“I thought you were going to drop it,” Grayson says after a tiny pause. He looks around at everyone staring at him. It’s clear none of us believe him, but he pretends we do.
“Give me the damn thing,” Dad urges and reaches out to nab the duffle from Grayson. “Go stand over there, son, before you get somebody hurt.” Dad is in full boss mode. He would give me the same tone when I did something wrong as a kid. He may be a softy, but you don’t become the chief of police without the ability to intimidate. Problem is, Grayson isn’t a kid, nor does he work for him. However, the respect he holds for my dad must be enough to get him to listen, because he walks back toward the SUV without a word in response.
“I thought you were supposed to be the hardhead?” Dad glances at Remy, who shrugs his shoulders.
“I’m privy to more information than he is. I’ve had time to come to terms with the situation.”
“Whatinformationandsituationare you referring to?” I ask Remy.
“I was expecting more than…” Felix pauses and waves his hand near his face. “Dirty laundry.” The comment makes me look at the bag Dad now has spread open on the asphalt instead of pushing Remy for the answer to my question.
Dad pulls a pen from his front pocket and uses the covered end to move things around and lift items from the bag. “Oh, that’s nasty.” I wrinkle my nose at a pair of boxers that look like they’d seen better days a decade ago.
There are two more bags in the trunk. One is a large garment bag that looks kind of bulky, but I don’t get to inspect it because JJ pulls up in his old blue car hauler. He grins when our eyes meet and hops down out of the cab. “Frankie Bishop,” he drawls.
“Hey, JJ.” I wave almost shyly. I used to have the biggest crush on him when I was a kid. He’s at least ten years older than me, but that didn’t stop me from daydreaming when I was eight, before I realized I already had three of the best guys a girl could want for playing in my backyard.
Remy steps in front of me as JJ opens his arms and steps forward like he might give me a hug. “You’ve still got a thicket of boys surrounding you.” He chuckles.
“Not boys,” Felix corrects.
“Knock off the bullshit and get my car hooked up, JJ. You three drive Frankie back to the station,” Dad grumbles.
JJ grabs the bill of his worn-out ball cap and tips his head to Dad, then he sends a wink in my direction. I can’t help it, I giggle. He’s still handsome in that rough, dirty hands, torn jeans way, but I know he could never hold a candle to any of the three guys I still think about way too often.
As we walk back to the SUV, I see Remy looking over his shoulder. He’s probably giving JJ the evil eye, and that makes me smile too. Looks like I’m not the only one who still gets jealous.
It’s only once I’m in the car that I realize I’ve been bamboozled again. I should have just rode with Dad. When I groan, Grayson peers back at me. “Did you just notice the ring? He’s married with two kids.”
I’m sure my face is a mask of confusion when I mutter, “Huh?”
“His wife wouldn’t be happy to know you were ogling her husband,” Grayson continues, and I realize he must be talking about JJ.
“I wasn’toglinghim,” I defend indignantly.
“Sure looked like it to me.” He crosses his arms over his chest.
“You should probably get your eyes checked then,” I mumble sullenly. First, Grayson accuses me of molesting Felix, now he thinks I’m a home-wrecking floozy because I smiled at someone. My anger rises with every second that passes. By the time we get to the police station, I’m about ready to rip his head off or scream in his face. Neither are appropriate or worth my time. I can’t control the way he feels about me. Now, if only I could make my heart stop caring so much about what he thinks, his words might not hurt so badly.
I take a deep breath to ensure my voice comes out even when I say, “Thank you for the ride. Sorry this was so…disruptive. I’ll see you around.”
Felix grabs my hand before I can get out of the backseat. “We’re not letting go so easily this time, Frankie.”
I frown at his words.
“What else do you want?” I glance around but skip my gaze quickly over Grayson.
“We still have more to talk about,” Remy chimes in.
I see Dad pull into his reserved parking space, and it’s the only excuse I need to get out of the car. I tug my fingers from Felix’s, even though I really don’t want to lose the physical contact. “You should have thought about that earlier. I need to get to work,” I reply. This time, I don’t hesitate to climb out of the SUV. I have a small, giddy feeling in my stomach that makes me want to hurl. Knowing they still want to talk to me, see me, shouldn’t make me so damn happy, but it does. I need to get the hell out of this town.
Dad stands by the side of his truck, waiting. His expression says too many things and asks too many questions I don’t have the answers to. “Let’s focus on the case. Personal stuff later,” I tell him, repeating his words from earlier. Hexes, that feels like a lifetime ago, not this morning. He gives me a stiff nod, and I know I bought myself a little more time.
Walking into the lobby of the small police precinct, I’m hit with so many memories all triggered by the smell of burnt coffee and the aroma of artificial pine trees. I get a warm feeling in my stomach. This place was my second, maybe third home when I was a kid. I knew every desk that hid candy in its drawers and where to find the fire prevention coloring books. Fire safety is a big deal when you have twelve-year-old kids setting circles and pulling magic.
Everything looks exactly the same at first glance, but then I notice the little things—new computers, and a fresh coat of the same light green paint to cover the black smudges left behind from the chairs rubbing against the wall.
Deloris’ desk is still standing sentry, along with the half wooden fence separating the lobby from the desks in the back. Dad is the only one with a real office, but he rarely uses it. When I would come in, I always found him sitting behind one of the front desks with his team.
