Chapter Twelve
The next afternoon, Jeremy was in between calls when his mind drifted back to Elle and the sleepy, satiated look on her face as he left her cabin last night.
A look he’d put on her face.
Not for the first time that day, a smile twitched his lips.
Good thing he was alone in the car on his way back to the station. He needed to get it together before he met Nico and Scott at the gym after work later. Those two didn’t miss a trick, and ever since Elle had rocked his world yesterday, he was having trouble keeping a damn grin off his face.
She’d been open and honest and sexy as hell, answering the door in the skimpy bikini that barely concealed her wet curves.
Christ, he was a goner before he’d even crossed her threshold.
He blew out a breath and slowed his vehicle, giving himself every second possible to regain his composure.
She was supposed to be shadowing him again today, but just as she got out of her car in the parking lot, her cell went off.
It was Gabe, needing help at the restaurant again.
Jeremy knew this because he’d arrived just before her and had been waiting to make sure they had their “day after sex” meeting somewhat in private.
If there was any awkwardness, he wanted to get it out of the way and hidden from prying eyes.
That didn’t exactly happen, though. She’d gotten the text and left before they could talk, and since he had no plans to see her tonight or tomorrow on his day off, that meeting would have to wait a few days.
Even though he’d known they would be good together, he’d been caught off guard at the way she’d gone up in flames and had taken him with her. She’d seemed surprised by it too. Surprised but eager for more.
So had he.
And work wasn’t the time to think about any of that, or he’d get himself or possibly others killed, so he purged his thoughts.
Again.
For the first few hours of his shift, Jeremy had managed to keep his mind clear.
He’d tracked down and questioned the two parolees, and even though he kep their names on the list, his gut told him they didn’t do it.
After that, he’d helped with traffic control when a truck with an oversized load—a manufactured house on a flatbed—traveled through town to a lot five miles south of Main Street.
Definitely one of his easier calls.
After that, he’d gone back to the scene of the first break-in to survey the nearby buildings when another call had come in.
This one had been a little more unusual. He’d helped a grandmother not only get her cat out of a tree, but also her five-year-old granddaughter, who’d climbed up there to rescue the cat then became too scared to get down.
Elle would’ve enjoyed that one.
And he was back to thinking about her, again. Great. He shook it off as dispatch sent him to a robbery in progress at a local gas station.
Jeremy answered the call and raced to the location, hoping it was related to those other break-ins and he’d finally put an end to them.
He pulled into the lot, siren blaring, and noted two people near the pumps.
An older man was capping the tank on a well-loved but aged pickup, while a middle-aged woman in a track suit was pumping gas into her SUV. Both looked at him and frowned.
A second later, the worker behind the counter rushed out, confusion wrinkling his brow. The twenty-something-year-old, with Owen on his name tag didn’t look threatened, just confused.
Jeremy cut the siren and engine, then got out.
“What’s going on?” Owen asked.
He walked over, hand on his weapon, glancing through the windows to assess if someone was armed inside with a possible hostage and had sent the guy out. But the place was empty. He peered around the far side of the building, finding it clear.
“Got a call about a robbery in progress,” he replied, walking back to the worker.
Eyes wide, the kid shook his head. “Not from me.”
“I called the police,” the man by the truck stated.
Owen frowned and stepped toward the older man. “Were you robbed, Mr. Willard?”
Willard scowled. “Yeah, by you. The gas here has gone up nearly ten cents since last week. It ain’t right. How can someone survive on a fixed income when people like you jack up your prices on a whim?”
Disappointment washed through Jeremy. This had nothing to do with break-ins or a robbery for that matter.
“It wasn’t me,” Owen said, hand on his chest. “I just work here.”
The older man frowned. “But you change the prices, don’t you?”
The kid shoved a hand through his hair. “Yeah, when I’m told to. And I agree with you. The prices are crazy, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Some of the fight left the older man and he blew out a breath. “We can go back to horse and buggy.”
Owen chuckled. “That would do it.”
Jeremy was impressed by the kid and the way he handled the older man.
Adopting the same attitude, he decided not to issue Mr. Willard a ticket for making a nuisance call.
Instead, he wrote down the number for county assistance and encouraged the older man to call to see if there were any programs that could help him.
Since it was lunchtime and he was back on Main Street, Jeremy went to Gabe’s for lunch.
Out of convenience, he told himself. It had nothing to do with the fact Elle was serving there today.
But the place was packed with a busload of people, and the only seat available was at the counter, where Gabe took his order.
As Jeremy waited for his smokehouse burger and fries, he watched Elle working her tables with efficiency and grace, often stopping to chat with people, including a thirty-five-ish, pretty-boy male in a suit, sitting alone.
His food arrived, so Jeremy ripped his attention from Elle and focused on his lunch. It was no business of his who she talked to or smiled at. But as he ate, he wondered how he’d feel if she were seeing other people.
A prickling sensation spread across his shoulders, and his chest tightened.
Well, hell…
The answer to that was clear… and annoying.
Last month, if his buddies had told him he’d be this drawn to, baffled, and wild about a woman, he’d have laughed in their faces.
And if they’d told him it would be Elle, the exasperating author, he would’ve claimed them certifiable.
