Page 17 of Rogue Wave

Hazel’s house was quiet as Shadow and I made our way around back to hit the trail to the ocean. I’d also noticed her friend’s car was gone, so she must have left first thing this morning.

Her friend seemed nice, and I definitely hadn’t missed Dougie’s intense gaze on her the entire time she stood on his porch. He’d lived on that street with me for nearly two years, and in that time, I had never once seen him date, bring a woman home, or even seem remotely interested in one…until Hazel’s friend showed up.

I could have asked him about it, or even given him a little shit for it, but honestly, after Hazel left, I was ready for some quiet time. It had been a long day, and I was worn out. I waited until Hazel and Vivi disappeared safely inside her house before heading home myself.

I’d wanted to kiss the sass and frustration right off her face, but instead, I’d admired the drunk sway of her perfect ass as she’d stalked away.

Hazel was a complication I didn’t need. She lived too close to be a hookup, and she was far too good for a guy like me anyway. I’d been married, divorced, and thoroughly soured by life.

She was also my neighbor, which meant this needed to stay friendly, but nothing more. No matter how much my body begged to differ.

She was a temptation wrapped up in sunshine and sarcasm.

She was a forbidden fruit, and I constantly needed to remind myself of that.

One with a perfect ass.

A forbidden peach described her perfectly.

I stayed away from her because she was exactly the type of woman I would pick.

She was everything I wasn’t—optimistic, friendly, and didn’t cower to bullshit. I wanted to be those things—I used to be those things—but my job had jaded me.

As someone elected to their position, there were times I wished I could say what was on my mind, but I had to stay politically neutral. Mostly it was all the times I wanted to call someone a dumbass when I arrested them but couldn’t because, apparently, that was frowned upon.

That didn’t mean I’d stopped thinking about that stubborn, sassy woman or wondering what she looked like naked.

The biggest reason I needed to keep my distance? She lived right next door. That was a huge complication and a mistake I had made before with my ex-wife.

Hazel still looked at the world through cheerful, rose-colored glasses and had likely never been tainted by the bad side of life. To someone like me, that put her in the do-not-touch category, no matter how much my fingers itched to slide across her smooth skin, or weave their way through her hair.

For the first time since I’d moved here, I’d actually debated the merits of breaking my rule of no dating local women.

She was the whole package—gorgeous, smart, friendly, with a fiery streak that kept me off-balance. She was on the shorter side, maybe just a couple of inches over five feet, which put her a full foot shorter than me. Her body was also filled with curves from top to bottom, and she had stunning moss-green eyes. She was everything I would look for in a woman…in the next town over—less complication there.

I was pretty sure complicated was Hazel’s middle name.

Which meant things with her needed to stay platonic and professional.

On that thought, Shadow and I rounded the end of the trail, and it opened up to uncover the rocky cliffs and shoreline. Waves crashed against the sandbank, while the salty breeze rolled that beautiful smell right in front of me.

Normally, Shadow headed straight for the water first, but today she made a beeline toward the old, rickety wood bench nestled into the sandy stretch near the far cove.

I spotted someone sitting there with their knees pulled to their chest and arms wrapped around their legs, overlooking the water—Shadow now demanding her attention. Female by the shape. Baseball cap. Brown hair spilling out beneath it.

As a tired human, I wanted to turn around, walk my dog somewhere else, and then go home.

As sheriff, I knew I at least needed to check if everything was okay. Most people didn’t sit curled up like that because they were relaxing or having a fantastic day.

The fog blurred my view from a distance, but as I got closer, realization hit me suddenly.

Hazel.

I definitely should have turned around and gone home.

I sighed and then announced my presence so I didn’t startle her. “Hey, Troublemaker.”

She whipped her head quickly in my direction, and I saw tears on her splotchy red face. Her eyes connected with mine, and she immediately started wiping them away.