3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
T hat hadn’t gone well.
Not at all.
Parker didn’t intend for things to get confrontational with Belle. He’d merely been trying to help her out with her tail light. She’d certainly taken it the wrong way.
She didn’t even seem thankful that all he did was give her a warning to get it fixed. He could have just as easily fined her. It wasn’t like this was the first time he’d pulled her over.
Belle had a lead foot in her red Jeep. Although her speeding hadn’t been in downtown, it was still illegal to speed on the outskirts of town.
He sighed. At last, his shift was over. Now he could go home and spend some time in his woodshop. He was finishing a wooden bench for his mother to put in her foyer. It was going to be a Christmas present.
First, he needed a cup of coffee. He stepped into Kringle Cup Café. He ordered a large coffee with milk. It would get him through a couple hours of staining.
On his way out of the coffeeshop, he heard someone call out his name. He turned and looked around. That was when he spotted his younger brother Michael. His brother waved him over to the table, where he was sitting alone.
Not in any particular rush to get home, Parker walked over and took a seat. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for Candi to get done at Purr ’n Woof. We’re supposed to go do a little Christmas shopping.”
Parker arched a brow. “You two are getting serious?”
Without hesitation, Michael nodded. “I guess when you know it’s right, it is.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Maybe you should think about getting serious with someone.” Michael’s gaze prodded him.
Parker shook his head. “I don’t think so. Besides, who would I get involved with in this small town?”
“How about the one woman who has been getting under your skin since we were kids?”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” The words came rushing out much faster than he’d intended. The truth of the matter was that he knew exactly who his brother was talking about—Belle Sinclair. The beautiful woman who always knew how to push his buttons.
But his brother had it all wrong. They rubbed each other the wrong way, even when he was trying to help her out. There was no way they could go out on a date much less have a serious relationship. The thought was laughable. So, then, why wasn’t he laughing?
He gave himself a mental shake, removing the thought of him getting involved with Belle. That wasn’t going to happen. Not a chance.
An amused look came over Michael’s face. “When you start denying things so vehemently, I know you’re lying. The question I have is: are you lying to me or to yourself?”
“I’m not lying.” His voice wasn’t as firm as he would have liked it to be.
A grin came over Michael’s face. “Uh-huh. And is that why you pulled Belle over again and wrote her another ticket?”
Parker’s frown deepened. “How do you know?”
“Because you pulled her over in the middle of town. You know this place loves gossip. And each time you pull Belle over, the tongues wag. They can’t decide if you hate her or if you’re in love.”
“What? I’m not in love with her.” His voice rose in volume. When he glanced around, everyone was staring at them. Heat rushed up his neck and settled in his face. He made a point to keep his voice low. “Stop with this Belle stuff.”
Michael looked at him with amusement dancing in his eyes. “Then, why don’t you get yourself a date? It might stop the gossip. Then again, it might start new gossip.”
Parker shook his head and waved off his brother from continuing. “Just stop. I’m done with dating. I’m fine being a bachelor.”
Michael arched a brow, as though contemplating his words. “All right. But how about you try to be Belle’s friend. If you give her a chance, you’d find out that she’s really nice.”
He wanted his brother to stop talking about Belle. “And why would I want to do that?”
Michael let out a laugh. “The fact you have to ask me says it all. Just find a way to strike a truce with the woman. I’m sure she would appreciate it more than you pulling her over every chance you get.”
“Hey, I only pull her over when her actions warrant it.”
Michael grinned at him. “Uh-huh. You keep telling yourself that. Rumor has it that you pulled her over last time because she was going two miles over the speed limit.”
“It was four over, and she was breaking the law.” He didn’t like the feeling of being on the defensive with his brother. “Why are you attacking me?”
“I’m not. But if you’re feeling attacked, maybe it gives you some idea how Belle must feel.”
Is that the way Belle felt? He honestly never stopped to consider it from her perspective. His brother had certainly given him a lot to think about.
Parker should let it go but he couldn’t, not yet. “Do you really think she feels that way?” When Michael shrugged, Parker said, “I don’t want anyone to hate me for doing my job.”
“Then perhaps you should make a friendly gesture.”
A friendly gesture? His mind raced. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. That’s for you to figure out.
” He looked past him. “There’s Candi. I have to go.
But you might question why you don’t date much and why you seem to find yourself paying special attention to Belle’s driving habits.
” Michael grabbed the two to-go cups in front of him and headed for the exit, where Candi was waiting for him.
When she caught Parker’s gaze, she smiled and waved. Parker waved back. Just because things had worked out so well for his brother, didn’t mean it would work out for him too—and certainly not with the girl who used to always snub him in school.
Still, all of that stuff was far in the past. Maybe it was time to try to make peace with Belle. Not that he was giving his brother’s comments any credence. It was just that Belle seemed like she could use a helping hand with the burned-out light.
With the thought in mind, he stood. He grabbed his coffee and headed for the door. He had a destination in mind. He just wasn’t sure if what he was about to do was a good idea. If it all blew up in his face, he’d blame it on his brother.
It had been a busy day.
And it wasn’t over yet.
Belle had rushed home at lunchtime. Odie had barked like crazy when she walked in the door. His butt wiggled as his tail swished back and forth like a windshield wiper on full speed.
She didn’t stay long. She couldn’t run late, because she couldn’t speed on the way back. She wasn’t giving Parker one more chance to write her a ticket. Although, she still had the light out. Surely, he didn’t expect her to take off work to fix it. Even he couldn’t be that exacting, could he?
She made it back to Frills she wasn’t going to let her guard down with him. He’d probably find another reason to pull her over tomorrow or the next day.
She came to a stop a respectable distance from him. “You’re still here?”
He nodded. “I thought you’d want these back.” He dangled the keys in front of her. After she took them, he said, “Hop in. I want to make sure the light works.”
Not sure what to say, she quietly did as he asked. She started the engine. The lights automatically turned on. She put down the window.
“Looks good,” he said. “Press the brakes.”
A moment later, he stood next to the window. “It all looks good now. You shouldn’t have any more problems.”
“Don’t you mean any more tickets?” It still irked her that he was always finding a reason to write her up.
He smiled again. “You shouldn’t have to worry about those either…as long as you lighten up on the gas pedal.”
“I don’t get it.” She studied him. “Why are you being nice to me?”
“Believe it or not, I’m not such a bad guy.”
She opened her mouth to disagree but ended up closing it without saying a word. She told herself it didn’t matter. They were never going to be friends. They’d had their chance many years ago. If it was meant to be, it would have worked out then.
“Well, uh… Thanks.” She didn’t know what else to say.
“You’re welcome. And have a good evening.”
She pulled out of the parking lot and found herself glancing in the rearview mirror. She saw Parker’s figure moving in the opposite direction. What was up with him? Why had he helped her out? She pondered those questions the rest of the way home.