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Ten minutes later, Lacey had arranged the chairs and table on the grass to her liking and was just laying out a selection of cheese and crackers up on a small wooden board when Nico strolled over the grass, preceded by Smudge, who’s clever nose smelled out the cheese straight away.
“Not for you,” Nico said, and Smudge’s ears dropped as he backed away from the table. Such a well-behaved dog. Her mother’s dog would’ve snapped up all of that cheese before you could say Jack Rabbit. A spoiled toy poodle called Raymond that Lacey had tried to train but failed because the dog was too smart for its own good and knew her mother would let him get away with anything.
Nico dropped two soft, woolen throw rugs on one chair and placed two wine glasses on the table. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather eat inside?” he asked, raising one quizzical eyebrow. “I’ve got plenty of room in my kitchen.”
Lacey regarded him for a moment. “Why don’t we see how we go out here first? We can always move if it rains, or we get too cold. But I was hoping to watch the sunset over the water, and this looks like it might be the perfect vantage point.”
Nico swiveled on his heel and glanced out to the vista stretching below them. His block was three-quarters of the way up a low hill and it afforded a lovely view over the ocean. She could see why he’d chosen this property. It had the best of everything. It was large, with a wonderfully restored cottage, plenty of room for a garden and an orchard, and views to die for. The Tasmanian coastline was one of the most wild, yet beautiful shorelines in the world. And while Boat Harbour Beach was a bit more touched by civilization than some places in Tasmania, it was still magical. Even in the dead of winter, this place had a grace and majesty. To her, a winter storm could be just as aesthetically pleasing as a warm summer’s day, merely in a different way. If her life had turned out differently, she might even see herself living here.
“You’re right, it should be a good sunset tonight.” He pointed to the horizon, where the clouds were clearing and the orange orb of the sun could be seen peeking through the growing chinks as it sank lower, racing toward the edge of the world. “And I don’t mind the cold. I was more worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine.” She waved a hand in the air. The cold never really bothered Lacey, and while Melbourne might not get as cold as Tasmania, they certainly had their fair share of icy weather. Nico shrugged and twisted the top off the white wine, pouring them both a glass, while she went over and stirred the pot of boiling rice on her small stove. The chicken curry was warming on the burner next to it. The gas stove, along with a small countertop, was designed to slide out of a hidden compartment in the van, and became a handy outdoor kitchen. The van had been so well designed; the guy who did the restoration really knew what he was doing. It had everything a person could need to lead a simple life. There was even a pull out awning she could set up over the side of the van for shelter while she was cooking if it rained. But she was hoping they wouldn’t need that tonight.
“Here you go.” Nico was suddenly beside her, handing her a glass of wine. “Cheers.” He held up his glass, and she clinked hers against his. “Here’s to…pretty sunsets,” he said, turning to nod at the pinking sky.
“Yes,” she agreed. “And to speeding spare parts on their way,” she added.
“I already said it’s fine for you to stay as long as you need,” he said, pursing his lips.
“Thank you.” Yes, she understood he didn’t mind her staying. But did he understand how uncomfortable it made her feel? She took a seat, trying to put the feeling of indebtedness out of her mind. Draping the soft blanket over her knees, she took a sip of the wine. A buttery chardonnay that was sharp and crisp. It’d go well with the blue cheese she’d put out on the platter. Reaching over, she cut herself a slice, then felt a guilty twinge as Smudge’s eyes followed the cheese to her mouth. Nico also took a seat, placing his own blanket over the backrest.
“You must’ve gone to the cheese shop in Burnie on the way through.” Nico made the comment as he leaned forward and cut himself a chunk from the vintage cheddar. He was right; she had stopped at more than one little gourmet shop on the way up the coast. She couldn’t go past a good cheese.
“Is there such a thing as a cheesaholic? Because if there is, then I’m one,” she told him, popping another bit in her mouth with a grin.
Nico laughed at that. It was a good sound, rich and deep. She liked that sound. “If you’re a cheesaholic, then so am I.” He raised his glass and they saluted to cheese.
