“I don’t mind.” He lifted a shoulder, keeping a slow pace next to me with his long legs. “I probably could use a walk before I try to ask my father how therapy went today. And it never hurts to be a little cautious.” He lifted his arm and pinched the back of his neck, letting go of a groan as we made our way up the first block.
I tore my gaze away from how his bicep strained against the material of his shirt. I’d bet a sculpted chest was behind that badge, too.
“I guess you would know better than me. Being a high-ranking law enforcement officer and all. Nowhere is totally safe, right?”
“It’s safe for the most part, but like I tell the new cops who come in, don’t take it for granted and get sloppy. I’m sure it’s a lot quieter than you’re used to.”
“That it is. It’s never this quiet anyway. Whenever I visit, for the first night or two, I find it hard to sleep without the sounds of sirens or at least cars going back and forth outside.”
“And after being here for so long, you’ll probably have the opposite problem when you go back. Everything will be too noisy.”
“I guess.” I sighed again. “Whenever that is.”
I pulled Keely’s stroller next to the front porch and settled onto the bottom step.
“Thanks for the walk back,” I said, lifting my head to the now-black sky full of stars. “Sorry I sidetracked you.”
“You didn’t sidetrack me. Just delayed the inevitable fight over the kind of potatoes I’m making for dinner.” Jude peered down at me, his eyes translucent even under the soft glow of the porch light. “Can I sit?”
“Sure. The stars are one thing I’m not used to here. All the city smog dims them back home.”
Jude and I sat in a comfortable silence for a minute among the low hum of cicadas around the lawn.
“What’s stopping you from going home?”
“I don’t know. I was a financial planner for thirteen years. And I was good at it. But it didn’t matter. In the end, all my hard work was for nothing, and my job ended up—”
“With someone with a penis?”
I whipped my head to Jude’s smirk and burst out laughing.
“Please don’t hold anything I said that night against me. I’ve gotten texts and emails from recruiters, but I haven’t had the urge to answer any of them. I keep thinking, why? For what?”
“Are you happy at home?”
Jude’s question dangled between us.
“I thought I was. But what else am I going to do?”
“You could do something else if you wanted to. The owner of Halman’s is closing the doors because he doesn’t feel like running it anymore.”
My jaw dropped. “Larry is closing the only bar in town? Is he crazy?”
“I never really spoke to Larry, but a few cops told me he’s just sick of it. It happens.”
“I bet not to you. You were probably born with a police hat on.”
He rested his elbows on his knees as his gaze traveled my face. “Why do you say that?”
“You’re just a natural at it. It’s the understated but intense air of authority, but you care about people. You even sounded concerned about me that night that I’m not allowed to bring up anymore.”
He dipped his chin to his chest, the bashful smile on his mouth making it so damn hard not to grab his face and kiss him.
“And you love your dad. Enough to buy him cardboard cereals and make him probably mediocre potatoes.”
“He wouldn’t see that as love, but yes.” Jude was still smiling when he looked over at me, but it was sad this time. I could almost deal with just thinking Jude was the hottest man on the planet, but now he was giving me these glimpses of the man inside that I didn’t think he showed anyone else.
That, I knew I couldn’t resist.
