by Molly McLain
Goddammit, why was she getting emotional in the middle of McCauley’s over freaking mashed potatoes?
“You okay?” Nicole frowned.
“No.” No sense in denying it. She was a mess. She’d thought the new apartment would help, but all it had done was solidify how lonely she’d become. How much she’d grown used to her time with Mark. How much she hated what they’d become. “I want something I can’t have,” she said with a sigh. “At least not in the full capacity I want it.”
Nick caught her eye from the other side of the bar and she gave a weak smile. He must have took it as invitation because he started to walk over.
“Would you mind if I skipped out early?” she asked Nicole. “I’m suddenly exhausted.” And in no mood to make idle chit-chat with her neighbor, no matter how nice the view.
“Not at all.” Nicole squeezed her arm. “If you go before Tony shows up, I’ll tell him you said happy birthday.”
“Thanks.”
Nicole slid off the stool and went to greet a group of new arrivals as Nick strolled up.
“Hey there,” he said, sliding into Nicole’s vacated seat. “No offense, but you look beat.”
“I am. Early morning at the coffee shop.” She finished off her drink and tucked her change, minus a tip, back into her purse.
“Speaking of coffee, thanks for this morning.” He flashed an apologetic smile. “I had no idea you were seeing the sheriff or I wouldn’t have pushed again for dinner. Pretty sure he doesn’t like me much to begin with and now I’ve gone and driven a nail in that coffin.”
How to respond to that? Apologizing for not telling him about Mark didn’t feel right because, technically, they weren’t seeing each other, and she was going to share the details of their messed up relationship with a guy she barely knew.
“Things with Mark are...complicated,” she said simply. “Let’s just leave it at that.”
He dipped his chin. “Fair enough.”
Another yawn crept up on her and she slid off the stool, an unexpected wave of vertigo causing her to sway on her feet. Nick wrapped a hand around her elbow to steady her.
“Wow, I guess I’m more tired than I thought.” She laughed it off, but Nick didn’t join in.
“Let me drive you home.” He got to his feet too, a crease between his brows.
“Nah, I’m fine.” She reached her purse, her arms suddenly heavy.
“Humor me, okay? My conscience doesn’t need you getting into an accident.”
“Don’t be silly. You just got here.”
“And I’ll come back. But I’m going to get you home first. Either that or I’ll call Mark to come get you.”
“That’s dirty.”
He grinned. “Gotta do what works.”
“Ppfftt.” She rolled her eyes and stepped around him, too exhausted to care that half the town saw him follow her out of the bar and that a half dozen people in the parking lot saw her get into his truck. With him holding the door open for her.
She’d worry about the repercussions—and her reputation—tomorrow, when she had the energy to think straight.
***
“Word on the street is you’ve left the sheriff for the fire chief.” Jenny sat cross-legged in the middle of Ally’s bed, eating popcorn.
“Imagine that.” Ally stuck a movie into the DVD player and mentally cursed small town living. Nick had been gone from McCauley’s for probably all of fifteen minutes last night, but apparently that had been enough to get tongues wagging again.
“Carissa said he brought you to your car this morning, too.”
“So? He’s my neighbor. He was headed to work and so was I.”
“No offense, but you’re getting kinda defensive, sunshine.” Jenny tossed a piece of popcorn at Ally as she climbed onto the bed, too. No furniture in the living room meant they’d had to improvise with the location of their movie. Just as well because, once again, Ally was exhausted.
“I’m just burned out,” she explained. “It’s been an emotionally draining last few weeks.”
“Here’s a novel idea—maybe you should try to talk to Mark again. You know, when neither of you are working, so you can really hammer this out.” Jenny twisted her raven hair into a sloppy bun.
“He pisses me off every time we talk. It wouldn’t go well.”
“And sitting here being miserable is better?”
Ugh. Jenny was right. This sucked. “You know how stubborn I am.”
“Something you’re going to have to get over, I’m afraid.”
“Maybe I don’t wanna get over it.” She hit her friend with a pillow.
Jenny smiled. “You and Mark are too alike in that regard. Do yourself a favor and let him win this round.”
Much as she hated the idea of giving in before he figured things out for himself, Jenny was right. Again. Part of the reason Ally and Mark got along so well was because they both had zero tolerance for BS and when they got an idea in their heads, they stuck it out until that idea became a reality. Which meant they could go on butting heads for months.
