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Overher left shoulder, the pub’s front door swung open again, and a tall, pretty, dark-haired woman in her mid-twenties rushed in.Shewas wearing black pants and a royal blueCat&FiddleT-shirt.Herhair was damp and pulled up into a ponytail.West’sattention immediately diverted from his customers to the younger woman, andAlliedidn’t like the unwanted flash of jealousy that shot through her gut.
“Well?” he asked the brunette, who stopped abruptly between two men sitting on the long side of the bar.Shebit her lip and hung her head, causingWestto frown and put his hands on his hips while gaping at her. “Oh, crap,Kate, don’t tell me you failed.”Histone wasn’t one of disappointment—it was more like despair.
Alliesaw the woman’s smile before she lifted her head.Itwas obvious she’d been messing with him. “Ipassed!
Westpunched a fist into the air. “Yes!Isaid you could do it!”Reachingback, he grabbed and yanked on the rope hanging from a brass bell attached to the bar’s frame.Theloudding-ding-dinghad everyone in the pub eyeing him. “Ladiesand gents, let’s hear it for one ofHolden’sfuture police officers,KateMoynahan!Shepassed her fitness test!”
Shoutsof “congratulations” and applause came from the patrons and staff asKateran behind the bar to whereWeststood nearAllieand hugged him. “Ican’t thank you enough for introducing me toMattandValerie.Ifit wasn’t for them training me,Idon’t thinkIwould’ve passed the push-ups and the run.Infact,Iran my best time ever for the test!”
Hesqueezed her, then let go and stepped back. “AllIdid was hook you up with two friends on the force—you did all the work.I’mproud of you.Although, we’ll miss you here.Whatcomes next?”
Kategrinned from ear to ear. “Well, it’s not official yet, but from whatIwas told, they’re hiring four recruits to send to the academy to replace officers who are retiring this year.Valeriesaid my name was on the list as long asIpassed the fitness test and my physical and psychological exams, whichIdid.Ithink the academy starts the third week inJune, soI’llgraduate right beforeThanksgiving.”
“Sothat gives me about six or seven weeks to find a replacement and have you train them.”
“Yup.Butdon’t jinx me.LikeIsaid, nothing’s official yet.”Sheheld up her purse and a small duffel bag. “Letme put my stuff in the office, and thenI’lltake over for you.Thanksagain for filling in for me,West—Iwasn’t sure how long it would take, and thenIhad to run home to shower.”
“Noworries.Takeyour time.Everything’sgood.”
AsKatehurried to the back of the pub,Alliecouldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face asWesteyed the drink status of everyone at his end of the bar before his gaze stopped on her face.Heraised an eyebrow. “What?”
Sheshrugged and tried to remind herself she was not supposed to fall for the man’s charms.Hemight be nice now, but he’d also been nice in school before he suddenly wasn’t.Shewas just going to enjoy herself and have some great conversation and sex before she moved on.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that.
“Youseem very invested in your employees’ lives.”
“Iam.”Heleaned against the bar. “I’mproud to admit we have a low employee turnover rate here.Mostof the staff have been with theCat&Fiddlefor a long time.Heck, whenIbought the place, my assistant manager, chef, sous chef, and two daytime servers had been working here for a few years already and stayed on.It’slike an extended family—and not just with the employees.IbetIknow more about some of my regulars than their own friends and family do.It’slike being a priest or therapist, without the celibacy or insurance paperwork.”
“It’syour outgoing personality,” she said, which was true.Theman had been friendly and popular in high school, but now, the words she would use to describe him were gregarious and boisterous.Hereminded her ofSamMalone, the bar owner inCheers.Sheloved watching reruns of the sitcom from the 80s and early 90s.Itwas where everyone knew your name, and the type of place theCat&Fiddleappeared to be.
Great.Nowshe would have that theme song stuck in her head all night.
Beforehe could respond,Katereturned from the office, tugging her ponytail to ensure it was tight.Smiling, she greeted several customers before turning toWest. “Okay, boss, give me the lowdown and then get lost.”
Hegrinned and shook his head. “Igotta stop hiring brats.”
* * *
Westtook a chance as they strode down the street towardBlueDanubeand gently graspedAllie’shand.Sheseemed surprised but didn’t pull away.
Shewas gorgeous in a simple black dress that stopped just above her knees and heels that added about two inches to her height.Thescoop-neck top showed a tempting bit of cleavage.Goldstud earrings and a necklace with an oval locket completed her outfit, and understated makeup enhanced her facial features.Herhair was pulled off her neck and into a bun—one he wanted to mess up by holding her by it while she gave him another blowjob.Thankfuck he’d taken the edge off of his desire for her earlier in the shower.Otherwise, he would’ve said to hell with dinner and convinced her to go to his apartment for lots of dirty sex.Theywould need some decent sustenance, though, if it were anything like the other night.
Hergaze took in their surroundings. “It’sbeen a long time sinceIwalked through downtownHolden.Somebusinesses have changed, but that pizza place has been there for a long time.”
“Yeah,Iremember going there afterLittleLeaguepractice whenIwas a kid—so it’s definitely been there for at least twenty-five years.Theoriginal owner’s son took over when the guy retired.”Hecould get so used to this, wandering aroundHoldenwithAllieby his side, just talking and enjoying each other’s company. “Howoften do you get a chance to visit?”
Shehesitated a moment before responding. “Notas often asIwould like.Myparents andIoccasionally came here for weddings, funerals, and family reunions.Myaunt, who just passed away, visited us inColoradoa lot, andIstay in touch with the rest of my extended family through social media.ButIwishIcould see them more often—especially my cousin,Sadie.She’slike the sisterInever had.”
“Iget it.Beingthat far away from those you’re close to must be hard.Mostof my family still lives in the area.Myyoungest sister—there are three of them—lives about an hour away.It’sstill close enough for her to come here or for us to go there with little notice.Yousaid your mom’s out inDenverwith you, right?”
“Yeah.Shemoved into a sixty-five-plus community after my dad died, and it’s only about fifteen minutes from my condo, so we see each other all the time.”
“That’sgreat.”Hebrought them to a stop. “Herewe are.”
Besideshis own place, this was his favorite restaurant in the area.Bothin their late fifties,HarryandLeslieFinchwere the owners.Harrygraduated from theCulinaryInstituteofAmericainHydePark,NewYork, and his wife held degrees in both business and marketing.Betweenthem, they’d madeBlueDanubea huge success.ThursdaysthroughSundays, it was almost impossible to get a table.Thankfully, he’d textedLeslieyesterday after he leftHomeDepot, and she’d penciled him in for one of the few tables they reserved for good friends, family members, and the occasional celebrity.Peoplecame from all over forChefHarry’sdelicacies after he’d made a name for himself at another restaurant,SweetBasil, they owned inNewYorkCity.Afew years ago, the couple decided to semi-retire toHoldento be closer to their daughter and her family.Whilethey made biweekly trips to the city to check onSweetBasil, the staff and executive chef did a great job of running the place for them.
Holdingthe door open,WestletAllieenter before him.Althoughit wasn’t yet six o’clock at the start of the weekend, almost every table was occupied.Asalways, the atmosphere was serene and appealing.Theblue decor complemented the establishment’s name.Navytablecloths covered each table and were topped with shimmering candles, vases with forget-me-nots and baby’s breath, elegant glasses, shiny silverware, and bone-colored plates.
