Chapter Forty-One
Lainey
“The glass company can install a new window tomorrow, but you’re going to have to pay the deductible,” Earl told me on my third call to him Monday morning.
“You have a glass deductible? Since when do insurance companies charge you for window replacements?”
“You’re thinking car insurance.”
“Oh.” I blew out a deep breath. “And how much is that going to cost?”
“Five hundred.”
I patted my chest as I choked out, “ Five hundred dollars ?”
“Well, I ain’t talking about pennies, sweetheart. And five hundred is cheap. My home owner’s insurance is a thousand. What’s your renter’s insurance deductible?”
“Two hundred and fifty.”
Which, in my opinion, was still a lot when you didn’t have it to begin with.
After starting a college fund for Conor, I still had some money from Shawn, but that was my nest egg, and I’d done everything in my power not to touch it. I hated the thought of dipping into it, but it didn’t seem like I had a choice.
“I’ll get the money. It’s going to take a few days because I have to cash in a CD.”
My landlord seemed to take pity on me.
“How about I front the money, and we come up with a payment plan.”
I let out a long sigh of relief.
“I would really appreciate that, Earl.”
“Yeah, of course. Anything to help you get back in your place. I’ll let you know what time to expect them tomorrow.”
I needed to get to the bakery and begin the cleanup process. With any luck, I’d be open in time to feed the lunch crowd tomorrow, minimizing my financial hit.
And once they found the asshole responsible, I was suing him in civil court for the money I was going to be out.
Sell my son on the black market and put roaches in my kitchen, my ass .
Next, I sent Teresa a text and asked if she was available to watch Conor for a few hours that afternoon.
Of course she was willing to help.
Then I dialed Kristy’s number and held my breath as it rang. This conversation was going to be a little more difficult because she was going to lose her shit when I told her what had happened.
~~~~
My friend took the news of yesterday’s events surprisingly well, and I worried that it was simply a ruse until she saw me in person at the bakery later.
I decided I’d worry about it then; I had other things I needed to get done. Maybe if I kept busy enough, I wouldn’t even have time to think about Adam Callahan.
Which might prove to be easier said than done when he came downstairs looking like a snack in his policeman’s uniform.
****
Adam
Ever since joining the Marines, I knew women were attracted to a man in uniform, but I was not prepared for the eye-fucking I received from Lainey when I walked in the kitchen in my Haven Springs police one.
And to think, just yesterday, I’d fucked her for real in the shower. If I’d known it was going to be our last time together, I would have taken my time and savored every inch of her.
Lame, I know. I should’ve done it then, too.
But we’d been in a hurry because the O’Briens were going to be bringing Conor back. And frankly, I thought there’d be a next time.
“You need to stop looking at me like that, princess,” I quipped as I pulled a coffee mug from the cupboard.
She shrugged unapologetically.
“And you need to stop calling me that.”
“Fair enough.”
“You probably should get used to people gawking at you. Women all over Haven Springs are going to be slipping you their phone numbers once they get a look at you in that uniform.”
The idea held no appeal. The only woman who I’d even been remotely attracted to in the last six months, was the same one who was off-limits. The one I’d been unable to resist.
Even now, I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss the hell out of her.
Maybe we could cross that proverbial bridge tomorrow.
I filled my cup and took a step toward her as she said, “Ask Brian.”
“Ask me what?” my new sergeant said as he walked in the kitchen dressed for work.
I automatically took a step back into my own space where I belonged.
“Women try to give you their phone numbers.”
He also retrieved a mug from the cupboard and poured himself a cup from the coffee pot.
“Eh, not anymore. Everyone knows I’m a grumpy fuck.”
Lainey tilted her head.
“Really? You are? I’ve never seen that side of you.”
“That’s because you’re not an idiot or a lawless asshole.”
She rolled her eyes at his explanation.
“I have a hard time believing most of the women in Haven Springs fall into either of those categories.”
“They are when they’re wasting my time with bullshit calls. Like do they really think wearing a teddy when they answer the door is going to make me take off my duty belt and fuck them right there in their doorway?”
Her eyes got big.
“Women do that?”
“Not anymore they don’t. Not with me anyway. Ever since I cited Cindy Cravens for filing a false report. Word got around fast.” He looked over at me and raised his cup. “Word to the wise—nip that shit in the bud.”
Lainey persisted. “But you still have women trying to give you their phone numbers.”
“Yeah, they give them to me, and they go right in the trash. I don’t have time to date anyone, Lain. You know that.”
She tilted her chin in my direction.
“Well, maybe now with Adam on the force, you’ll have time. You two can be each other’s wingmen.”
He took a long sip of coffee as he seemed to study us, then said, “Can I ask you guys something?”
There was something about the way he asked, like he was trying too hard to be nonchalant, that gave me a bad feeling about where this was going. Still, I replied, “Yeah, sure,” the same as Lainey.
“Is there something going on between you two?”
My voice was too high-pitched when I asked, “What?” and Lainey’s gasp of righteous indignation wasn’t convincing either.
With a ghost of a patient smile, Brian silently waited for us to answer his question.
I was first to respond. “No, of course not.”
“No,” Lainey echoed. “We’re just friends.”
He stuck his lower lip out as he nodded. “Okay. I wanted to make sure before I passed this information on. Justin Weaver wants to ask you out.”
Her eyebrows shot to her hairline.
“Justin Weaver wants to ask me out? Seriously?”
“Yeah. I ran into him at the hospital last night, and we started talking. He asked if you were seeing anyone and if I’d be okay if he asked you on a date.”
“Who’s Justin Weaver?” I demanded. Because I was going to have to pay this asshole a visit and set him straight.
As quickly as the idea entered my head, my conscience whispered, “You don’t have the right to do that.”
“He’s a doctor at Haven Springs General,” Brian supplied. “He grew up here but moved away to go to school, then served in the Navy as a field doc for the Marines. He moved back a year or so ago after his time was up.”
You’ve got to be shitting me.
The Marines didn’t have their own doctors and relied on the Navy for all its medical care. They even wore the USMC uniform.
“I, uh…” Lainey stammered. “Wow, I’m flattered. I had no idea he was interested. I assumed he came in all the time because he liked pastries after working overnights in the ER.”
“So, it’s okay if I give him your number?”
She glanced over at me like she wanted me to have an opinion on the matter. But I kept my face impassive, which obviously was the wrong tack to take because she looked back at Brian and said, “Sure. Why not?”
And with those three words, I had a feeling my time in Haven Springs was going to be even shorter than I’d originally thought.