16. Feisty And All
FEISTY AND ALL
“ I ’m glad we could meet for dinner,” Phoebe said at six thirty.
She’d gotten out of work later than planned. Not enough time to go home and shower and change either.
It looked to her Elias had been able to at least sneak home to change.
He was in jeans and a button-down shirt she was positive he didn’t wear to work daily.
“Me too,” he said. “Not a lot of restaurants around.”
“I don’t mind coming back here,” she said. The place where they had their first date. The spontaneous one. “The food was good.”
“It is,” he said. “I eat here a lot.”
“I noticed that,” she said.
It was different staff and they knew his name when the two of them walked in.
He shrugged and picked up his soda.
“It’s not a bad thing,” he said. “I spent most of the day talking to my sister and showing her more things. She needs to find a focus in her career at some point and I think she might have.”
“That’s great,” she said. “She wants to work with you?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Not at all.”
She smiled. “Doesn’t like manual labor? Or is it the smell of beer? Don’t take this the wrong way, but the smell isn’t that pleasant.”
His hand went to his wrist. “Yep, I still have a pulse. I thought my heart stopped there for a second.”
She burst out laughing and a few heads turned. It wasn’t what she wanted, as she was positive that people knew Elias by the looks she kept noticing.
“My brother always says something similar to that too. I swear you both might have hops running through your veins.”
“If it were possible, I would,” he said. “But I understand it’s a smell you’ve got to get used to.”
“Maybe if I drank more beer,” she said.
“I’ll convert you,” he said.
“What is it your sister might have figured out?” she asked.
She found it very sweet that he was so vested in his sister and concerned about her.
“She wants to help people,” he said. “She found out about the Christmas drive donations we did this year. Customers rounding up their purchases. We used that money to help families in the area for Christmas. Gifts and meals, things like that.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said. “I might have to consider doing something next year. A donation to a not-for-profit or something. I need to get my name out there more. Not bribing, but you know.”
He snorted. “I do know,” he said. “I’ve given a lot back in the area. A lot of it was because my business brings so much traffic through. I need to make sure I’ve got people on my side supporting what I’m doing, not rebelling.”
“You make a good point,” she said. “But I’m sure there were some that weren’t happy about it. You can’t please everyone.”
“Of course there were,” he said. “I’m far enough off the main road that it’s out of the way.
It was an existing brewery we purchased and I expanded it on the land I owned.
Money I’ve donated to the city has helped with roads and repairs since I’m bringing people through. It’s helping local businesses too.”
“All good things,” she said.
“It is,” he said. “But not everyone feels that way. I know that. As you said, can’t please them all.”
“Especially if there are people who are anti-alcohol.”
“We won’t touch on that,” he said, letting out a little shiver.
“Elias. So good to see you.”
She turned her head when a man came walking toward them. “Chief,” he said. “How are you doing?”
“Great,” the man said. She recognized him now as the chief of police. She’d looked at their website and saw the pictures of everyone employed she could.
“Chief Morrison, this is Phoebe Kelly. She is new to the area.”
“Nice to meet you, Chief Morrison.” The older man put his hand out.
“The new attorney in the area?” Chief said.
“That’s me,” she said, smiling.
“I heard a bit about you recently. Feisty and all.”
She kept her grin in place. She didn’t want to judge but knew small town minds when she saw them. Even the unprofessional comment about her being feisty.
Phoebe had gone into his station with fire on her heels and water in her veins wanting to put out what they’d started.
“Just doing my job,” she said. Something her mother had often told her to say to people. It put it out there for them not to judge her personally on what she did professionally.
“Sometimes we need people to do their jobs around here,” Chief Morrison said. He looked between the two of them. “Is this a thing?”
She held back her snort and let Elias answer since he seemed to know the guy well.
Again, completely unprofessional and borderline rude.
“A thing, as in, are we having dinner together?” Elias asked. “That is what is going on.”
Chief Morrison laughed. “Didn’t know if it was work or personal.”
“If it was work I couldn’t tell you either way,” she said, smiling.
“Got it,” Chief Morrison said. “I’ll be seeing you around, Elias.”
When he was gone, she said, “Sorry about that. It had to do with the Sunday incident. He seemed unsure of himself with you after a minute but not before he came over.”
“You’re a good judge,” he said. “He’s a good guy most times. Does what is fair and right even if it’s not the first thought in his head. I’m pretty sure my tone threw him off.”
“The tone when he asked what was between us?” she asked. She noticed the change on Elias’s face let alone the tone of his voice. She’d seen his smile drop when she was told she was feisty too.
“That’s the one,” he said. “I’m not sure what he was throwing your way, but I didn’t like it.”
She smiled. “Thank you for that. I’m not sure either and was trying not to judge. But saying I’m feisty could go both ways. Could be a little old pat on the head. Or it could be a compliment.”
“I know what way I’m thinking it was, but you know, don’t want to guess.”
Which told her it was an insult and not a compliment.
“Didn’t mean to make it uncomfortable between you two,” she said.
“Oh no,” he said. “You didn’t. I like you a hell of a lot more than him. And even if we weren’t here on another date, it’s not his business. I wouldn’t want his comments made to my mother or either of my sisters.”
She wasn’t used to a man defending her that wasn’t family.
Her hand reached over and touched his, her finger on his pulse just for the heck of it. It was moving fast.
“You’re pretty protective of the women in your life, aren’t you?”
“I am,” he said, staring at her. “But I’m respectful too.
It was uncalled for. You were doing your job as you pointed out.
Not that I know what it was about nor could I know, but I’m thinking since everything was dropped and he’d made that statement about people doing their job, that you were in the right. Or your client was.”
“We were,” she said. “I’m not making a big deal about it. But I got my point across.”
“That’s where he’s fair.”
“And now that I’m linked to you, is he going to give me special treatment? I mean, will people think he is?”
Which she didn’t want.
Not in the least.
She wanted to get to know more people in the community, but not this way.
“I doubt it,” he said. “Do you want him to?”
“Absolutely not,” she said firmly.
“Good,” he said. “We can put it from our minds now.”
Their dinner was brought out and placed in front of them.
“Back to your sister. Is she working this whole week?”
“She’ll be back on Monday. She has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow and plans with my mother and then she’s going to work on her proposal for me.”
“Good,” she said. “So no reason for you to rush home then?”
He lifted an eyebrow at her. “No,” he said. “She isn’t staying with me either.”
“I know,” she said. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“What way did you mean?” he asked.
“I thought maybe we could have a drink at my place after if you’re not in a hurry. Coffee or wine. I don’t have beer, but I’m positive you can get it whenever you want.”
He laughed. “Coffee sounds wonderful. Maybe I’d like to see this fancy machine you’ve got.”
“Sure,” she said. “It’s the machine I wanted to show you.”
It was the dry tone she used that had him laughing.
But maybe it was for the best.
She’d be nuts to want to do much more than get her mouth on him.
Which she’d been thinking about and what her goal was originally.
His defense of her to the chief of police pushed the lever up from a kiss to much more.
Or at least that was what her body was telling her.
Maybe a tiny bit of her heart too.