Chapter 11
eleven
MADDOX
My first official day of work isn’t until Monday, so I gave myself the weekend to get settled. I spent all day yesterday unpacking and with everything almost done, I collapse onto the sofa for a break. I start watching a new series on Netflix but I get bored with that; Netflix and chill isn’t really my scene. I’m going stir-crazy being confined to my apartment, so I pull on my uniform and decide to head into the station and see if they need a hand.
From memory, Sundays are either slow going or every man and his dog is up to mischief, and with it being the silly season, I’m betting it’s option number two.
“Morning, Sheriff,” Dennis greets me as I walk into the station.
“Morning, Dennis. How are things?”
“Can’t complain. How—” We’re interrupted when a call comes in about a missing goat. Dennis chuckles as he takes down the details, and then he’s off to look into the case of the missing goat. Once again, leaving me alone since Drew is out on patrol and it’s Stan’s weekend off. Getting used to small-town policing will be an adjustment, but it’s one I’m looking forward to.
Amongst the unpacking yesterday, I came here and set up my office so I could hit the ground running on Monday. It didn’t take long since I didn’t have much to unpack, but I did move the furniture around after my sister mentioned the feng shui of my office would be off by having my desk where it was. Not that I will admit it to her, but the room did feel better after I shuffled things around.
After leaving the station, I stopped in at Sips for a coffee and then I headed back to my apartment to finish unpacking, while thinking about her . I know I need to stop it but Ruby Olsen is pretty unforgettable. She’s the one who got away. The forbidden fruit, as they say. It’s so cliché hooking up with your little sister’s best friend, but as soon as her tongue slipped into my mouth, I was hooked. That Christmas when Reindeer and I snuck around was one of the best Christmases of my life, but then I left and lost my chance.
…“What happens now?” Ruby asks, tracing her fingertip over my pecs. It’s the early hours of the morning, and we’ve spent the last two hours hidden away in my apartment exploring each other’s bodies.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re leaving tomorrow and I’ll still be here till school goes back. What about … us?”
“I … I don’t know.” My words hang in the air. “I never really thought of the future.”
“Ohh,” she utters.
“I don’t mean it like that, I just mean…”
“We’re sneaking around and your sister is my best friend and you don’t live here and this is nothing more than a holiday fling and now that Christmas is over, so are we.”
“Reindeer—”
“You know, apart from Pops, you’re the only other person to call me Reindeer.”
“You’re the only person I know who has a red nose year-round.”
“I hate it.” She lifts her hand and covers her nose.
“It’s adorable,” I tell her, pulling her hand away. Leaning over, I place a kiss on the tip of her ruby—pun intended—red nose. “Everything about you is adorable.”
“Like what?”
“Everything. You are adorably perfect, Reindeer, and I wish things could be different with us.”
“Me too, Mad. Me too.”
Now that I’m back, I really wish it were different. I hate that younger me left because older me still thinks she’s adorably perfect, and I can’t be thinking that. She’s not mine.
She’s Joel’s.
And very soon she will be his wife.
I’m sitting at my desk when a call comes in about hooligans swimming naked in the lake. “I’ll get right on that, Ms. Ruthven.” Apparently, she was driving back into town from visiting her sister over in Kingsbury Point, and she noticed people swimming naked. I’m sure she’s mistaken because it’s the middle of winter, no sane person would go swimming in the lake, let alone naked, but then again, today is the warmest it’s been in days.
Grabbing the radio, I let Dennis and Drew know I’m heading out to investigate. They both complain at missing out on the possibility of seeing naked chicks in the lake. I remind them it’s December; it’s cold enough to freeze your piss, and Ms. Ruthven didn’t say it was chicks.
Grabbing my hat, I slip it on, lock up my office, and climb into my cruiser to attend the call. When I get to the lake, I’m shocked at what I find.