“The trick is to remember that they’re helpless without you,” she whispered as Greg went through his spiel for the fourth time that morning, outlining the compensation offered to property owners and what temporary changes they might expect to see. Olivia couldn’t hold back a laugh, and had to hide it behind her hand when Greg glanced in their direction. Ashley rolled her eyes. “The next trick is to learn to laugh on the inside.”
By the time they arrived at the diner for an early dinner, Olivia’s head was swimming with details. She’d taken pages of notes, asked dozens of questions, and was super glad that Greg was going to do all the talking at the event that night. Ashley and Greg slid into the booth first, on opposite sides, while Olivia ducked into the kitchen to say hi to Lily Gill. On the way back to their table she grabbed the menus from Deena, who promised to be over in a minute with coffee.
“Do I look that tired?” she asked, pausing at the counter.
Deena smirked. “No, but rumour has it Rafe’s truck has been parked outside your place every night for near on two weeks now. I assume you’re not getting much sleep.”
“Oh my god, seriously?” Life in a small town still made her head spin sometimes. “Do people have nothing better to talk about?”
Deena shrugged. “Rafe is cute. Everyone is sad he’s off the market again.”
Olivia gave up. Even though she was blushing, she pointed a stern finger at the other waitress. “Hands off my man.”
That earned her a few chuckles from the people sitting at the counter. She puffed out her still flaming cheeks and finally made her way back to Ashley and Greg, who were deep in conversation. Their coats were piled on the bench beside Ashley, so she slid in next to Greg.
When Deena came by they all shoved their mugs greedily toward her carafe of coffee, and before she left they’d ordered as well. Olivia sighed and thunked her head back against the padded booth. Greg patted her hand on the table. “There, there, new girl.”
“I need a nap before the meeting. Will you fire me for saying that?”
Ashley laughed. “Wait until we have fifteen hour filming days.”
Olivia reached for her mug. “I need to stock up on energy drinks, clearly.”
Greg pointed at Ashley. “This one goes running every morning, it’s amazing.”
Maybe Ashley wasn’t younger than her—just healthier and fitter. “That’s awesome. I…walk. And pretend to jog. Once or twice a week.”
Greg laughed. “I only work out because I pay my personal trainer something akin to a mortgage payment every month.”
Ashley kicked him under the table. “That’s not true.”
He looked at her fondly and shook his head. “Only because of your good influence.”
Olivia looked at the bottom of her empty mug. “I need more coffee if I’m going to keep up with both of you. I’ll just go help myself.”
She stood up and turned toward the counter—and her husband.
Who looked pissed.
She frowned and walked over. “Hey, sweetie, I didn’t know you were here.” He was still in his uniform, which made sense given that his shift didn’t end for another two hours. “Is everything okay?”
“You think we can use the office?”
“What?”
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” His words were clipped even more than his usual cop voice.
She glanced back at Greg and Ashley. They were looking over the maps she’d made notes on over the course of the day. She nodded and followed him to the office.
“We haven’t done this in a while,” she joked, but it landed flat.
He paced back and forth for a minute.
“Rafe, what is going on?”
“Come here.” His tone wasn’t exactly inviting, but he was clearlytrying. She went, reluctantly. He let out a deep sigh and pulled her in close. He was wound so tight, the tendons in his neck were hard under her hands. He wove his fingers into her hair, tugging hard enough to make her gasp. “Tonight’s a big deal for you.”
He said it like a statement, but it felt like a question. She searched his face for a clue but found nothing. “Yes.”
