5. Nina
FIVE
Nina
“ N ina, some of the guys and I are going out for lunch. You wanna come?” Claire asks, popping her head into my office.
“No, thanks. I’m busy, and I packed a lunch. I was just planning on staying here. Thanks, though.” I offer her a smile from over my shoulder.
“Okay. Will you man the phone while I’m gone?”
“Sure.”
Twenty minutes later, I can tell almost everyone has left because the building suddenly gets quiet. Now, everyone can’t leave at once, but I bet there is only one other officer left here, along with the two out on patrol right now. The guys seem to take turns on days we go out. I wonder who got stuck at the station today.
I push away from my desk to head to the break room. I stop dead in my tracks when I see Bryce standing at the microwave, heating up his lunch. His green eyes bounce up and lock on mine.
“Oh, I thought I was the only one here. You didn’t want to go to lunch?”
I shake my head. “No, I went out to eat yesterday, so I packed a lunch today.” I grab my bag out of the fridge and sit at the round table.
“Well, then, if you don’t mind, I’ll sit and eat with you,” he says, pulling his Hot Pocket out of the microwave and sitting across from me.
“Sure,” I reply, trying to remember Red’s words. Become his friend. I can do that. I can be friends with anyone. I consider myself a real people person.
“So, what brought you from the city to this little old town?” I ask, pulling my bowl of salad out of the bag.
He removes the paper sleeve from his Hot Pocket and sets it aside. “Needed a change of scenery. The city just got too loud, too busy. I thought I’d come here, work a few more years, and then retire here, where I can spend my days hunting and fishing and watching the sunset. What about you? Were you born here?”
I shake my head. “No. Well, I guess I could’ve been. I don’t really know. My birth mother left me at a hospital when I was born. I was adopted by my parents and lived my whole life in the city.”
“Oh, wow. Not many people have that kind of backstory. So, what brought you here?”
“My parents died a few years ago. Home just didn’t have the same feeling, you know?” I pick at my salad, wondering how we got to this conversation already. Usually, it’s months into a friendship before I reveal anything about my past. I guess a part of me feels comfortable talking to him.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks. It was a couple of years ago now. They were actually killed in that bank bombing. You remember that?” I point my fork at him. If he was a police officer in Denver a few years ago, surely he’d remember. It was all over the news. A group of people decided to rob a bank. They didn’t mean to do so while a cop was in line, but that’s how it turned out. Things went to hell fast, and before anybody knew it, the whole bank exploded when one of the guys got cornered and freaked out. He shot his gun at the cop to try and get away, but he missed, and the bullet went into the wall, right into a gas line.
He nods but doesn’t meet my eyes. “Remember it? I was working it.”
“You were?” I ask, my eyes widening. “You weren’t the cop who was in the bank when it started, were you?”
“No, that was a good buddy of mine. He lost his life that day.”
“A lot of good people did,” I agree, feeling a sudden strain on the conversation. It’s clear he doesn’t want to talk about this any longer, so I let the conversation fall away to something a little easier. “So, what do you think of our little town anyway?”
He sits up straight now, his green eyes softening. “I like it. It’s small and quiet. Everyone seems to be friends. They’ve all been very welcoming.” He gives me a small smile.
I nod. “I figured they would be. Just wait until you meet Mr. Bounty. He retired a few years back. He was the sheriff, and I think he still thinks he is.”
He lets out a deep laugh. The gesture touches his eyes and makes them practically glow. The sound hits me hard and makes my thighs tighten.
“I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Count your blessings that you haven’t yet. I’m sure he’ll be strolling in within the next couple of days. He probably just wants to give you time to settle in before he starts in on you. He expects to be treated like royalty around here. He’ll come in and throw out demands about things he wants to have done with regard to this or that. And if you don’t do them, you’ll never hear the end of it. The last sheriff thought he could take him on, but Mr. Bounty wouldn’t let up. That’s why he eventually transferred. Said he couldn’t take small towns any longer.”
He’s still smiling, and I’m not sure if it’s because of my story or if it’s because of the way I’ve been rambling on. “I’m up for the challenge.”
“Good.”
“So, what made you take this job? I mean, other than the fact that you’re clearly good at it.”
I shrug one shoulder as I chew a bit of my salad. “Honestly, I moved here for the town and my secluded cabin up on the mountain. After I found a home, I found a job. Now comes the next step.”
“And what’s the next step?”
I press my lips together as I think this over. Do I really want to tell him already? I was hoping to have built a better foundation for our friendship before bringing him into this. I guess we’ll see where it goes. “Have you noticed the number of kids who have been brought in since you’ve been here? I mean, it’s only been a day, but already, three have been arrested.”
He nods. “I have. I just chalked it up to kids being kids.”