But he felt like he was in a damn downward spiral and plummeting fast.
He finished his food without tasting it, and when dispatch called, he sent a silent thank you to fate, and answered his radio. Even though Gabe was waving him off, Jeremy dug in his pocket to pay for his lunch.
“You know your money’s no good here,” Gabe said.
Between this uniform and his Army issue, he’d had more free meals than necessary. Times were tough for everyone. Mr. Dillard could attest to that.
Jeremy nodded but threw the money on the counter anyway.
“Don’t know why you young ones are so stubborn,” Gabe mumbled, grabbing the money as he cleared the counter.
Jeremy grinned. “We get it from our dads.”
Ryder certainly got it from Gabe. Nico got it from his father, Ben and his brothers from their dad. And although Scott was raised by his grandmother, he more than likely inherited his stubborn streak from his father, too.
Jeremy definitely got it from his dad, something his mother was quick to point out over the years. He wore it as a badge of honor.
Turning to leave, he ordered himself not to look over at Elle, but apparently his brain joined his body in the “ruled by Elle” boat.
“Hi.” She smiled, stepping toward him with an armful of dirty dishes. Her gaze was warm and bright, as if seeing him had made her day.
An answering warmth spread through him, shifting something in his chest as well as his mood.
“Hey,” he managed to say before his radio went off again.
Shit. His call.
“Got to go,” he stated and pushed through the door, cursing himself for getting distracted.
Still, her image kept his brain company on his drive to the pizza shop to answer a drunk and disorderly call.
As he pulled up outside Martelli’s Pizza Bar and Grille, Nico walked out while twisting a man’s arms behind his back. Jeremy recognized the guy and sighed.
Ever since his wife left last year, Ed Burns pissed away one paycheck a month on booze. Unfortunately, the guy was a regular at holding because he kept refusing treatment.
“Again, Ed?” he asked as Nico released his grip.
The man shrugged. “Maybe s-still.”
Damn, that wasn’t good.
“He almost knocked your sister over, plus he broke a bunch of glasses,” Nico stated, folding his arms over his chest.
“Not my f-fault,” Ed stammered, more than three sheets to the wind. “Didn’t see her.” His body swayed until Jeremy grabbed his arm. “S-stupid spot for ‘em.”
Nico raised a brow. “They were on the bar in front of patrons, Ed.”
“S-stupid spot,” he mumbled again.
“How about I take you to the hospital, Ed? They can help you there,” he suggested, leading him toward the squad car, hoping the guy would finally take him up on it.
Ed yanked his arm free and shook his head, which made him sway again. “N-no! I’m fine. J-just n-need to sleep it off in my cell.”
The fact that the guy called it “his cell” had Jeremy’s stomach bunching. He didn’t know what had transpired between Ed and his wife to make her leave, but Jeremy knew he’d never allow a woman to reduce him to this state.
“You takin’ me there…or sh-should I d-drive?” Ed asked, stumbling against the car.
Jeremy sighed and opened the back door, helping Ed get in without hurting himself before he shut the door and turned to take Nico’s statement. When he finished, he put his notepad away.
“Jenna okay?” he asked, knowing his sister hung out there a lot with Faith and Evie.
His buddy nodded. “Yeah. Scott caught her before she fell.”
He blew out a breath and nodded. “I’ll have to thank him.”
A wicked gleam entered Nico’s eyes. “You sure about that? He was looking quite happy holding your sister close.”
The guy would never make a move on his sister any more than he’d make a move on Evie, although she was married now.
But growing up, they’d had an unspoken rule of not messing with their sisters, and even though Scott was an only child, he’d readily agreed.
Although, admittedly, Jeremy wasn’t opposed to Scott dating Jenna.
Scott was an upstanding guy. His sister could do worse, and she’d been crushing on his friend for years.
“Well, since he helped her, I’ll let it slide,” he said, still feeling a bit too relaxed from last night to stop a smile from tugging his lips.
Nico’s head lifted and eyes narrowed as he stared at him a beat. “Son-of-a-bitch. You dog, you.” The guy grinned and slapped Jeremy’s arm. “You and Elle finally went up in smoke.”
Now Jeremy’s head snapped back.
How the hell had his buddy figured that out?
“Don’t look so shocked.” Nico laughed. “A guy doesn’t smile like you’re smiling unless he’d had one hell of a good night with a hot woman.”
Since there wasn’t anything about that statement he could disagree with, he didn’t.
“Ah, man, can’t wait for the gym tonight.” Nico continued to grin. “You’re going to be easier than usual to pin.”
“My ass,” he muttered, walking around to the driver’s side of his vehicle.
The guy rarely pinned him, and he knew it.
“Yeah, your ass, too, although, I might need to ask Elle permission.”
His gaze snapped to the idiot. “What for?”
She wouldn’t care if he sparred or who he sparred with.
“Ask her if I can beat your ass since it belongs to her now.”
The only reason he didn’t flip his buddy off was because of his uniform and the fact he was on duty. Instead, he shook his head and got in the car, ending the stupid conversation.
But as he drove away from the grinning idiot, Jeremy couldn’t help but wonder if his buddy was right. And if so, was it good or bad?