“Chief.” Norma’s voice came through his ear.
“Go ahead,” he said.
“Press conference in forty-five minutes?”
His muscles tightened and then he sighed. “Yes,” he said. “Spread the word that it’ll be on the steps in front of the courthouse, same as it usually is.” That would get the media away from the crime scene, where they currently circled like sharks just beyond the yellow caution tape.
He’d do the press conference, and he’d make sure this crime scene was picked clean and absolutely pristine before anyone else left. Wyatt was getting a bit old to pull an all-nighter, but he’d do it if he had to. Anything for the job, that was what Christine had always said.
Hopefully, he’d get a moment to talk to Norma about his schedule and get a dinner date with Deirdre on the calendar before too much time passed.
“Chief,” someone said, and Wyatt was getting really tired of the word.
But he turned toward the man and said, “Yep,” just like he always did. After all, the Chief of Police didn’t get to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He was a public face, and everyone on the island of Getaway Bay would be watching to see how this situation was handled.
So he’d handle it with professionalism and power, the way he’d been doing for years now. Hopefully, Deirdre would wait for him and be available when he was able to call and make another date with her.
Chapter Six
Deirdre stayed up late to watch Wyatt on TV, and that was when she knew she had a serious crush on the man. “Of course you do,” she muttered to herself as she got up with her empty coffee cup. She’d known that from the moment she’d met him.
He’d always made her heart pulse faster, and she liked that he was older than her by five years, had silver in his hair, and had held a steady job for years. She liked that she could see him on the television, and the way his uniform enunciated his tall, athletic figure, and the way his voice made her heart hum.
“Why did you turn him down on Friday?” Deirdre moaned as she put her coffee cup in the sink. Her routine included dishes in the morning, so she left the mug with the pot and pan she’d used to make dinner, and the plate she’d eaten it off of.
She’d boxed up the leftovers and planned to take them to Wyatt’s office in the morning. He was still at work at ten-thirty at night, and she hoped he’d appreciate the food. She knew she would have.
And maybe she could talk to Norma about the Chief’s schedule.
The moment she thought it, she dismissed the thought. She wasn’t going to set up a date with the man through his secretary.
She was just tired, as she didn’t normally stay up late just to watch the news. She went to bed, hoping Wyatt would be able to very soon as well.
In the morning, Deirdre went through her routines of taking her vitamins, doing her dishes, and setting out food and water for the stray cats on the lane. She picked up the food for Wyatt and headed out. The police station seemed abnormally busy, as she couldn’t even find a parking space in the lot.
“He’s too busy,” she said, and she didn’t think anyone would like having non-essential personnel on the premises that morning. So she continued on to Your Tidal Forever with his food on her passenger seat. She could store it in the fridge in the kitchen until after work.
The moment she entered the building, Sunny stood up from her desk. “Deirdre,” she said. “I just talked to Cindi from Jungle Plants. She said she can get your vines if you’re still interested.”
“No way.” Deirdre beamed at Sunny and started laughing. “Thank you, Sunny.”
“I just answered the phone.” But she grinned like she’d personally procured the vines Deirdre needed for the wedding.
“I’m so glad I didn’t find anything at the craft store yesterday,” she said. “And now I need to re-call my bride.” Though Katelin and Hiro were pretty low-key, Deirdre still hadn’t liked delivering the bad news only days before their big event.
“She called too, and she said she knew you wouldn’t be in yet, but she wants to talk to you today.”
“I’ll call her now,” Deirdre said, taking the two slips of paper from Sunny though the messages had already been delivered. She dialed Katelin on her way to her office, forgetting to take the food to the fridge so she set it on her desk as her bride answered.
“Katelin,” Deirdre said brightly. “How are you this morning?”
“Good,” she said. “Did you see the news about the car who drove into the building?”
