AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Why do I like her stubbornness? Why does it make me want to push her further?
“If you turn around, I’ll answer you.”
She huffs, annoyed with my brute behavior. Funny how she is the only person I act this way with—domineering and selfish and comfortable. As the coffee percolates, she spins around and plants her hands on her hips, lips in a flat line and brows raised, waiting.
“I’m sorry,” I repeat. “Truly.” I drag a hand through my hair and sigh. “I have a meeting with the Chief this morning and it’s made me more of an asshole than usual.”
“Isn’t your dad the Chief?” Her frame relaxes imperceptibly.
I stab an apple chunk and tap it on the plate. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean a thing on the clock. And he’s on the clock more often than not.”
She drops her hands from her hips and takes a step closer. “Look, I get it. Parents suck sometimes. But don’t take it out on other people. No one needs the ripple effect of someone else’s negativity. Choose not to let it bother you.”
Easier said than done. My father has a way of getting under my skin. He learned it from his father and grandfather, and they learned from the previous generations. All men raised in an era of severe repercussions for not falling in line. Men raised to believe their superiority was more important than expressing love or devotion or kindness to family, friends, or complete strangers. Men raised to be cold and callous to get results.
I don’t fault my father for his blunt and sometimes fierce nature. Those harsh qualities aided him in becoming who he is—who I am—today. But I want to break the cycle and be the bigger, better person. Soften myself before I decide one day whether or not to add to the family tree.
“Thank you,” I say. “I’ll do my best.” I smile and lift the fork to my lips, not missing the way her eyes stay fixed on my mouth.Interesting.“And I’d love coffee for the road.” Popping the apple in my mouth, the corners of my lips curve higher when she doesn’t look away.
Then, as if my words took a moment to catch up in her mind, she blinks and lifts her gaze to mine. A fresh layer of heat blooms on her neck and cheeks, and damn, I love her reaction.
“Be right back.” She blinks a few times. “Need to get more takeout cups from the back.” Then she darts off and disappears through the kitchen doors.
I eat the last of my breakfast with an infectious smile on my face. But it’s not until I spot a stack of to-go cups beneath the counter a few seats down that I chuckle under my breath.
The yuppie across the room may have made her blush, but it was me who made her overheat. I call that a win.
Minutes later, I slide a twenty under my mug, rise from my stool at the counter, and head for the door. “Thanks for breakfast, sunshine.” The nickname rolls off my tongue as if I’ve been calling her sunshine for years, and not like I manifested it seconds ago. “See you tomorrow.”
She lifts a hand and waves from behind the counter. “Stay safe,Officer.”
What is it about the way this woman calls me officer that gets me fired up? Hell if I know. But I live for the way she makes my pulse soar. “Always, sunshine.”
I step into the cool November air and jog to my department-assigned SUV. Cranking the engine, I sip the large, steaming cup of coffee until the engine warms enough to turn on the heat. My eyes scan the street as residents start their day. Not many commute near Opal and Chalcedony this early unless they’re one of the Seven or coming to the restaurant for breakfast.
Across from Poke the Yolk on Chalcedony Way, Tobias Graves pulls into the small lot for the Stone Bay Gazette. I kick on the heat and let the cabin warm as I watch him enter the town newspaper’s hub. The Emerson family has a love-hate relationship with the Graves family. Tobias and Phoebe, his youngest daughter, always seem to stick their noses where they don’t belong, all in the name ofnews.
Much as I don’t want to be another cutthroat Emerson, with the Graves family, there is no alternative. When it comes to Tobias and Phoebe Graves, you have to be assertive.
I set my coffee in the cup holder and buckle my belt before backing out. With a little time to spare, I turn left out of the lot and cruise north on Chalcedony. The woman outside the Savings and Loan waves as I drive past and I return the gesture.
Lampposts still glow in the early morning hour. A touch of frost coats the birch trees and potted plants along the street. Landscape crews move down the sidewalks on either side of the street and clear the fallen foliage from the walkway.
At the corner of Chalcedony and Garnet, I stop and wave to Dr. Belton as she flips the sign on the front door of the veterinarian’s office to open. Then, I steer the SUV onto Granite Parkway, the main thoroughfare in Stone Bay. A line of cars wraps around the small bagel shop as residents grab a quick bite before they head to work or school.
Far too soon, I park the SUV in the lot at the police station, fetch my jacket from the passenger seat, and slip it on before exiting the car with my coffee in hand. I tug open the front door, wave to Doug at the front desk, then weave through the small cluster of desks in the bullpen.
Though crime in Stone Bay is low, the police department never sleeps. Chief Emerson would never allow it.“If you have nothing to do, why do I need you here?”he’d propose to anyone slacking on their duties.“The citizens pay us to keep this town safe. Not to sit on our asses and play Wordle on our phones.”No matter how menial the situation is, if someone in town needs law enforcement assistance, we show up. Always.
I drop my keys and phone on my desk, pull out my chair and sit, then wake up my computer. As I enter my credentials to log in, I hear the telltale squeak of the chief’s door open.
“Emerson,” he calls out louder than necessary. “Two hours.”
I smash the enter key on my keyboard hard, plaster on a smile, and spin around to face my father. “Yes, sir.”
He retreats into his office, never giving his back, and closes the door. Story of my life.
TWO
