The mention of a massage reminded me that I still had part of my deal to make good on, and it soured me all over again. “Since you’re actively inviting Luna into Harper’s presence, I take it I’m off the hook?”
Addison laughed. “No, you definitely still need to keep an eye on her. You just don’t need to do it while she’s on the clock here. It’s her downtime I worry about, and we don’t need any more surprises. Not when this isn’t a sure thing yet.”
Yeah, if only it was that easy. Trouble was, Luna was full of surprises, and I feared that no matter how much I looked after her, and no matter how much I attempted to keep her under my thumb, we’d still be caught off guard at one point or another.
CHAPTERNINE
BRADY
The rest of the week,I’d kept my ear close to the news, listening for updates on the storm moving in. I’d figured it was going to fizzle out to nothing before it reached us, but it’d only gotten worse. As the week had worn on, the storm watches had escalated to warnings, and the ocean was an angry, writhing mess, crashing against the shore with a vengeance.
The possibility of this storm being a high risk for casualties and steep damages was slim to none. A nuisance, yes. Probable lost power? Also yes. But life-or-death it was not. So then, why the hell was my chest so tight?
That morning, we’d switched to our alpha/bravo shifts in deference to the storm warnings, and Deputy Traeger was already at the station, having relieved me from my day shift. Harper had made it to the resort a few hours ago and was settled in her cottage, ready to move to the inn if need be. All but a few businesses in town had decided to close a couple hours early so they could ride out the storm at their homes. I’d checked on the elderly residents who lived on their own, making sure they had everything they needed, as well as verifying a couple of the churches in town were set up as shelters, just in case. And I’d made a pass through the preserve that morning to warn any campers of the impending storm, and what few were there had cleared out.
All except Luna.
She hadn’t been there when I’d shown up, and a quick peek through the windows showed she’d left her van unlocked in her absence. I’d opened it to find nothing left of her but a faint hint of lavender and jasmine in the air and promptly slammed the door shut—as well as any reaction my body had to her mouthwatering scent. I should’ve left a note inside or taken one of the two dozen colored rocks she’d had lining her dashboard just to prove a point that she was leaving herself wide open to who knew what when she did shit like that. Honestly, did this woman have a daily quota of how much she needed to frustrate me?
Regardless of how irritating she was, it was my duty as the county sheriff to make sure she was safe. I’d do the same for any other Starlight Cove resident or visitor. Which meant I certainly couldn’t leave her out there in her sardine can of a “home” to ride out this storm, obstinate, infuriating woman or not.
I sat in my patrol car parked on the dirt road that led to the preserve, protected from the rain battering the windshield. Along the bluff at the far edge of the area, waves crashed so hard, spray still arced over the fifteen feet of rock jutting up from the shore. And somewhere in there, too damn close to the unpredictability of the ocean, was Luna.
Clenching my jaw, I pulled out my phone and pressed Addison’s name, reassuring myself that I’d do this for anyone, not just the newcomer who had a knack for getting under my skin.
“Hey, everything okay?” Addison asked.
“Fine.” I cleared my throat. “Luna needs a cottage.”
“She…what?”
“Needs a cottage.”
“Well,” she said, drawing out the word, “we’re not really in the market for giving away free cottages.”
“What, it’s a prerequisite they’re a lost soul from Mississippi before you’ll consider it?” I asked, referring to the visitor we’d had recently who’d wasted my time with a bullshit grand theft situation.
Addison sniffed. “That was different. Her car was stolen—”
“Borrowed.”
“And she didn’t have a purse, let alone any money. What was I supposed to do?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
She sighed heavily. “I’m just not so sure it’s a great idea. She’ll already be here around Harper during working hours, and that’s enough to worry about. Remember what I said about her downtime and surprises?”
I ground my teeth together, the undeniability of Addison’s words battling with this newly present and completely unwanted urge to make sure Luna was safe. “She’s in a fucking van during a Nor’easter, Addison, and she’s parked twenty yards from the ocean.”
Addison breathed out a heavy sigh. “Look, I get where you’re coming from, I do. But do you really think having Luna here…at the resort…around a journalist we’re trying to win over…is the best course of action, considering everything we’re trying to accomplish?”
Dammit, no. It wasn’t. We needed this article—needed it to paint the resort in a complimentary light—and Luna was a wild card. No question about that. And no telling what kind of havoc she’d have swirling around her.
“What the hell do you suggest I do, then? I can’t just leave her out there. It’s not safe.”
“Let her stay at your place if you’re so worried about it,” she said, and I could practically hear her shrug through the phone. “You know you’re just going straight back to the station to make sure everything’s doneproperlyanyway, even if you’re supposed to be off duty.”
I kept my mouth shut, because, yeah, that had been my plan.
