Chapter Three
And the Moron of the Year Award goes to…
Elle blew out a breath and forced memories of yesterday’s interaction with Jeremy to the back of her mind. At least, she tried to force them away, but the buggers kept making an appearance in her head, flaunting her stupidity.
Not today.
She had no time for anything but competence and control.
If she learned anything from yesterday, it was that although she was definitely attracted to Officer Mercer, Elle was doubly attracted to the man—Jeremy Mercer—who’d actually joked along with her, stating he wanted to have the sex she was offering.
It was all about a piece of cake not actual sex, but damn, her body had heard an entirely different context.
Probably because it was the first time he’d ever regarded her with warmth in his eyes. The effect was strong, shockingly strong, which had a tremor rippling through her body, causing the dishes in her arms to rattle.
Ever the knight in shining armor, he’d jumped to his feet and cupped her from behind to help steady her armful of dishes.
Feeling his warm, hard body brushing hers, those tremors had instantly multiplied.
She had to give him credit, though. If Jeremy had noticed, he had the decency to remain silent.
Yep, knight in shining armor.
His voice had been soft and warm in her ear, too. For a moment, she’d thought…wrong.
She’d thought wrong.
Officer Mercer had shown up then and pretty much told her he’d made a mistake touching her and showing his human side, and that it wouldn’t happen again.
To be honest, she wasn’t mad at him. Elle was mad at herself for letting her guard down.
He was a source of information. That was all.
She knew this, and yet the faint lines of stress around his eyes and mouth and the tension in his shoulders yesterday had pushed her to joke and tease in an attempt to help him relax, if only for a moment.
A smile tugged at her lips.
She’d actually succeeded. Officer Mercer had dropped his shield for a few seconds, and for the first time, she’d experienced the human behind the cop.
Now she was doubly intrigued.
Dammit.
She’d always admired his cop side, but she’d love to get to know his human side more. A lot more.
Elle sat up and met her frowning gaze in the rearview mirror of her car.
What was she thinking?
There was no space or need in her life for either side of Officer Jeremy Mercer, or any man, for that matter. The only thing of importance right now was her looming deadline and getting whatever information, inspiration, and motivation necessary to finish the first book.
It was bad enough she’d considered canceling the ride-along last night.
She’d thought long and hard over a glass of wine and a dip in the hot tub that came with the cabin.
Elle dug deep, wracking her brain to determine if she had enough information to portray more than one hero in her series, all so she didn’t have to see Jeremy again.
The answer was…she was acting stupid.
So, there had been no call to the lieutenant, but there had been a few more glasses of wine. She’d slept like a baby, perhaps a little too long, but she still had enough time to stop at Jill’s shop, Confection Connection, to grab a dozen goodies for the force.
Elle had never gone to the police department without a box and wasn’t going to break that tradition today.
The donut gods were smiling upon her because she swung into a parking spot out front. Perhaps today was going to be okay and not an air-biting tense session that would require a lot more wine and hot tub time.
It remained to be seen.
With only positive thoughts in her head, Elle entered the shop with the cute brown and light blue stripped awnings and was immediately hit with one decadent aroma after another. Chocolate. Baked goods…coffee.
Only third in line this morning, she counted herself lucky since her past visits sometimes had her waiting in double digits. But the service had always been quick, and the food delicious.
“Hi, Theresa,” she said, smiling at the manager when it was her turn to step up to the counter. “Jill out of town again?”
Jill was married to one of the Wyne brothers and a world-renowned chocolatier. She was also a sweetheart who happily supplied Gabe’s with a wide variety of desserts at a discounted price.
“She’s at that chocolate convention in New York City,” the woman replied.
Disappointment rushed through Elle. “That was this week?”
Darn, she’d wanted to go.
It wasn’t lost on Elle how she was getting invested in the lives of the locals.
She didn’t even know her neighbors where she lived in upstate New York, but she knew most of the local business owners and more than a dozen people who lived a few miles away from town.
This had never happened to her before and she should probably freak out, but she was surprisingly calm. Relaxed, even.
“Yep.” Theresa grinned. “Are you here for yourself or for the department again?”
She grinned back. “Both.”
“Funny,” the manager said, furrowing her brow. “Jeremy was in earlier and he didn’t say anything about you doing further research.”
Elle scrunched her nose. “Because he doesn’t know.”
“Oh, dear.” The woman chuckled as she began loading up a box with selections popular with the locals on the force. “I put a chocolate peanut donut in there for you and an extra bear claw in there for Officer Mercer.”
