Chase turned and stared me in the eyes. I gave him another harmless smile—at least I hoped it was harmless—and waited for him to speak.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Usually I’m not this callous. I try and be tolerant and understanding, but when I opened the door and saw Lanceanda parole officer, I didn’t take it well. And then to have Pops and…” he trailed off, sighing. “Well, let’s just say I’m usually the one keeping the peace, not the one getting played.”
“Ain’t no one playing you,” Gilda Rossi growled.
“So,” Clifford said, “are you willing to take responsibility of Miss Martin and let her stay here under house arrest for the week?”
One side of Chase’s mouth lifted in a half smile. “I don’t really see as I have a choice.”
“Plus,” Lance said, “with you having vacation next week, it’s perfect. You can take Alex back and forth to her community service since she’ll still need to be monitored while wearing her bracelet.”
Chase scowled. “So that’s why you were so interested in knowing what I was doing with my vacation time.”
“See,” Lance said. “I did check with you before I gave Clifford the okay.”
I placed my hand over Chase’s arm. “You don’t have to do this. I’ll understand—” I broke off and my eyes flew up to his. I could tell by the wayhiseyes widened a fraction that he’d felt the tingle, too.
He stepped back. “No, it’s fine. And to be honest, if Judge and Pops here say they’d vouch for you, I trust their judgment.”
“Hey,” Lance said, “what about me?”
Chase glared at his friend. “Now, if everyone will excuse me, I’m already late for work.” He slapped his hand down on his grandfather’s shoulder. “Gotta keep the citizens of Trinity Falls safe, right Pops?”
Sheriff smiled lovingly at his grandson. “Right, Chase. You’re a good boy. You be safe today.”
The rest of the morning was filled with being fitted for the ankle bracelet, listening to Clifford go over my rules one more time, showing the ladies around my new apartment, unloading the food they brought me, and listening to Sheriff Cryer—now that I knew his last name—reminisce about his son and grandson growing up in the house. With a promise to swing by and see me whenever they could, they all tromped out of the house by lunchtime, leaving me completely alone for the first time in weeks.
After fixing a fruit salad, taking another shower just in case the shrimp smell wasn’t completely gone, and making myself presentable after days of just making do, I wandered into the living room and ran my hands over the bookshelf. There was a nice collection of mysteries, horror, and even a few romance novels. I selected a mystery and settled down in the rocking chair to read.
The crunch of tires on gravel alerted me to company, and I was shocked to see it was nearly five. I’d read the afternoon away. Peeking out the window, I saw Chase exiting his massive truck and made a mad dash down the stairs. There were a few things I wanted to get cleared up.
He stopped in his tracks when he opened the front door and saw me sitting on the bottom step, facing his apartment door.
“Miss Martin,” he said. “What a surprise. But then, I guess you can’t really go far, can you?”
I winced and ignored his question. “Can we talk for a minute?”
He sighed, closed and locked the front door. “As long as it doesn’t take too long. I’ve had a busy day and really just want to get out of my uniform and relax.”
I bit my lip and nodded. “I understand. Listen, I just want to say I’m sorry. I didn’t know you thought I was a man, and—”
I paused when he snorted.
“I didn’t know you were a cop, and I didn’t know your own family and friends would trick you into taking me in.”
“First off,” Chase said, “my so-called friends and family can’t dupe me into doing anything I don’t want to do. They know that. Second, you have to know I poked into your background a little today while at work. Want to tell me in your own words what happened to land you here? Because most of your arrests over the years were small potatoes compared to this.”
I stood up and tugged the hem of my t-shirt down over my yoga pants. “I’m not proud of myself if that’s what you’re wondering. I’m usually a pacifist. I want to help people, not hurt them. Educate and teach.” My eyes welled with unshed tears because I was getting angry and worked up. “But what that horrible man, Bernie Schuler, did to me first made me feel justified.”
Chase was silent as he watched me blink back the tears. “I know Bernie Schuler, and you’re right…he’s an ass.” A small smile lifted his mouth. “I have to say, after reading the report on your retaliation, I’m kinda impressed. I can see why my Pops, Judge, Lance, and everyone else are standing behind you.”
I stood up straighter. “Really?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I get it. It doesn’t make what you did right, and you’re gonna have to pay for your crime, but I get it.”
“Good.”
I’d been scared as to what his response would be. My experience with cops over the years hadn’t been favorable. There were a few that treated me with respect, but for the most part, the majority of them let me know how I was wasting their time and how they were going to be doing endless paperwork because of me. So to hear this cop tell me he understood why I did what I did…it touched me.
