My dad shook his head. “You thought of a solution.”
“But, of course, she did,” Ian said with a chuckle.
“Josh,” I said proudly. “Dispatch could send him the calls, and he could check out Madge’s complaints. She would get to rely on him after a while and request him instead of you. It is something you should really consider, Dad.” And I realized why. “Madge is bound to say something to Mom about you not responding to her calls, and as mayor?—”
“She would need to reprimand me for not doing my duty, whether she wanted to or not, putting her in a delicate situation.” My dad nodded. “You found an excellent solution, Pepper, and I think I will take it a step further. I will let Madge know that since I am so busy, I’m assigning her a patrol officer to investigate any issues she may have.”
“I think that will work out perfectly for all.”
“Except you,” my dad said with a laugh, “when Josh finds out it was your idea.”
“You don’t have to tell him,” I suggested.
“I don’t have to. As soon as he hears it, he’ll know whose idea it was.” My dad gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’ve made my day, Pepper. Now, to top it off with a sweet treat.”
I watched him go, shaking my head and thinking the only way I could redeem myself to Josh was to talk with Kate.
“You should have called me, Pep.”
I turned and a smile came easily whenever I looked at Ian, but he was not smiling.
“It was dangerous to pursue him on your own,” Ian said, taking hold of my hand as we walked toward my truck.
I not only heard annoyance in his voice but saw it in his eyes. Annoyance with me was rare for him, and I knew it wasn’t me going rogue that bothered him. Worry? Most definitely. But I was prone to that sort of thing. What truly annoyed him was seeing Stone kiss me.
And truth be told, I’d have been more than annoyed if I’d caught a woman kissing Ian.
“You’re right,” I said. “I should have let you know.”
We stopped beside my truck, parked across the street from Yesterday’s Treasures. My apology didn’t do much to ease him. His jaw was still tense.
I stepped closer. “I need you to do something for me.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
His response proved just how annoyed he was. Normally, he’d have said, ‘Anything you want, Pep.’
I leaned against him. “I need you to wipe away the horrible taste of Stone’s lips.”
That finally brought a smile to his face.
“That bad, huh?”
“The worst. So how about you kiss me and make it all better?”
“Anything you want, Pep.”
Music to my ears.
His lips barely touched mine when a woman yelled?—
“Get out and don’t ever speak to me again!”
It was Kate.
And she was yelling at my brother Josh.
He stormed down the steps and straight across the street toward us.
