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Releasing a chuckle, he rolled the bottle around on its base on the table, keeping his gaze on it. “I joined last fall. My mom’s not in the best health, so I moved back here from Jonesboro. Sold office equipment up there.” He shrugged again. “I needed a job, and I heard they needed an officer. I’d never worked in law enforcement before, but the chief and my mom are friends and he knew how much she wanted me here, so…” He grimaced and looked up at me. “The rest is history.”
“Do you like working for the Jackson Creek PD?” I asked.
“It’s a job. A relatively safe one here, so you know.” He shrugged, sounding defeated. “I make some money, and I’m around to make sure my mom’s okay.” A grin tugged at the corners of his lips. “I don’t plan to do this forever, but it’s okay for now.” His smile faded. “Until I saw something I disagreed with so strongly, I considered quitting.”
I shot a quick glance at Louise, who was watching Drew intently.
“The case from today?” I prompted.
He forced a smile. “I’m gonna get another. Anyone want anything?”
I glanced down at my near empty beer, feeling the pull for more, but I needed to pace myself. “I’m good for now.”
Nate and Louise said the same thing, and Drew headed toward the bar.
“Do you think he’s talking about Ava Peterman?” Louise asked.
“Has to be,” Nate said. “Trust me, they don’t get that many interesting cases. He was right when he said the job was relatively safe.”
“You need to ask him, Harper,” Louise said. “It can’t be me because I’m not supposed to know anything about it.”
Maybe I could ask him about Eddie Johnson while I was at it?
Nodding, I finished my beer. Damn. I wished I’d asked for another. Or something stronger.
Drew came back with a new beer bottle, and I studied him. He was a good-looking guy and in decent physical shape. He seemed confident in his own skin, so he probably hadn’t taken his position on the force as a way to boost a sensitive ego. But could I trust him?
“So how do you like living back in Jackson Creek?” I asked before he’d barely slid into his seat.
“How do you like it?” he countered with a grin.
“It’s too soon to tell,” I said. “I really need to get a job somewhere, although I got an offer right before I came here tonight.”
“Oh?” Louise asked in surprise.
“My mother ambushed me with my father’s partners at dinner. They offered me a job at the law firm. It’s just doing scut work, but I’m sure they’d pay me well.” I made a face. “Nepotism at its finest.”
“You don’t have to stay there,” Louise said. “You can just work there until you figure out what you want to do.”
My frustration bubbled over. “I want to work in law enforcement, but that’s no longer an option.”
“You could find a job in security,” Drew said. “A lot of those bigger places would consider you an asset.”
“Because I shot that kid?” I asked dryly.
“Because you didn’t hesitate.”
I bit my tongue to keep from blasting him for condoning what I’d done. What the hell was wrong with me? I hated it when people judged me for what happened without knowing the facts, but I also wanted to jump down the throats of anyone who accepted me.
Maybe part of me thought I deserve their judgment.
“We’ll see. I’m not sure working for my father’s firm is a good idea. My parents expected me to go to law school and join the firm. It was a huge disappointment to my mother when I entered the police academy. I can’t help thinking this is her way of finally getting what she wants.”
“Even if you take the job, doesn’t mean you’re stuck there,” Louise said matter-of-factly.
“But it feels like she’s winning.” I inwardly groaned, cursing myself for saying that out loud.
“Maybe she just wants what’s best for you,” Nate said. “You might be taking it the wrong way.”