“Yes,” Deirdre said. Everyone on the island had likely heard about it, as the city had shut down two square blocks last night and still hadn’t reopened them yet. She’d had to detour out of the way to get to work, but she hadn’t really paid attention to why.
“Hiro’s brother got injured, and he doesn’t want to be in the wedding party in a cast.”
“It’s no problem,” Deirdre said, realizing the wide reach of the accident. “We’ll just position him in the back or something.”
“He’s got some cuts on his face,” Katelin said.
“I’m so sorry,” Deirdre said. “You’re not postponing or anything?”
“Heavens, no,” Katelin said. “The waiting list for the Waterford Waves Beach is thirteen months long.”
Deirdre smiled and said, “It’s going to be beautiful. And good news: The vines will be in on time, and we’ll make sure you have the most spectacular wedding ever.”
Katelin shrieked. “The vines will be in?”
“Yes, I just got a call about them,” Deirdre couldn’t help feeding off Katelin’s excitement for greenery.
“That’s great news!” She laughed. “Thanks, Deirdre.”
“Do you have a replacement for Toa?”
“No, he’s just going to sit or stand in the back. I feel bad for Hiro, but he says he doesn’t care.”
In Deirdre’s experience, the groom didn’t cause a lot of trouble. It was always the bride, and as long as Katelin was happy, Deirdre would be too. “Okay, well, let me know if anything else changes. I’ll send a note to the photographer about Toa.”
“Thanks, Deirdre.” The call ended, and Deirdre got up to go put Wyatt’s food in the fridge.
“Meeting in five,” Meg said the moment Deirdre left her office.
“What meeting?”
“Hope texted this morning,” Meg said, and Deirdre’s shoulders shrank. She wasn’t terribly busy right now, as she didn’t have any holiday weddings or events coming up. Not like Meg, who had two high-profile weddings in front of her. Deirdre had this one this weekend, and then a two-hundred-person party for Software Solutions, the parent company for half a dozen apps, including Getaway Bay Singles.
Deirdre had downloaded the app but had never used it. Her relationship with Wyatt had begun, and while it would end only five weeks later, Deirdre knew by then that she didn’t want to jump right into the dating pool.
In fact, though she’d been here for a year and a half now, she still wasn’t sure she should be perpetuating something with anyone, let alone the Chief of Police.
What would he think of her permanent restraining order? That she couldn’t be within three hundred feet of her own daughter? He’d want the whole story, and Deirdre hadn’t told it to anyone.
Only a trusted few knew she had a daughter she didn’t talk to, and they certainly didn’t know it was because by law, she couldn’t. No one knew that.
And you’ll have to tell Wyatt.
She went to the kitchen and put the food in the fridge before pulling out her phone and checking it. Sure enough, Hope had texted an hour ago to call a staff meeting, and Deirdre couldn’t believe she’d missed it.
Sometimes she didn’t check her phone, because it only served as a reminder that her family didn’t call or text. But Hope had a special chime, and Deirdre hadn’t heard it that morning.
Maybe she’d been too distracted with thoughts of Wyatt.
Just as she was now.
She dre
w in a deep breath and turned toward the conference room. The sun shone in through the wall of windows, and Deirdre took a long breath as she reminded herself how wonderful it was to be alive.
“Morning,” Hope said a moment later. “Let’s all sit down, please. We have several new assignments to hand out.” She was all-business in her navy blue skirt suit, and Deirdre always felt underdressed in comparison to her.
To most of the women who worked at Your Tidal Forever. But Hope had never commented on her choice of muted slacks and a brightly colored blouse. That was as dressed up as Deirdre got, and she didn’t even wear jewelry or cute shoes.
She took a seat next in between Meg and Lisa, her best friends at Your Tidal Forever, and Lisa instantly put a slip of paper in front of her.
You and the CoP? Woooow.
A smiley face adorned the note, and Deirdre looked up at Lisa. She knew her husband was one of Wyatt’s friends, and while Cal and Lisa had offered to set Deirdre and Wyatt up again, Deirdre certainly didn’t need that.
