“I will. Talk soon.”
Blair set the phone back on the table and looked out at the sunny afternoon. She was glad he’d called. She just wished the conversation didn’t have to wait another day.
She closed the front door and looked around the townhouse. The day stretched out in front of her with nothing in it. She’d been counting on seeing him, on getting things settled one way or another, and now that wasn’t happening until tomorrow at the earliest.
She picked up her phone and set it back down. Picked up the remote and set that down too. She needed to get out of this house.
She headed upstairs, changed into jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers, and was back down in under five minutes. She grabbed her purse off the hook, locked up behind her and climbed into her SUV.
There were shops in town she’d been meaning to explore since she moved here and just never had. Today was as good a day as any. Anything was better than sitting on that sofa waiting for a phone that wasn’t going to ring.
She pulled into a spot across from the diner, stepped out and looked up and down the street. The bakery caught her eye first. She could use something sweet today.
She pushed the door open and was immediately hit with the smell of butter and sugar and something warm from the oven. A ticket dispenser sat just inside, and she grabbed a number and found a small table to wait. The place was busy, which seemed like a good sign.
When her number was called she went to the glass case and immediately understood why.
“Hi, welcome to Sweet Nothings. What can I get you?”
Blair looked up at the woman behind the counter. Pretty blonde, warm brown eyes, a smile that made you feel like you’d walked into exactly the right place.
“Hi.” Blair looked back down at the case. “I thought I knew what I wanted until I got up here.”
The woman laughed. “Take your time. I’m Courtney.”
“Blair. Good to meet you.” She studied the rows of cookies, the frosted this and the chocolate dipped that. “Alright. A half dozen sugar cookies and a half dozen chocolate chip.”
“Good choices.” Courtney reached for a bag. “Are you a tourist?”
“No, I moved here a few months ago. My cousin owns The Everyday Grind.”
Courtney looked up. “Celine is your cousin?”
“She is.”
“I love her. She’s the best.” Courtney’s smile widened and then widened further still when the bell above the door chimed behind Blair. Blair glanced over her shoulder to see a very good-looking deputy step inside, cowboy hat on, grinning straight at Courtney. He caught Blair’s eye and touched the brim of his hat, and she thought she could see how Courtney fell for him.
Courtney set the bag on the counter. “I’ll just be a minute.”
“Take your time, baby,” the deputy said.
Courtney’s cheeks went a little pink. “Alright Blair, let me ring you up.”
“Thank you.” Blair moved to the register. “Looks like your day is about to get better.”
“It really is. He’s my husband, and I only workweekends when he’s on shift. Once he’s done we head home and decompress together.” She made change and slid it across the counter. “It’s the best part of the week.”
“That sounds perfect.” Blair picked up her bag, turned to go and nearly walked straight into the deputy. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“My fault entirely.” He smiled easily. “Tourist?”
Blair laughed. “Your wife just asked me the same thing. No, I moved here a while back. My cousin Celine talked me into it.”
“Celine? Killian’s wife?”
“That’s her. Do you know Killian?”
“Yes, ma’am. I used to be with MDOL before I moved over to the department.” He put his hand out. “Nevada Shelton.”
