Good girl.
Bending next to her, I replace the pen as she asks the next family for a moment before turning her head toward me.
Her perfume hits me like a ton of bricks, her smooth cheek brushing against mine as she turns to whisper in my ear. “There’s a man here from the fire. He was one of the police officers.”
“Do you remember his name?” I ask quietly so only she can hear.
“Samson, maybe? I think that’s his last name; I didn’t get his first. But it was an hour from here and maybe it’s nothing but…”
“We’ll check it out. Do you need a break?”
“No,” she says, sitting up straight. “I’m fine.”
I have the urge to sayyes, you arebut thankfully find enough control to stand slowly, squeezing her shoulder with my hand before moving back from the table.
“Did you get that?” I murmur quietly so everyone can hear and receive affirmatives in response.
“Nico Samson. Single dad. Two daughters under six. Recently divorced. Wife was cheating on him with one of his coworkers. His mom helps take care of the girls when he’s on duty,” Royce chirps in my ear.
“He’s approaching the table now,” I murmur, noting the sheepish expression he gives Kat as his girls bounce up and down on the other side of the table.
Kat laughs as an older woman rushes over with a stack of books in her hands and the girls squeal. Samson rubs the back of his neck with his hand as he watches them, and I can only imagine what that stack of books in the grandma’s arms costs.
“He checks out on my end,” Royce says.
“How green?” I ask, because he’s young but that’s not saying much considering I’ll be fifty in a few years. At this point, everyone looks young to me.
“Older than me. Seven years on the force and looks like he’s been job hunting according to his search history.”
“You’re not supposed to do that.” Ozzy chuckles.
“It’s called fact finding,” Royce fires back as my lips quirk up.
“Play nice,” I tell them, leaving my temporary post and returning to Kat’s side as she takes a picture with his daughters.
Kat’s eyes widen when she sees me, but I give her a slight shake of my head before glancing intentionally at Samson and back at her. Swallowing hard, she makes the introduction. “Nico, this is Tom Oakden.” Motioning toward me, she says, “He’s been helping with things since the fire.”
“Tom,” I say, offering my hand and he shakes it, introducing himself and glancing back at his family. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“I’ll just take the girls over here,” his mother says and Nico gulps, his Adam’s apple bobbing. The guy looks exhausted, but it just might be his lucky day.
Checking to make sure Kat is settled, I lead Nico over to a shelf filled with cookbooks and position myself so I can still see her table.
“I apologized to Miss Harrington for showing up like this,” he says, rubbing his sternum like he’s uncomfortable with the admission. “I didn’t recognize her name on scene but when I got home that night, I saw those Poppy books all over my living room and wanted to kick myself. Life has been hell for me and them, but I try not to miss bedtime, you know? I swapped my shift with one of the guys today so the girls could meet her.”
“Can we keep him?” Jace says in my ear, and I mentally addkeep mic communications professionalto my list for the debrief.
“Agreed,” Royce chimes in and I sigh, reaching into my pocket to grab a business card.
“If you’re looking for something new, give me a call.”
Nico’s eyes widen as he stares at me and then at the card, slipping it from my fingers as he looks at it quickly before taking his wallet out and placing it carefully inside.
You can tell a lot about a man by how he keeps his wallet.
And this looks like a good sign.
“Thanks. Wow.” He laughs in a way that’s filled with relief, a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I guess books really can change your life.”