She flipped over the piece of paper and scrawled a note back quickly. How did you find out?
Lisa read the words and rolled her eyes. Hope had started the meeting, but Lisa leaned toward Deirdre and whispered, “He’s the Chief of Police, honey. Everyone knows.”
“That’s not possible,” Deirdre whispered back. “We haven’t even gone out yet.” She kept her eyes on Hope so she could straighten up the moment her boss looked at her.
“Fine.” Lisa grinned and held out her palm.
“What?”
“I know you have lemon drops in your pocket.”
Deirdre shook her head and smiled as she dug in her pocket for one of the individually wrapped delicacies she took everywhere with her. She placed it in Lisa’s palm, who quickly unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. With lemony fresh breath, she said. “Wyatt called Cal last night.”
Surprise ran through Deirdre as Hope put the first new account up on the screen behind her. Another wedding. Deirdre liked weddings just fine, because they’d helped her grow and stretch in her party planning abilities. Before she’d come to Your Tidal Forever, she’d only done anniversary parties and birthday parties. Something with a family, maybe up to twenty or thirty people.
The firm she’d worked for in Seattle didn’t do receptions or weddings, and she’d enjoyed learning a new skill set. But weddings and receptions came with a lot more stress than a company party or a couple’s fiftieth anniversary party.
For some reason, she didn’t want to pick up another wedding, but she reached for a bid sheet from the middle of the table, same as everyone else.
These roundtable meetings worked the same every time Hope called them. She presented the available gigs, all of which came with a different payday. The planners in the room would mark the ones they were capable of doing after looking at their schedules and other things, and all the papers would get turned in. Hope would take five minutes—literally, not a second more—to shuffle through them, and then everyone left with their assignments.
Deirdre’s upcoming schedule was very light, as she’d missed the last meeting and therefore hadn’t gotten any new assignments. So she already knew without consulting her calendar that she could do the DeGraw wedding. She checked the box in front of the name and sat back while Lisa continued to whisper about the brief phone call between the two men.
Deirdre honestly didn’t know how Wyatt had time to make personal calls, especially during stressful situations. Surely he hadn’t gotten home until very late. But he was a man of many talents and many mysteries, and she hoped she’d get a call from him soon.
Another wedding. Two reception-onlys. A yacht party. Deirdre checked them all.
“And lastly, Norma Mumford from the police station called this morning. She wants to put together a holiday party for the Chief and everyone in the department, and she wants one of us to do it.”
Police department flashed up on the wall, and Deirdre’s heartbeat started to ricochet through her whole body.
“Oh,” Lisa said, and she leaned toward Shannon, who sat on the other side of her. Deirdre’s whole world narrowed to those two words, and she had the keen urge to erase all of the other checkmarks on her paper and leave only the one for this particular party.
That way, if Wyatt was astronomically busy with what was now being labeled as a shooting, she could still have a reason to see him.
Why, oh why had she said no to dinner on Friday night with him?
She gave herself a mental shake as Hope said, “One more minute to check things, ladies. I have a client coming in ten minutes.” She was nothing if not efficient, and Deirdre panicked as she looked down at her paper.
She could take on one of the weddings, a reception, and this party. But she didn’t want the police department party to get overshadowed by something else.
Her fingers trembled as she tried to figure out what to do. What to erase. She hurried to remove the check mark in front of the yacht party and one of the weddings. She now had checks in front of one wedding, both receptions, and the department party.
“Papers,” Hope called, and Lisa reached over and plucked Deirdre’s away before she could do anything else.
She gasped in protest but didn’t say anything else. And her paper was gone now anyway. Lisa took her pen too and put it in the glass jar in the center of the table. “What’s wrong?” she asked as she settled back into her seat. “You’re going to get a couple of these.”
“It’s not….”
“My schedule is jammed,” Lisa said. “I didn’t mark any.”
