“You’re on, but meet me for lunch. You can tell me how it went at the newspaper, and I’ll bring you up to speed on what’s happening.”
I watched him walk away. “You have a mighty fine butt, Chief,” I said before he disappeared from sight. And did he ever.
He glanced over his shoulder, giving me a wink, making my stomach flutter. Dylan Conrad was a good man, and I’d be damned before I’d let my town destroy him. Since I was already dressed, I grabbed my purse and headed out to complete my mission.
The Stopthe Press Operation was a success. Naomi and Gloria had agreed to hold off theirexclusivein return for an interview with Dylan. My next stop was to my parents. My dad had been the mayor twelve years ago, and he still had influence. If I told him Dylan was worthy of his attention, he’d believe me.
“Exactly how well do you know our new police chief?” my mom asked as soon as I told my parents Dylan’s story.
“Ah… well, I’ve been dating him.” I hadn’t mentioned that little fact previously, not wanting my mother to get excited that there might be grandbabies in her near future. She would be thrilled if a man came along and swept me off my feet to the point that I forget about taking off to see the world.
Although my dad worried about me being off on my own like that, he understood and supported me. Natalie and I had gotten our wanderlust from him. He’d joined the navy because he’d wanted to see the world, and he had. We’d poured through his photos of his travels many times, listened to his stories about the things he’d seen and the people he’d met, and our dream to do the same had been born. From there our love of travel had grown with each vacation our parents took us on.
“We already knew that, Jennifer,” Mom said. “You should know by now that nothing’s a secret in this town. We’ve been wondering when you would bring your young man by to meet us.”
My mom only called me Jennifer when she was miffed. I should have realized she would have heard I was seeing Dylan since we’d openly dated. And I hadn’t brought him to meet my parents for several reasons. They hadn’t taken to Chad the one time I had brought him over. Dylan, though, they would love him, but I didn’t want him to think that I thought we were serious enough to do the meet-the-parents thing.
“What can we do to help?” my dad asked.
That was why I loved him so much. Not once did he question my belief that Dylan was a good man deserving our support. “I’m not sure yet. Dylan’s talking to Jim John this morning. Other than the interview with the newspaper, I don’t know what else he has up his sleeve, but I’m sure he has a plan. I’m meeting him for lunch at the Blue Ridge Café. Guess I’ll find out then.”
“No,” Mom said. “Tell him to come here. We need to meet him, and we can talk without nosy ears listening in.”
“That’s a great idea.” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You’re an awesome mom, you know that?”
She grinned. “I know.”
“Who else are you going to talk to?” my dad asked.
“I was thinking Autumn, Brian, Adam, and Connor to start.”
Daddy nodded. “Good people for Dylan to have at his back. How about we do this. Call in an order for several large pizzas and see if they all can come to lunch.”
“I like how you think.” Hopefully Dylan would be okay with us springing a lunch meeting on him like this. He wouldn’t like talking about his personal life, but since the rumors were no doubt spreading already, this would give him the opportunity to set the record straight with the people he could count on for support.
After ordering an assortment of pizzas to be picked up at noon, I got on the phone to my friends, all of whom were free for lunch and very curious about being called to a secret meeting. Once I confirmed everyone could make it, I texted Dylan, asking him to meet me at my parents and giving him their address.
My dad had just returned with the pizzas when Dylan arrived. If the people sitting around my parents’ dining room table surprised him, he hid it well. It was probably a cop thing, something he’d learned how to do over the years.
He slipped off his Windbreaker, and I took it from him. Every time I saw him in his uniform—the cargo pants, the police department logoed shirt that stretched across his chest and broad shoulders, the leather belt holding a gun, handcuffs, and other police paraphernalia—I had a strong desire to play cop and bad girl with him.
Autumn punched my arm, bringing me out of my fantasy trance. My cheeks heated, and I think everyone but my parents guessed my thoughts if the amusement in my friends’ eyes were any indication. I sure hoped my parents hadn’t caught the direction my dirty mind had taken.
“Mom, Dad, this is Dylan Conrad. Dylan, my parents, Porter and Anne Nance.”
“A pleasure to meet you both,” he said, shaking hands with my dad and then giving my mom one of his killer smiles. “Ah, I see where Jenny gets her beautiful looks.”
She actually giggled. No doubt she already had us walking down the aisle. I put my hand on Dylan’s arm. “You already know everyone else.”
“I do, and it’s great to see everyone again.”
“Well, let’s eat while the pizzas are hot.” As we took our seats, he glanced at me. I could see the question in his eyes, wondering what was going on. “This is your support group. Everyone in this room believes in you, and after we eat, we’re going to have a strategy session. I’m calling it Operation Save Dylan’s Ass.”
“Jennifer!”
I glanced at my mom. “Well, it is a very nice ass, definitely worth saving.”
Dylan sputtered a laugh. “Thanks, I think.”
