Page 54 of Under the Radar

“Occasion?”

“Anniversary, birthday, forgive-me flowers?” she questioned.

“Holy shit,” I muttered. “I’m not in trouble yet. At least, not that I know of.” I scratched my head. “Um, none of those. I can still give her flowers, right?”

“Flowers to brighten someone’s day are the best kind of flowers to give.”

“Perfect. But I don’t know what kind. She likes pretty things.”

I followed the woman around as she picked some stems, explaining to me what they meant. I had never known that flower choices could have meaning. I liked the bouquet she put together. The alstroemeria were pretty, and I like the symbolism of friendship and loyalty. The hydrangea symbolized gratitude for being understood, and they added a nice pop of color I knew Hannah would like. The florist added a bunch of other blooms, then paused and slid a single red rose into the center.

“For true love,” she explained.

“Perfect.”

She wrapped them, and I thanked her, walking back across the street and adding them to the front seat. As I rounded the truck, a police officer was standing there on the sidewalk. The sight of him waiting, his hands crossed in front of him, made me feel oddly nervous, although I had done nothing. He wore his hat and sunglasses, and I didn’t recognize him.

“Officer,” I greeted him.

“In a hurry?”

“Sorry?”

He pointed to the left. “You know there is a crosswalk thirty feet down the road. That is where you, as a pedestrian, are expected to legally cross the road. Not just race across randomly, causing a distraction. Against the stoplight as well. That’s jaywalking and illegal.”

I was sure he was fucking with me.

“A distraction?” I repeated. “To whom?”

“The drivers.”

I glanced left and right. “Which drivers am I distracting? I’m the only car around. And I didn’t see the light from where I crossed.”

“Because you were crossing in an unlawful area.”

Unlawful area.

Was this guy totally shitting me?

He spoke again. “If an owner leaves his store for a moment, does that give you the right to break the law and steal from him?”

I blinked. How the hell had we gone from me walking across the road to stealing?

“I’m sorry, ah, Officer…” I trailed off. He was familiar, but how, I wasn’t sure.

“Meyers. Officer Meyers.”

“Sorry, I’m not following. I’ll be sure to use the crosswalk next time.”

He flipped open his book, and I stared at him in shock.

“You’re going to write me a ticket? No one was around. Not a single car. I was in a hurry—I just wanted to get my girl some flowers.” I stepped closer. “You understand, right? I just didn’t think.”

He shook his head, pulling out his pen. The motherfucker was going to write me up for crossing the road. Jaywalking.

Before he could start, Mack came out of the store. “Chase. Problem?” He looked between us.

“Nothing I can’t handle, Mack,” I said.