“Can you do that?”
“Of course,” Lisa said. “I already have four weddings from now until Valentine’s Day. I can’t take on anything else, even a yacht party.” She crossed her legs and said something to Shannon.
Deirdre watched Hope put the papers in separate piles, and she didn’t take the full five minutes this time. “All right, ladies,” she said. “Let’s start at the beginning. The DeGraw wedding goes to Deirdre.”
Her heart fell to her non-cute shoes, but she smiled and nodded. Shannon passed her a file while Hope said, “The Joplin wedding is going to Charlotte. The Peterson reception is Deirdre’s.”
Another fake smile. Another file folder of information she’d have to absorb and go over. More meetings with brides, grooms, and mothers.
“The Watkins reception is Tina’s. The yacht party for Mike Billings is Shannon’s. And the police department party is going to Deirdre.” She looked up. “Deirdre, that’s three new things for you. You’d checked a lot. You sure this is okay?”
“Yes,” she managed to croak out.
“I could give the department party to Lisa….” Hope studied the papers again. “But you’re the only one who signed up for it.” She raised her eyes to Deirdre’s again, clear questions in hers.
Lisa giggled, and Deirdre knew that she’d done something. Probably passed the word around the table for everyone to leave that one for her. She’d gotten messages like that before for some of the girls and she’d left her name off jobs she could’ve taken.
“It’s fine,” she said. “The weddings aren’t for months, and I can focus on the department party now.”
“Yeah, you can,” Lisa whispered, and Deirdre’s face grew hot.
“All right,” Hope said as her phone chimed out an alarm. “We’re done. Shannon has all the preliminary notes from Sunny. Let’s make today awesome, ladies.” The meeting broke up, but Deirdre stayed in her seat as Shannon passed her the last folder.
“Norma wants you to call as soon as you can,” Shannon said. “But honestly, they’re swamped over there right now. Maybe give it a day or two, but definitely call by the end of the week.”
“Okay.” Deirdre flipped open the folder and looked at the intake sheet.
Lisa leaned toward her and said, “Go get ‘im, Deirdre. He’s great.”
She nodded, because she already knew Wyatt was great. Part of her was thrilled she�
�d gotten the job. She needed the work, and three new events would keep her plenty busy for a while. The other part of her didn’t want to have a business relationship with Wyatt at all, and that was the part with the loudest wail.
Would he ever ask her out now? Or would they just spend evenings in his office, some variety of delivered food on the desk between them while they talked about what kind of finger foods he wanted for the holiday party?
And when she saw Norma Mumford as the contact person for the party, her enthusiasm for the project blew away like brittle leaves in a stiff wind.
Of course Wyatt wouldn’t be the one to sit down with the party planner. He didn’t even keep his own schedule. Norma really ran the police department, and Deirdre would be lucky if she even saw Wyatt when she went to meet with the woman.
She finally got up when she realized she was the only person left in the conference room. Back in her office, she closed the door and layered the folders on top of each other in the order in which she’d received them. She’d go through them one by one, the way she always did. Nothing was special about the police department file. Nothing special at all.
Chapter Seven
Wyatt had slept for two hours of the last thirty-six. So when Norma entered his office in the late afternoon with a cup of coffee and his favorite cream cheese Danish from a hole-in-the-wall bakery, he almost growled at her.
“You never come bearing afternoon snacks unless you want something,” he said, taking the coffee but refusing to take a sip. The scent of it had his mouth watering though, and he had a killer headache he knew the caffeine would tame.
“Now, Wyatt,” she said sitting down and leaning back in her chair. “We’ve talked about this one before.”
“Is it related to the possible shooting?”
“Nope.”
He took a sip of the coffee, the hot liquid calming him instantly. “All right. Shoot.”
“It’s the department holiday party.”
Wyatt glared at her deliberately and picked up the pastry. “Go on.”
The Police Chief's Bride Page 4