Chapter 27
Three weeks later.
Eager to see Abby again, Burke parked in front of the inn and charged for the door.
He’d gone home after the lighthouse incident, but she remained in Lost Lake.
One day, she drove down and they’d visited Victor at the hospital together.
He had very little residual damage from the stroke and would go home the next day.
He was all smiles as his son decided to move in with him to take care of him.
Then two weeks had passed since he’d seen her, and talking on the phone wasn’t the same.
Each day, it was all he could do not to jump in his truck and drive up here.
He couldn’t. Not and close out all the paperwork and loose ends from the investigation.
And she was busy with Sheriff Park’s investigation into her abduction, along with a new missing person’s investigation the team had taken on.
Their separation highlighted a problem. A big one. They lived hours apart. Something they’d discussed at length on their calls without coming up with a solution. This distance could stop them from ever getting together.
“Detective Ulrich?” A blonde dressed in dark-wash jeans, dress boots, and a leather jacket strode toward him and shoved out her hand. “Sheriff Mina Park.”
He grasped her hand, not surprised at her solid grip.
She released him. “I was hoping I’d find you here.”
“Something you need for Abby’s kidnapping investigation?”
She shook her head. “I’d heard you and Abby were an item.”
Not at all what he expected her to say, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to respond to such a private question.
“I didn’t mean to sound nosy—sorry about that. I just figured if you two were together, you might be thinking about moving out this way.”
“And if I was?” Burke asked, still not sure he was comfortable with this discussion.
“If so, I have a detective position coming available.”
“You’re losing your detective?” When he was thinking about moving here, he’d asked Abby if the county sheriff’s department had any openings. They didn’t—just one detective on staff, and she seemed like a lifer.
“No, thank goodness. Detective Lyons isn’t going anywhere.” Mina firmed her stance. “We just received a grant to work cold cases, and I’m hiring a detective to manage them.”
“Impressive,” he said. “From what my sheriff tells me, grants are hard to come by these days.”
“He’s right.” Mina frowned. “But unfortunately, my department didn’t have a very good closure rate back in the day.
We’re the worst county in the state for outstanding cold cases.
” She cringed. “On the bright side, it made us the most eligible department for a five-year grant to clean up the backlog. I already talked to your sheriff, and he gave you a strong recommendation. So if you’re interested in the job, it’s yours. ”
“Wait. What?” He shook his head. “No interviews or comparing me to other candidates?”
“I posted the job internally, but no one applied. A good thing when many of the cases went unsolved with these staff members employed. It’s time for fresh blood, and I was just about to post it outside.”
“Even if your staff didn’t apply, won’t they be upset with an outsider coming in?”
“Not likely. Not when they didn’t want the job.
” She pulled a business card from her jacket pocket and handed it to him.
“Even if it turns out one of them does take offense to an outsider, from what your sheriff tells me, you’re not the kind of guy to let that stand in your way.
If you’re interested, let’s sit down on Monday and talk about the details. See if we’re a good fit.”
“Name the time.” He couldn’t hide his eagerness.
“Eight work for you?”
“I’ll be there.”
She smiled. “Now forget I interrupted your party with business talk. Nolan wouldn’t be happy if he knew I was accosting detectives in the lot on the way in.” She laughed.
He did too, and they walked inside together. The faded midcentury décor took him by surprise. He halted inside the door to gawk at it.
“I take it you haven’t been here before,” she said.
He turned in a complete circle, the furnishings not improving. “I expected something a little more professional looking.”
“The team is working on updating the place, but they have little free time.”
“I don’t envy them. This looks like a ton of work.”
“Move here, and Abby just might rope you into helping.” She chuckled. “Let’s go back to the ballroom. And before you expect a true ballroom, it’s really just a large meeting room, but it’s another blast from the past.”
He liked Mina and could see himself working for her. Was he crazy to hope it would happen? Their Monday meeting would tell him for sure. Nothing to do now other than to tell Abby the good news and wait. He shook off his thoughts and trailed her down a dark, dingy hallway.
He followed Mina through a doorway on the left and into a room exactly as she’d described—a large meeting room with sixties furnishings. Around twenty to thirty people mingled in small groups near a long refreshment table overflowing with appetizers and home-baked goodies.
