AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Cressida, does your friend know that guy?” I ask her.
“Her boyfriend,” she says, slurring the words. “They’re making up.”
I chuckle, relieved that I won’t have to arrest anyone tonight. “I think you mean they’re making out.”
“That, too.” Her face turns a shade of green and she raises a hand to her mouth. “I don’t feel well.”
Oh, crap. “How are you getting home?”
She points to her friend again. “My desig… desig… whatsit?”
“Designated driver?”
She bobs her head once. “That.”
“Hold on,” I tell her. “I’ll be right back.”
I walk over to her friend and tap her on the shoulder.
She disentangles herself from the man’s embrace. “Sorry, Mikki, we’ll cool it.” When she turns and sees me, her eyes widen. “Officer Griffin?”
“Officer?” the man says. “We’re just kissing. That’s not a crime, is it?”
Ignoring him, I say, “Cressida isn’t feeling well. I’m going to take her home.”
The woman looks over at Cressida and her face grows pale. “Oh. She looks really drunk. I’ll drive her back to her apartment.”
“I’ve got it,” I tell her.
She looks uncertain, but her boyfriend pulls her back into his arms. “The dude’s a cop. He’ll take care of her.”
She chews on her lip uncertainly. After a moment, she nods. “Okay, but Officer, I should warn you. She doesn’t seem to like you very much, and she can be a mouthy drunk.”
“Duly noted.”
I return to Cressida’s side. “I’m going to take you home,” I tell her.
She shakes her head. “Public defenders aren’t allowed to date police.”
I feel heat rise to my cheeks. As much as I’d love to “take her home” in that sense, it’s not what I meant. “I didn’t mean… I just meant that I’m your designated driver now.”
Public defenders can’t date police, though? Is that true?
It makes sense. The police department frowns upon relationships with the public defender’s office, too. It causes a lot of hassle and paperwork for the department. It’s not an actual rule, though. Not for us. Leave it to the lawyers to actually put it in the contract.
“Okay,” she says, standing like a newborn deer trying to find its footing.
I wrap an arm around her to steady her. Slowly, we inch toward the door. For every step she takes forward, she wobbles two steps back.
“What about firefighters?” I ask conversationally. “I suppose you’re allowed to date them?”
“Sure,” she says.
Figures. My grandfather, dad, and older brothers are all firefighters. To say they were disappointed when I joined the Boys in Blue instead of the Mercury Ridge Fire Department would be an understatement. They’ve tried tempting me to their side of the public service world for years. Most recently, Griff, my eldest brother and the current fire chief, offered me a position as the arson investigator.
So far, they’ve come up with nothing to tempt me. I’ve never had a desire to fight fires. I like working directly with people. And I really love helping substance users find their way back to sobriety.
But Cressida… she’s a temptation that’s hard to resist. If I left the police department, she’d be allowed to date me.