They watched the sunset in companionable silence. The sun had finally dropped lower than the blanket of clouds and was turning the underside of the fluffy mantle a pale orange. Lacey slipped Smudge a piece of cheese when Nico wasn’t watching, and the dog’s warm tongue licked her fingers with glee. Nico turned to look at her, and she was struck again by the small bandage above his eye. What must his co-workers have made of that? They’d surely have said something. A police detective didn’t turn up to work with bruising without expecting some ribbing. They’d want to know who got the better of him. She wondered if he’d told them the truth.
“How was work today?” She asked the question casually enough, not really expecting an answer. But her interest was suddenly piqued. She wanted to know what it was like to work in a small country town. It’d have to be different to the large precinct she’d worked in Melbourne. Was it better, or worse, working a smaller station? Where you knew everyone, and they knew you? There’d been anonymity back in her inner-city station at the Melbourne East Police Station. But there had also been a casual disregard for what she’d been through. A lack of empathy, especially from her male counterparts. As if she needed to toughen up and get over it. And maybe she did. But would her experience have been different if she knew everyone well? Would she have received better care? Treated with respect and perhaps compassion, rather than the toughen-up mentality she’d encountered? It wasn’t a concept she’d ever bothered to explore before. Because there’d been no other option. But what if things were different here? Would she have found the strength to continue on and become the cop she wanted to be if she’d been stationed here instead of in the big city?
“Did they ask about your face?” she blurted, suddenly deciding it was important to know the answer.
CHAPTER FOUR
HOW WAS WORK today?Her question reverberated around his head. Work had been…interesting. He studied Lacey for a second before he said, “Yes, they asked about my face.”
She had the grace to blush at his words, but she kept her chin held high. “And what did you tell them?”
The hardest part had been reporting first thing to his boss, Chief Inspector Charles Shadbolt. A part of Nico hadn’t wanted to stride into his office that morning to tell him what’d transpired before his boss heard it through the grapevine. A voice was screaming at him to hide in the break room and hope no one saw him. Which may have worked for the first ten minutes, but Nico knew he’d be ratted out eventually, and so he’d taken it on himself to report immediately, before the rumors started flying.
Charles had merely raised one eyebrow and studied Nico over the rims of his glasses for many seconds as he told an abridged version of the story before finally saying, “I take it this woman is no threat to anyone else on the team or in the community?”
“No, sir.” Nico liked the chief inspector; he always commanded his team with a cool head and a firm hand, as well as getting straight to the point.
“Right. Well, I’m a little unnerved you allowed her to take you by surprise like that, even if she does have a black belt in judo, but let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.” Charles cleared his throat and went back to studying the piles of paperwork on his desk. That was Nico’s signal to leave, but just as he turned on his heel to walk out, Charles said, “There’s a meeting in the muster room at oh-nine-hundred. Everyone is expected to attend. The district commander will address us. Make sure you’re there.”
“Yes, sir.” Now that was interesting news. It must be something big if the district commander was getting involved. Nico wracked his brains to come up with whatever was on the agenda for today. God forbid, they retrench more officers. He hoped it wasn’t more bloody budget cuts. Staff were already stretched to the limit as it was.
On the way back to his desk, other officers had stopped him in the hallway and asked why he looked like he’d come off second best in a boxing tournament. Then right before he made the safety of his office, he’d bumped into Tyrell, the one guy he’d been hoping to avoid. Senior Constable Tyrell Jackson was a lanky African-American, in Burnie on sabbatical for two years. They got on well together and had become routine sparring partners at the local gym after work. So, for the rest of the morning, Nico had to put up with constant referrals from his mate that maybe he should wear a dress next time they sparred and perhaps he’d have more luck getting a punch in. Nico had scowled and tried to take the ribbing on the chin. But it rankled him no end that a slip of a woman had indeed got the better of him.
“Of course I told them the truth,” he said to Lacey, a little more gruffly than he intended, and she smiled when he couldn’t conceal his embarrassment.
“Sorry I put you in that position,” she apologized, but she couldn’t hide her grin completely. Then she sobered slightly. “But I was also wondering if you told them… About me? I mean who I am…was?”
Now they were getting to the bottom of the issue. She wanted to know if he’d revealed her link to the force. He wondered why it mattered so much.
“No, I left that little tidbit of information off the table.” Even though it might’ve vindicated him slightly, at least in the eyes of his boss if he’d known he’d been taken down by a trained police officer.
