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It wasn’t in a creepy, stalkerish way; but the woman was hardnotto look at. Her long hair was dark blonde, but with streaks of gold that gleamed in the sun. It looked so soft he’d more than once gotten lost in a daydream about running his fingers through it.
Her style was equally appealing. When she wasn’t wearing her hair in what she called a “mom bun” paired with a long-sleeved Henley and jeans, she pulled off a modest and casual business look in a way that was sexier than she likely intended it to be.
When he visited in the spring and summer, he got to witness the wonder that was a loose-fitting button-down blouse tucked into a knee-length pencil skirt. It wasn’t overly tight or anything, it was just the grace with which she carried herself as she clipped through town in her sensible heels that made the whole picture absolutely mesmerizing to him.
But in the winter months, she wore what he saw before him today. Long black slacks that highlighted her small waist thanks to how high they came up, with a long-sleeved maroon shirt tucked into them. The shirt not only complimented that hair he loved so much, but it was also so tight it reminded him of a gymnast’s leotard or something.
Jack wasn’t a man of fashion or trends, but he had a serious eye for detail, and noticing what people wore down to the color of their shoes was also a hazard of his job. But doing it with Robin was considerably more fun than when keeping an eye out for a suspect in a crowded room.
“Two medium black coffees, three small vanilla lattes, a large hazelnut latte, three iced coffees—two with cream and one without—a gingerbread latte with nonfat milk, and two iced chai tea lattes with a shot of espresso in one of them.”
Jack’s brows flew off his forehead as she called out the order without even reading it off a list. The barista, Francine, repeated it all back to her, followed by the dozen bagels in different varieties that she’d apparently ordered before he’d walked up.
When she finished, she gave Jack a smile and a wave. He held his breath, wondering if Robin would turn around to see who she’d greeted.
“Yes, that’s correct,” Robin told the cashier, handing over her card and finishing up the sale.
Of course she hadn’t turned around. This was Snow Hill. No one went anywhere without seeing someone they knew, so Robin probably didn’t think anything of it. Regulars were seated all around them, sipping coffee and enjoying their mid-morning bagels or muffins.
As Jack scanned the room, he nodded at more than one of Snow Hill’s residents that he recognized from his regular visits, and unease swirled in his gut as they gave him guarded smiles before turning to whisper amongst themselves.
Gossip was as big as Christmas here, and he’d bet his last dollar they were wondering how this big-city Scrooge would act once he put on the uniform and started patrolling their decked-out streets. Holly and her ridiculously personable demeanor had won them over right away. But her surly bodyguard-turned-cop of a brother? Not so much.
Jack’s skin was prickling with the notion that it wasn’t paranoia when people really were talking about him when Robin turned around. Their eyes locked, and his heart leaped at the same time her jaw dropped open and she let out a startled gasp.
“Jack,” she said, blinking rapidly.
“Hungry?”
A crease appeared between her brows. “What?”
“That was a lot of bagels. And caffeine. You should really consult your doctor before you drink that much coffee.”
Understanding flashed in her eyes, and she let out a breathy laugh. “It’s for a meeting.”
“I figured. But I didn’t see you with a list or anything when you ordered. Did you really remember all that?”
“Not my first rodeo.” She peered around him and smiled at someone, then hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “You should probably order. There’s a bit of a line behind you.”
Jack stepped off to the side and waved his hand so the four people who’d been hoping he’d stop chatting and start ordering could move up. As they did, they greeted her with buckets of warmth and him with a touch of wariness that made his eyes narrow automatically.
Brushing it off, he meandered over to the other side of the counter, where Robin would pick up her very large order.
“You’re not getting anything?”
He shrugged. “Were you planning to get all these drinks and a dozen bagels with schmear back to your office without help?”
Robin narrowed her eyes at him for a second. “You’d be surprised how capable I am.”
“Uh, no. I don’t think I would be, actually.”
For a long moment, they stood and stared at one another. Jack’s heart thumped in his chest like it always did when Robin was near, but because he knew—thanks to his sister making sure he didn’t forget every time she caught him checking out her friend—that Robin wasn’t interested in him, he did his best not to let it show.
No sense in flirting when it would fall on deaf ears, right?
“So, um, how did apartment hunting go?” Robin asked, her tone suggesting she was grasping for a topic that would put an end to the awkward silence that’d fallen over them.
Jack grunted. “I wish I’d been apartment hunting. But, no, unfortunately, I wasvery large househunting, and it went horribly wrong.”
