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But he knew the laptop belonged to Grace. He recognized it from when she had it at the cafe when they met, and the travel-themed stickers plastered to its matte-black case were hard to miss.
The collage of stickers made him smile. She sure was well-traveled. A few that'd stuck out to him that day were from Paris, Sydney, and the brightly-colored outline of the Hawaiian Islands in the corner. He'd never been big on vacations, but Grace's thirst for travel was endearing.
Though, it still bummed him out that her wanderlust meant they'd have no future—sparks or no sparks. She may not have gotten too deep on their date, but she'd definitely made that much clear. Maybe not in those exact words, but still.
The thought of being late for work tugged at him once again, and he shook his head, deciding it was best to leave before he ran into her.
With a sigh, Tommy stepped out of the inn and began making his way to the police station, the crisp winter air nipping at his cheeks as he walked.
"Tommy!" called a familiar voice. Tommy turned to see one of the town's bakers rushing towards him, deep frown lines marring his round face. "I need to file a police report," he said breathlessly.
"Mr. Jenkins, I'm not even in uniform yet," Tommy replied with a chuckle. "You should call the non-emergency line."
Undeterred, the baker fell into step beside Tommy. "It's these Christmas carolers. They're targeting my bakery."
Tommy slid him a look. "Targeting...how?"
"They're singing songs that mock my baking skills. It's outrageous. People are talking. I need the police to put a stop to this harassment!"
Blowing air into his gloved hands to disguise his laughter, Tommy worked to compose his expression before he spoke. "Well, you can try to put in a report, but I have a feeling they'll tell you that you need to call when the carolers are actually there, singing the offensive songs."
Frustration flashed across Mr. Jenkins' face. "And what will happen if I do that? Will you arrest them?"
As they arrived at the front door of the station, Tommy hesitated. He usually went through the back door, but he didn't want to deal with Mr. Jenkins trying to follow him through the officer’s entrance.
But before he could answer the man's ludicrous question, Jack opened the front door with a knowing smile.
"Morning, Tommy," Jack said, seemingly well-aware of the baker's predicament, like maybe Tommy wasn't the only officer Mr. Jenkins had tried to sic on those carolers.
"Morning," Tommy replied.
The baker mumbled something about filing a report with the desk sergeant, then pushed past them.
"Carolers?" Jack asked over his shoulder as Tommy followed him into the station.
"Yup."
"Was that Mr. Jenkins?" Robin asked as they approached. Her dark-blonde hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and she wore a business suit with the jacket open to leave room for her baby bump.
Tommy nodded. "The one and only."
"I heard about the carolers," she said, huffing out a laugh. "Rumor has it, Mrs. Ellis paid them in cookies to sing those songs."
"Wait, so this is for real? A group of baker-dissing carolers is harassing him?”
Jack braced his hands on his duty belt. "News to me. I thought he was full of it."
Robin chuckled. "What did he want you guys to do about it?"
Tommy laughed as he shrugged off his coat. "Arrest them, I think."
"Same," Jack added. "Anyway, how did your date go last night?"
Robin perked up at this, her eyes wide and eager.
"Robin's been dying to know," Jack teased, giving his wife a rueful glance.
She swatted his arm. "Um, excuse me! I'm not the only one."
