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“What does she want you to do? Parking duty?”
Fornier chuckled. “Probably, but I’m not that out of the game yet. I was thinking about taking the detective exam.”
“The hours are crazy though. If Maria wants you safe and spending more time at home, that isn’t going to help matters,” Luke said.
“Probably not. And Lord knows I live to make sure that woman is happy.” Fornier shook his head. “The strange thing is, I’d actually be okay walking away from being a cop, but I don’t know what else to do with myself. I’ve got to work, can’t afford to go back to school…”
“You could take online classes. Take a desk job, or a dispatch position. That would definitely be a safe gig.”
Fornier roared with laughter. “Jesus, could you see me trying to talk down some panicking woman on the telephone? I’d be fired within the hour for cracking some inappropriate joke.”
“Naw, you’d be great at it. You’re good with people, you know how to work under pressure, and you’re patient. Hell, you’d have to be to wrangle those three kids the way you do.”
“Thanks, man,” Fornier said. “So, what about you? Ever think of hanging it up?”
Luke took a swig of his beer. “What for? It’s about all I have going for me right now.”
“No one special then?”
Marley’s face tried to swirl to the surface, but he pushed her back down. “Nah, not a one.”
“That’s too bad. I think you’d make some woman very happy.”
Luke coughed, covering up the lump of emotion at Fornier’s words. Damn, what was wrong with him? If he got all blubbery over a compliment, the guys would never let him strap on a vest again.
Swinging his legs over the side of the chair, he held his hand over his heart. “Fornier, I say this with the utmost respect and love, but if you try and kiss me, I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Jessup. If I kissed you, you’d swoon like Scarlett O’Hara. Just ask my wife.”
“What the hell are you two talking about?” Voight had come up behind Luke sometime during the conversation, and Luke had no idea how much he’d heard, but he and Fornier both started busting a gut.
“Crazy as hell,” Voight muttered as he walked away.
They finally stopped laughing, and before Luke knew what he was doing, he asked, “Was there ever a time when you thought you and Maria might not make it?”
Fornier turned his face toward him, and Luke watched a shadow pass over it. “Marriage is hard. It has its ups and downs, but we’ve managed to pull through.”
“What if she told you she didn’t care or need you around?”
“I’d know she was either lying through her teeth or it wasn’t real to begin with.”
Luke’s heartbeat picked up speed. “Why do you say that?”
“Love’s not complicated. I believe when two people are right for each other, shit will work itself out. Sometimes it’s harder, but at the end of the day, if being without that person is like trying to get around while it feels like half of you is missing, then that’s true love. And you don’t walk away from that easily.”
Fornier’s words cut him to the quick and he drained his beer. “Some people do.”
Chapter 24
On Monday, Marley was curled up in her favorite chair reading a book when someone knocked. She set her book down and stretched as she stood up. She had to admit that after working seven days a week for seven years and being at other people’s beck and call, just staying home and being able to read one of the many books she’d been collecting for years was very relaxing.
Don’t forget lonely.
Marley frowned, hating the sadness that kept creeping over her at the most inopportune times. She missed Luke.
Her eyes started filling again, and she blinked back tears. She didn’t want to cry anymore. She’d spent days crying, doing anything to distract herself from the fact that she had totally screwed up something good. Something that could have been amazing.
With a deep, steadying breath, she opened the front door, expecting it to be Dustin with the deed to Buzzard Gulch in his hand.
