I drive the cruiser over to a restaurant called The Place. It seems to be the only business open that’s serving food right now, other than the bakery, but I’m in no mood to hear a sheriff and a donut joke, so I park and go in.
The place is low key. It’s not loud with drunks falling over the place, which is something I like. This seems like a good, down-to-earth kind of town. I take a seat at a table and pick up the menu.
“Well, you must be the new sheriff in town,” the waitress says as she comes to a stop at my table.
I nod and take off my hat now that I’m indoors. “I am. I’m Sheriff Moore. Nice to meet ya.” I hold out my hand to shake.
She slides her hand into mine and offers up a sweet smile. “I’m Betty Parker. I’ll be your waitress. What can I get ya started off with?”
“I think I’ll take an iced sweet tea.”
“Coming up,” she says, darting away. I look up and notice Nina sitting a couple booths down. Her head is down as she eats her salad and reads her book. She’s completely oblivious to the fact that I’m even sitting here. I want to get up and sit across from her, but would that be weird? Or would it be weirder that I’m sitting here and not going over there after I’ve noticed her?
The waitress comes back and sets my glass in front of me. “Have you settled on what you want to eat yet?”
I’m still looking at Nina, but I say, “I’ll just take a cheeseburger with everything and some fries.”
“Right away.” She leaves once again, giving me a clear view of the woman who has my attention but doesn’t even know it.
You’d think at some point she’d feel me staring at her, but she never does. She takes a bite, flips a page, takes a sip, and repeats the process again and again. I wonder what she’s reading that is keeping her so entertained. I then wonder why I wonder so much. Finally, my food is brought over, and I keep myself busy with eating instead of overthinking everything that has anything to do with Nina.
Three
Nina
Why does he keep staring at me? Why do I find myself staring at him when he isn’t staring at me? It’s easy to see that he’s good looking. I mean, he’s at least a good head taller than I am. He’s built thick, but I can tell by looking at him that it is pure muscle. His dark hair is cut short, and his face is shaved, but he stills sports a thick five o’clock shadow. I get shivers when I think about its roughness rubbing across my soft skin. I can’t believe I have the hots for my new boss. And after I told Claire that she couldn’t start anything up with him. What’s wrong with me?
He’s tall, dark, and handsome, and I can tell he’s caring. What more could a girl ask for? I guess I could always quit my job. Then he wouldn’t be my boss anymore. No, that’s completely stupid, Nina. What would you do with yourself if you didn’t have a job to go to every day? But when he shook my hand earlier, my entire body exploded with tingles. Goosebumps broke out across my skin, and a shiver ran through me. I’ve never had that happen before. And the way he looks at me so intently is mind-altering. I mean, is he attracted to me, or is he just trying to figure me out?
I try to focus on my book, but I can feel him staring at me. I can feel it like a pull in my stomach. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. When he tugs his eyes away, my body goes back to normal. He has a commanding presence, a protective alpha vibe that intrigues me. I want to see what’s beneath that uniform of his. I want to feel his strong hands touring my body, and I want to lick my way up the hard abs I know he has.
Mind. Out. Of. The. Gutter. Nina!
Annoyed that I can’t focus on anything but him, I tuck my book away and leave a twenty on the table to cover my bill. I stand and head toward the door, but I have to pass by him in order to do that. I act surprised when our eyes lock. “Oh, hey. I didn’t see you over here.”
He wipes his mouth with his napkin. “I saw you, but you looked so enthralled in your book, I didn’t want to disturb you. How was it?” he asks, his green eyes lighting up with the sun streaming through the window.
“How was what?” I ask, lost in those green eyes with hints of gold in them.
He chuckles. “The book?”
“Oh, the book. The book was good. I can’t wait to finish it, but I better be getting back. Have afternoon checks to run. I’ll see ya there.” Without waiting on his goodbye, I force myself to leave and head straight for my car.
I climb behind the wheel, and it feels like I’ve run a marathon. My lungs are working faster than normal, and my heart is pounding so hard in my chest that I can hear it in my ears. I don’t know how I’m going to avoid him, but I know I have to. I can’t let myself get caught up in him. I like my job at the precinct and hope to keep it for a long time—at least until I get my youth center approved. Then I plan on immersing myself in every aspect of its development, from breaking ground to overseeing the day-to-day operations. It would help if I had an honorable member of society to speak on my behalf, though. Maybe I should try to befriend him, tell him my ideas, and see if he’d speak on my behalf at the city council meeting. This is my dream, and any help I can get is needed in order to see it through.
I spend the rest of the day in my office. Between fixing computers and internet connections, I continue my sketch, work on the website, and finish up my book. When I look at the clock, it’s going on six. I’ve spent an extra hour here and didn’t even notice it. Getting up, I put everything away and turn off the computer before gathering my things to leave. Just as I’m reaching for the doorknob, someone knocks on the other side.
I open the door to find Bryce leaning against the door frame. “I need help. I think I broke it.”
I laugh. “I’m sure it can be fixed. Let’s go check it out.”
I follow him back to his office, and he motions toward the computer. I set my things down, then take a seat in his chair, training my eyes on the computer screen.
“I’m surprised you’re still here. That office is like a cave. You just burrow down in there every day?”
I laugh as I click around on the computer. “Pretty much. Unless I’m summoned to fix a computer, that is.”
He smiles and looks to be grasping for something else to talk about.
“All done,” I say, pushing away from the computer.
“Really? It’s fixed? I didn’t break it?”
I laugh as I grab my things. “No, not broken. Just a little confused. You know, if you click on one thing, you really should wait until it pulls open before clicking on twenty other things. You may have slightly overwhelmed it.”
“Story of my life,” he says, running his hand over his head with a sexy smirk on his lips.
“Well, if there isn’t anything else, I guess I’ll be going.”
“Oh, of course.” He steps out of my way, and I walk out the door.
I practically run to my car, which is parked out front. My legs can’t carry me fast enough. I swear, I nearly pulled him in and planted a big kiss when he smirked at me. His green eyes seemed to light up, burning bright in the dim lighting of his office. And thinking of that, I really should have the maintenance man replace the burnt-out bulbs in there. Maybe more light would help keep my mind in the game.