Gabe couldn't argue with that.
"So here's what I'm thinking," David continued. "You take the chief job. Stay in Haven Cove. I finish my article. You rebuild the police department. We work on figuring out who to go after next in this Neptune investigation."
"That's not a short-term project."
"Take as long as you need." David's expression was knowing. "Plus you'd be around the bakery. Maybe eventually she'd trust you enough to clue you in on her past."
"Or I could run her fingerprints in five minutes and find out myself."
"You could." David's voice went serious. "But you won't."
He was right. Again. For now.
His stomach clenched.
Philadelphia. Morrison. The IA investigation. Desk work. An apartment with no furniture and no life. Or Haven Cove. A town healing from corruption. A job that mattered. A brother he wanted to get to know again.
And Cara. With her walls and her secrets and the possibility that maybe, given time, she'd let him in.
He turned away from the boarding area. "I need to make a call."
David reached for Gabe’s cup. "Yeah, you do."
Price answered on the second ring. "So?"
"How long is interim exactly?"
Silence. Then laughter. "Six months at least. The city council needs time to recruit, run interviews, you know howlong that stuff takes. They’re prepared to be flexible. Depends on what you want."
"I want to rebuild Haven Cove PD. Clean house. Make sure what Hale did never happens again."
"That's going to take time."
"I've got time."
More silence. Then Price's voice carried satisfaction. "When can you start?"
"Two weeks. I need to go back to Philadelphia. Pack up my apartment. Close out the IA case properly. Handle the transition."
"Fair enough. I'll have the paperwork ready for when you get back. Welcome back to Oregon, Chief Sawyer."
The call ended.
He found David waiting near the windows. "I'm taking the job."
David's expression was knowing. "Mom would be proud. Dad too."
The words landed warm in Gabe's chest. Their father had died trying to do the right thing. Had chosen duty over safety. Justice over survival.
Maybe this was how Gabe honored that. By choosing purpose over comfort. Community over career advancement. By finishing what his father had started.
Gabe pulled out his phone and started typing a text.
Taking the chief position. Coming back in two weeks.
His thumb hovered over Cara's name.
He stared at the message and thought about her in that hospital room. Exhausted. Vulnerable. The careful distance she'd maintained even while thanking him.