“Right, that’s exactly what it is. If kids don’t have anything better to do, they’ll cause trouble. And this town is so small, there isn’t much for them to do. So, I want to open a youth center. Someplace where they can go to hang out and have fun. Keep them out of trouble. I’m thinking basketball courts, skate ramps, swimming pool. Along with art, computer, and specialty classes. Tutoring for the SATs, college prep. That kind of thing. I think it would be really good not only for the kids, but for the community. It would add value to the town and draw in teens from neighboring towns, essentially bringing in more money for the whole town.”
“Wow. Wou’re really passionate about this, aren’t you?”
I nod once. “I am. And it’s all on me to get it done. I have a mock-up for a website built for it, and I have a ton of sketches of the building and grounds. I’m presenting it to the city council next month.”
“That’s great, but do you really think this little town is going to pay for all that?”
I smile up at him. “I have my ways. There’s even the perfect place for it. I think I’d want it to be over on Cherry and Elm. There’s a big brick building there, but it’s falling in and is really an eyesore, not to mention not up to code. It’ll need to be torn down. With that building out of the way, there would be plenty of room for it.”
He nods. “I’m not familiar with town yet, but I’ll take your word for it.”
I lean in just a bit, knowing I shouldn’t because he can probably see down my shirt. “Would you mind coming to the meeting with me? I mean, I know you’re new to town and probably have a ton of stuff going on with the move, but I think the sheriff talking about the climbing numbers of today’s troubled youth could really drive the point home.”
“Oh, well,” he mumbles, thinking it over.
“It’s completely fine if you can’t or don’t want to,” I say, feeling stupid for bringing all this up. I totally just ambushed the guy.
“Why don’t you let me think about it? I’ll dig into some files here and see what the recent spike has been. I think statistics and facts will wow them more than just some new sheriff in town.”
I’m beaming. “Really? Thank you!” I’m excited already, and it’s because I know he’ll find the exact same things I’ve already looked at—soaring numbers of troublemaking kids who need more options.
He waves his hand in front of his face as he stuffs the last of his lunch into his mouth. “Don’t worry about it. If the numbers are as high as you say, I’m sure everyone will agree with you.”
“I also plan on getting a few of the elders from town to speak about it. I know Mrs. Walsh has dealt with some vandalism, and Mr. Brock has witnessed some theft.”
“It all sounds like a very good plan that is well thought out. But if you’re planning on the town paying for it or applying for government help, you really should look into some estimates.”
“Good idea,” I reply, acting like I never thought of it. But I don’t exactly want to tell him that it’s all coming out of my pocket. When my parents passed, they left everything to me, and it’s more than enough to live off of for any ten people. I’ll never burn my way through this money. Might as well put it to good use.
As the office starts filling back up, we go our separate ways, me to my tiny hole of an office and him back to the glass windows that leave him exposed to everyone’s eyes. Talking to him over lunch does make me feel a little more comfortable being around him, though. Just from the few minutes we talked, I can tell he’s a good man who’ll do anything that’s within his power to support the greater good. He’s a little hurt and maybe even broken inside about losing his friend to the same accident that took my parents. Speaking of which, how is it possible that we never ran into one another?
We both lived in the same city and were in some way involved in the same accident. The whole thought of him being in the same room as my parents when they died leaves goosebumps on my skin. My parents were good people who shouldn’t have died that day. They were loving, caring, and generous. I couldn’t even dream of where I’d be right now if it weren’t for them. They gave me the best childhood anyone could ever ask for. And sure, they were loaded, but they weren’t over the top flashy like some people.
We lived in a modest house. It was a two-story Victorian-style home that was white with black shutters and a big wrap- around porch. I remember spending every summer with Mama out on our knees, planting flowers. The cars they drove were regular cars, not fancy sports cars. And to top it all off, my dad worked in insurance, meaning that when they passed, I not only got everything they had, I also got a huge insurance policy. I was raised to be smart, educated, and responsible. I never threw money around and still don’t. I bought my cabin with twenty grand in cash. I drive a silver Chevy Cruze. I’ve spent money on the move, but I also made more money by selling the house and the family items I didn’t bring with me.
And now, I’m working and bringing in a decent paycheck. I have more than enough money to support me for the rest of my life, and that’s even if I build this youth center and quit my job, never making another penny. This isn’t something anyone here knows about me, though. Like I said, I don’t flash money around. I don’t wear designer clothes, and I’m not big on shopping anyway. If I had to pick one area of my life that I consider to be a little frivolous, it would be my computer addiction. But I specialize in IT, coding, and gaming, so computer systems are a must. I know I’m not like normal women my age, but I’m okay with that. It’s who I am, who my parents raised. And it’s who Bryce Moore is checking out right now.