2. Scarlett
Scarlett
After three days of watching Luke grumble, groan, and stomp around, I was finally seeing him smile again. Well, not smile exactly, but the sparkle in his eye told me he was happy, at least for the moment.
Ryan Redmond, accused murderer of Alana Karrigan, was arrested and being held in the district’s county jail.
All of the officers were huddled around his desk, although I wasn’t one to talk. I was standing around him too, basking in his glory right along with everyone else.
“The case is a slam dunk. We have literally every piece of evidence on this kid. There is no way he is walking away from this,” Luke told his sea of admirers.
Okay, that may have been a little dramatic.
But I was certainly an admirer of his. Not just because of this case, although it helped to know that he was instrumental in keeping our community safe, protecting us from dangers.
I had been an admirer of Luke Wilder’s for far longer than this case. Far too long, in fact.
“Back to work, everyone. Neves, you’re supposed to be out on patrol.
Get out there,” Captain Langston said, breaking up the party around Luke’s desk.
“Great work, Wilder. This is a big deal. You and Monroe kicked ass. Now, let’s make sure those charges stick.
” The captain’s beefy hand clamped down on Luke’s shoulder before he turned and walked away.
The station was quiet now that everyone had gone back to work or left for their shift.
I shifted the headset I wore so it sat behind my ear and returned to my desk.
I had three screens in front of me for our call system and dispatching software, but everything had been quiet today, except for the obvious excitement over Ryan’s arrest.
My cell lit up with a message notification from the dating app I was on. Eddie Paisley and I had been talking for over a week through the app’s messaging system, and we had finally made plans to meet in person. I swiped to read the message.
PatsFan55: I can’t wait to see you later. Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up? I don’t mind.
We hadn’t even exchanged our actual phone numbers yet. I certainly wasn’t about to tell this guy where I lived. Calla Bay was quiet and safe, and maybe it was the years of service in my role at the police department, but even in this town, it wasn’t worth the risk. Not after what happened to Alana.
RedsMyFavoriteColor: Yeah. I’m sure. I’m excited to meet you in person finally :)
“What you got there, Letty?” Luke leaned his back against the front of my desk, his eyes on my phone. “Is that a dating app?”
“Yeah. I’m talking to this guy, Eddie,” I said.
“You didn’t tell me you were on a dating app,” Luke huffed.
I shrugged. “I figured I would give the whole dating app thing a try since nothing else seems to have worked. ”
“Who is this guy? What do we know about him?”
Laughter crept up my throat. “His name is Eddie Paisley…”
“Or so he says.”
“He’s twenty-nine…”
“Or so he says.”
My foot connected with Luke’s ankle, but it didn’t stop me from chuckling. “Stop that. I’m not running a background check on the guy. He’s a mortgage broker from Braintree.”
“Have you met him?”
“Not yet. We’re meeting tonight. He’s coming down here and taking me to Benson’s Steak House for our first date.”
Luke’s lip curled. “Is he picking you up?”
“No. I told him I would meet him there. I didn’t want to give him my address until I met him.”
“Good girl. He’s probably a fucking creep. What’s his handle?” Luke jutted his chin to my phone, his head trying to sneak a peek at my messages. I rolled my eyes and handed him my phone.
“Here. But no background checks. Otherwise, I’ll be the creepy one instead of him.”
“It doesn’t work that way. You’re too pretty to be creepy.”
Outwardly, I rolled my eyes, but internally… I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. This reaction right here. This was why I needed to date. I needed this date to go well so I could get off the god-awful dating app and get past my crush on Luke.
“PatsFan? Seriously? That was the best he could do?” Luke’s unimpressed gaze bored into me, and his brow quirked. “And what is this? Red isn’t even your favorite color. It’s blue.” He shook his head and handed me back my phone.
He was right. It was blue. I only used red in my handle because it was a nod to my wild, curly red hair.
“He looks boring. Next.”
“Hey, he’s been really nice.”
Luke crossed his arms over his broad chest, his face stony and irritated.
“You should cancel. He’s not the guy for you.”
“I’m not canceling,” I huffed back at him. He had been in a massive mood for the past few days, only lightening up after the arrest was made. Apparently, he was back to his grumpy ways now. “What’s up with you, anyway?”
“Fine, go on the date. But if anything at all feels off with his dude, or you need an excuse to leave his twenty-minute monologue on cheese or whatever the fuck a guy like him wants to talk about, you call me.”
