For a moment, the wordsMrs. Capshawcaught her off guard since she hadn’t thought about their wedding since everything happened. She turned her head back towards the town and wished she could fast-forward time six months to see what the future had in store.
“Guess what? I took your advice,” he whispered in her ear.
“What advice?” she was sincerely confused.
“I had Taylor send over plans for the Spence Hotel renovations.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, how can you start a project that big, in the state you’re in?”
“Nothing’s gonna happen tomorrow. We have to get the plans approved and do a ton of other things before we even have a date in mind to start renovations.”
“OK, when you explain it like that, I guess I get it. Just don’t try to overexert yourself, please. You have to take it easy,” she commanded, then kissed his hand.
“I love you. Have I told you that today?”
“Actually, yes, but it’s good to be reminded,” she replied, and stood from his lap. “It’s getting chilly, let’s go in.”
“Thank goodness, because my leg was about to fall off,” he laughed, wincing.
She swatted his shoulder, “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”
She bent over on her good leg and then kissed him again. He grabbed her backside and gave it a squeeze, then a slap.
“Not complaining,” he replied, before turning and wheeling himself inside.
She followed, and as she closed the doors behind them, she felt a little better. Maybe shewasbeing silly and just needed to relax and stop overthinking everything. She joined Kayden in their room, where she helped him get into bed. They both took their required medications, like an old married couple, turned on the TV, and before they knew it, they were both asleep before the opening credits of her favorite sitcom,The King of Queens,even began.
4
a secret with teeth
Heathcliff Jackson hunched over his desk in the police station, his stomach in knots. Kim’s court date was only two weeks away; he’d be in the hot seat, and the jury would need to know how she got behind the wheel of his car. Leaving it unattended with the keys in the ignition would typically not be a problem in Hamby, but now, in an attempted murder case, it spelled negligence on his part. If he was being frank, he was surprised he hadn’t been dismissed from the P.D., not to mention the stink Maureen created in the precinct in the aftermath.
He stood from his desk and pulled up his corduroy pants, which were getting looser and looser by the day. Eating wasn’t high on his list of priorities as of late, and his waistline started to show it. He left his office and bustled down the hall to refill his thermos with coffee, taking in the ever-present glares his fellow brothers in blue shot at him since the “incident”. No one had known he and Maureen were seeing each other before that night, and now that the cat was out of the bag, they treated him like a pariah.
He felt that once the sentencing was done and some time had passed, the gossip would eventually subside. Then he couldgo back to being a cop again. He could kiss that promotion to Area Commander goodbye for the time being, though. As he made it into the break room, the old dingy cream-colored fridge hummed so loud you could barely hear the TV on the wall across from it.
He placed his thermos on the coffee-stained counter when Lieutenant Bryan Watson walked in behind him. Although his back was turned, he recognized who it was; the creaking from his leather boots always gave him away, and the guy refused to change them, no matter how much shit Heathcliff gave him about it.
“Mornin’ Capt,” Bryan stated, his skinny arms crossed over his chest.
Heathcliff glanced behind him, the handlebar of Bryan’sporn-stachebeing the only thing he could see in his peripheral vision.
“What do you want, Bryan?” he grumbled, pouring the hot black sludge into the thermos, then dumping way too much sugar into it to chase it.
“Can I talk to you, man-o a man-o?”
If it was a question, it sure didn’t sound like one as he closed the door behind him and took a seat without waiting for an answer. Heathcliff sighed. He had far too much paperwork on his desk to finish before his dinner date with Maureen in a few hours. He turned as he screwed the lid on and leaned against the sink.
“What is it?”
“I thought I was your buddy. And I have to find out on the literal streets about you and the Capshaws?”
“How is that any of your business?”