Above the table hung a sign declaring Happy Anniversary, Lost Lake Locators! The company had formed more than a year ago, but they’d been too busy with investigations to celebrate their success.
He didn’t have eyes for the food or a desire to celebrate.
He wanted Abby. Found her talking to Reece.
The pair were extreme opposites. Abby was petite with short dark hair.
Model-slender Reece towered over her with her blond hair falling below her shoulders.
Finally Abby turned and locked gazes with him.
His heart somersaulted, and he struggled to breathe. He couldn’t wait to tell her about the job offer. Even if he didn’t know if he would take it. Transitioning from the large county office he worked in to a small sheriff’s department was a step back.
But, in the long run, the way his heart just responded, it probably didn’t matter what job he went to if it meant he could be close to Abby.
Burke strode toward Abby. She could barely breathe. All she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms, and it seemed like forever for him to reach her. Like a slo-mo scene in a movie, each step measured and unhurried.
Reece grabbed her arm. “Breathe, sweetie. Or you’re going to pass out before he gets over here.”
“I am, aren’t I? I’ve never felt like this before.”
“From the look on his face, I bet he’s thinking the same thing.” Reece sighed. “It’s like I have my own romance movie playing before my eyes. Only this is better because it involves one of my very best friends and her handsome hero.”
Abby forced her gaze from Burke to smile at Reece.
“Oh yeah,” Reece said. “I’m going to be a maid of honor before you know it.”
She couldn’t deny it. Burke was looking more and more like a forever kind of guy. No matter when she got married, Reece would be her maid of honor.
She turned back to him as he took his final strides to stop in front of her. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she said back.
Reece laughed. “The two of you sound like a couple of lovestruck teenagers.”
Burke arched an eyebrow in her direction. “Good to finally meet you in person, Reece.”
“And I can read in your expression what you’re not saying. ‘Nice to meet you, but take a hike.’” She grinned. “I’ll go check the refreshments and give the two of you some time alone.”
She gave Abby a pointed look and took off for the table loaded with fabulous refreshments she’d made for the party.
“Speaking of time alone,” Burke said. “I know you should be at the party, but is there somewhere we can talk in private for a few minutes?”
Taking his hand, she led him across the room, her heart thumping at merely touching his hand.
She was tempted to step into the hallway and kiss him, but when she kissed him again, she wanted them to be alone.
No place more alone than looking over the cliff at the ocean, so she pulled him to the door and outside.
She continued across the lot to the edge of the cliff, the sky blazing with the midday sun, waves crashing in rhythm below. God’s majesty unfolding before them.
He rested his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him, his eyes only for her. “I couldn’t wait to tell you what Mina talked to me about on the way in.”
Her butterflies evaporated. “Not something about the kidnapping investigation, I hope.”
“No, no. Sorry. I should’ve started another way. It’s about a job. Her department received a five-year grant to investigate cold cases. She wants me to be the detective in charge.”
Abby squeezed his hands. “What wonderful news. I mean, the best news, right? You could move here, and we could be together.”
He didn’t answer right away.
A knot formed in her stomach. “You don’t want to move here. You want me to be the one to move. I don’t want to leave the team, especially since Victor not only paid us the big fee as promised but gave us a very generous bonus, and the business is doing well. But for you, I will.”
“No, that’s not it at all. I absolutely would be glad to move here to be with you. I just have to meet with Mina first to determine if I’m up for the job, and if we have the same standards.”
The knot loosened. “I can’t speak to the job, but I do know you both have the same standards. She’s a stickler for protocol and doing things right. Just like you. The only place I could see snags between you is stubbornly butting heads over things you might not agree on.”
He waved a hand, dismissing her worries. “Happens on my current job, but Ryder is reasonable, and we work it out. I know Mina is highly respected by her staff, so she must do the same thing.”
Her heart soared at the possibilities.
He frowned. “You should know I could be out of a job when the grant ends in five years. I’m not overly picky about the place I work, but it has to be in law enforcement.”
“Who knows what the next five years will bring? We can face that when and if it happens.”