“Fine,” I told him. “But it’s going to go great.”
* * *
Good Lord, this man was boring. No monologue on cheese, thankfully, but the current topic of conversation wasn’t much better.
“It isn’t just the interest rates that are affecting things.
House prices are up across the board and are continuing to rise.
Although all the models are indicating there should be a slowdown in the rapidity of price increases, there is still a deficit in the number of houses for sale compared to the number of home buyers in the market. The supply and demand economics…”
Eddie continued to enlighten me on the economics of the housing industry, despite the fact that I told him I wasn’t in the market for a home right now.
The apartment I had been living in since I moved to Calla Bay had more than enough space for just me.
The landlord had let me paint the walls a charming light blue color, and my elderly neighbor downstairs, George, had become my buddy.
I would bring him dinner some nights, and we’d play checkers together.
The modern, black pendant lights that hung over our table didn’t illuminate the space very much.
The dimness in the restaurant created a romantic atmosphere while instrumental music played softly in the background.
The onyx-black tables were smooth and shiny.
A small black glass vase with a single red rose sat amongst our plates of food.
Benson’s catered to the tourists that filtered through town in the summer months, specifically the wealthy ones, and the upscale, elegant vibe proved it.
I blinked my way back to the conversation. Eddie had asked me something.
“I’m sorry. I missed that.”
“It’s okay. It wasn’t important,” Eddie said with a slight pinking of his cheeks. “Being on a date with a beautiful lady makes me nervous, and I ramble when I’m nervous. About the housing market, apparently.”
I smiled at the compliment, relaxing a little knowing this wasn’t his usual personality. It actually made him more endearing. “Besides work, what do you like to do?”
He hesitated before he answered. “I’m not really sure. I work, I watch some TV, maybe have a beer with some friends. I don’t live a very adventurous life,” he chuckled. “What about you?”
“I love adventure,” I told him honestly. “Last year, I went to Peru on a solo trip to zipline through the Amazon rainforest. I’ve been bouldering in Utah at the Zion National Park. Skydiving, hiking, scuba diving. I love all of that.”
“Oh, wow. I could never do that.” Eddie’s eyes were round, a spark of fear lighting them up.
“It’s not for everyone. Most of my adventures I do on my own or through a tour company. I don’t know many people who are up for all that either.”
“I am thoroughly impressed by you, Scarlett Hart.”
Conversation flowed more easily for the rest of the meal. Eddie was sweet and smart. The classic “nice guy.” By the time our dinner was coming to an end, I was surprised to realize that I’d really enjoyed my evening with him.
The server put the check on the table, closed behind the leather receipt book. I grabbed my purse, intent on splitting the bill.
“Please put your purse down. My mother would murder me if she found out I didn’t pick up the tab on a date.” Eddie huffed a laugh. I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing at the small noises he made. His dorkiness had a charm of its own.
“Well, we wouldn’t want that,” I said.
We left the restaurant together, and Eddie walked me to my car.
“Thank you for dinner. I had a great time.”
“Me too. I hope, maybe, we can do it again sometime?” Eddie asked. His eyes locked on mine for a brief moment before he diverted them to a spot over my shoulder.
“Sure. I’d like that.”
Eddie reached out in front of him, and he leaned in, but a loud ringing startled us both, and I was saved from figuring out if he was going for a hug, a handshake, or a good-night kiss. Honestly, it could have been any of them.
I glanced at my phone. A picture of Luke lit up the screen behind his name. I had taken that picture a few years ago at one of his backyard barbecues, and it had been his contact photo ever since.
His face sent a shiver of awareness through my body, and my heart skipped a beat.
I shouldn’t answer him. He knew I was on a date tonight.
When he got all huffy about it at work earlier, my heart wanted to see it as jealousy, but my brain knew that wasn’t it.
My crush on Luke was entirely unrequited.
“Sorry. I should take this,” I told Eddie.
I was a traitor to my own self. I couldn’t stop myself.
“Yeah, of course. Have a good night.”
“You too,” I told him. I swiped to answer Luke’s call as I got in my car. “Hey,” I greeted him.
“Letty, are you still on your date?” Luke asked. He spoke so quickly it took a second for me to process it. Nerves flowed through my system instantly.
“No. I was just saying good night to him when you called. Is everything okay?”
“Maeve’s in labor.”