. Look at Jane and me.”
“When you find the right girl, it’s worth it. You just have to take a leap of faith,” Randy says.
I agree with that. I know love is worth it. But is Tandy the right girl?
I don’t know. And we have a good thing going on already. Why ruin that? Why risk losing her?
Randy continues, “Worst-case scenario? You remain friends. Best-case? You’ve found the love of your life. The one you get to wake up to every day. Fall asleep next to every night. And make memories in between.”
“Is that what you did with Melissa?” I ask.
“You bet. Risked it, and I’d say it’s turned out better than I expected.”