“Thanks,” she said. “He’s going to need it, although I’m hoping to be paired up with someone new this time around.”
As usual, the manager waved off the money Elle tried to give her. “You know we never charge the force or the guardsman here.”
It was worth a try.
Nodding, she shoved the money into the donation can by the register. This month, it was support for the local cat rescue efforts through—Coffee Cats—the cat café down the block.
“Good luck,” Theresa said, handing her the box of confections before waiting on the next customer.
Elle mumbled her thanks and headed out the door with a little less positivity.
That wouldn’t do, she thought to herself as she got back in her car and set the box on the passenger seat. Today was about work and she wasn’t going to let anyone waylay her progress.
Feeling better, she drove the short distance down Main Street, past several stores, the cat café, then the fire department, before pulling into the parking lot of the police department, separate from the borough building on the corner.
The brick facade of the large two-story structure was weathered by years of sun, snow, ice, and rain, yet it retained an air of quiet authority and stood as a symbol of safety and security for the community it served.
Elle loved older buildings and classic architecture. To her, it represented safety and strength. She definitely needed the latter because her positivity meter was diving into the negative.
“You’re an idiot,” she told her reflection in the rearview mirror after she parked. “Suck it up.”
She was made of sterner stuff. She’d had to be to survive so much loss and to excel in a career with a deep talent pool. If she wanted to honor the men and women in blue, and she did, then it was time to put on her big girl panties and get inside the building.
Her gaze flicked to the digital clock on the dashboard. It was quarter to ten. Time to go.
Elle cut the engine, dropped the keys in her small crossbody purse, and slid from the vehicle, confection box in hand, before her feet had the chance to turn cold again.
Her purposeful stride to the entrance had nothing to do with confidence and everything to do with not allowing herself time to chicken out.
She’d ridden with Officer Mercer before and she could do it again. Besides, she honestly wasn’t sure that he would be assigned to her this time around. And if he was, she would do her best to suggest otherwise. Feeling better, she entered the building with her head held high.
The ground floor housed a reception area with a row of black seats against the outside wall.
On the left was a window for the Records department and on the right was a wall of plaques.
Straight ahead was a cinder block wall with a larger window flanked by two steel doors, and behind the window was the desk officer.
Officer Parks slid the glass partition open and smiled. “Hello, Ms. Hudson. Lt. Kroeger is expecting you. You can go on back.”
“Thanks, Jeffrey,” she said, opening the box for his inspection. “Have one.”
He thanked her, grabbed a glazed donut, then hit a button that buzzed, unlocking the door on her right.
She closed the box and headed through the door and down a small hallway that opened to the heart of the department.
Offices lined either side, each door adorned with a nameplate bearing the title of its occupant – detectives, sergeants, and administrative staff.
In the middle were desks for the patrol officers.
The scent of coffee lingered in the air, mingling with the faint smell of printers and ink. A bulletin board adorned the wall in one corner, displaying notices of community events, missing persons, and wanted posters. She dubbed it the ebb and flow of life in the town.
Elle knew from last year’s tour that the second floor housed interrogation rooms and holding cells. The atmosphere shifted up there. The air was heavy with tension and anticipation.
God, she could relate.
Forcing her pulse to calm down, she smiled at the officers and sergeants she recognized.
“Back for more torture, I see.” Officer Nealy grinned.
She laughed. “Yes, and I came bearing gifts.”
Elle set the box on the table next to the coffee maker and spent several seconds catching up with everyone in the room. The fact that Officer Mercer was not around went a long way to helping her relax.
Maybe today was his day off. She knew it fluctuated, so it was possible.
Positive feelings were flowing through her again, so much so, that she had a smile on her face as she knocked on the lieutenant’s door and entered on his command.
“Ms. Hudson, you’re early. I like that,” he said, nodding to one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”
It was then she realized she’d forgotten to grab the éclair from the box to give him. They were his favorite.
He tapped his phone a few times, then held it to his ear. “Need you in my office, now.”
“I brought more donuts,” she said inanely, trying not to clasp her hands together.
Not because of the lieutenant. She could handle him. It was the unknown. Who had he summoned? One of the officers she’d just been talking to? Had to be, because Jeremy hadn’t been around, and there was no way Kroeger would’ve ordered Jeremy to come in from a call.
Nah.
Elle blew out a breath and relaxed. It had to be someone from the other room. So when a knock sounded on the door a half minute later, she rose to her feet, excitement actually increasing her pulse to see who the lieutenant had paired her with this time.
But the instant the door opened, awareness crept into her body and zapped her positivity meter.
Damn, it was Officer Grumpy again.