Mentally, she wasn’t sure she had the strength to do that. The stress had already taken a huge toll on her. She’d burned two batches of muffins this past week, she’d forgotten to pay her cell phone bill, and she couldn’t make it through the day without a nap. She’d never suffered from depression before, but she’d started to suspect this was what it felt like. And it was only November 1st. There was a long winter ahead of her and, if she didn’t get a grip on these icky feelings now, things would get much worse before they got better.
“I’ll call him,” she said, reaching for her phone.
“Right now?”
“He may not even talk to me after yesterday.”
Jenny smiled. “He’ll talk to you.”
God, she hoped so. “I’m going to take this in the bathroom.”
“Don’t mind me. I’ll just hang out here with James Marsden.” Jenny fell back on the pillows, as Ally slid off the bed again.
She closed the bathroom door behind her and took a few deep breaths, staring at her phone. The background was still a picture of Mark’s chocolate Lab, Bo, sitting by Mark’s front door. She’d snuck into his house one afternoon a few months back to surprise him with dinner and new lingerie, but he’d gotten called out to a SWAT incident in a neighboring county and hadn’t come home until late. She and Bo had spent the evening commiserating about how much they missed Mark and she’d credited Bo for sticking around all those years, waiting out his owner.
She couldn’t wait anymore.
He picked up on the third ring. “Ally?” A hint of hope laced his voice and that glimmer of optimism had hope flickering to life inside her, too.
She pulled in a breath, steeling her courage. “I, uh, was wondering what you’re doing tomorrow.”
A long pause filled the air between them, then... “I’m off. No plans.”
“Want to make some? With me?”
It was possible she imagined it, but was that a shaky exhale she’d just heard?
“What did you have in mind?” he asked.
She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks that he didn’t shoot her down. “Maybe we could just hang out. And talk.”
“Talking didn’t go so well yesterday.”
“I know...” She scraped her teeth over her bottom lip, then nibbled on the corner. “I want to try again.”
Another stretch of silence. “All right. What time?”
She swallowed down the pressure in her throat and tried to ignore the fact that they’d never really had to make plans before. She’d just sorta showed up on his doorstep and it was always a good time for him. It had been easy between them. This wasn’t easy, though. At all.
“How about noon?” she asked. “I’ll bring lunch.”
“I wanna see your new place.”
“There’s nothing here to see. I have a bed and a TV.” And she preferred they avoid getting anywhere near the bed, if at all possible. They
couldn’t make this work on sex alone, no matter how amazing it was.
“I still wanna see it. How about I pick you up before noon and we go out for lunch?”
Harder to talk in public, but maybe it was better than being alone together. “Okay. See you then.”
“Ally?”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad you called.”
She smiled, even though he couldn’t see it. “Me too.”
Chapter Five
He and Ally hadn’t gone out in...hell, he couldn’t even remember. Too damn long, that was for sure.
Just after eleven, he parked beside her car in the lot and jogged up the stairs to her apartment. Outside her door, he blew out a breath and rubbed his sweaty palms against his jeans. It was a beautiful, sixty-degree fall day, but his racing heart and perspiration had nothing to do with the heat wave. It was all Ally. He couldn’t wait to see her and put the last several weeks behind them.
He knocked and she opened the door right away. Just as quickly, all the blood pumping in his chest redirected south, because damn. Her hair was down, flowing around her shoulders in pretty red-blonde waves that made him itch to touch it. She also wore a pair of snug jeans and a loose white top above a fitted tank. Curves, curves, and more curves. And he was the lucky bastard that got to spend the next few hours with her.
“Hi.” The corners of her glossy pink lips turned up as she took him in, too. “You look nice.”
Not as nice as her, but yeah, he’d put in more effort than usual today. Rather than his normal weekend attire of a ratty t-shirt and thread-bare jeans, he’d pulled on a navy button-down and a pair of jeans that she’d actually picked out for him a while back. They were a little too stylish for his taste, but she liked them and today he’d do just about anything to make Ally happy.
“Nah, but you...” He shook his head and gave a low whistle. “Stunning as always, pretty girl.”
“You’re such a suck-up.” She chuckled, snagged his hand, and pulled him into her apartment.
“Just speaking the truth...holy shit, is this place ever small.” And small was a generous descriptor. He’d have a hard time turning around in her kitchen without knocking things off the counter and the living room, when furnished, would be lucky to fit a couch and chair, let alone a couch, a chair, and a TV. His bedroom was bigger than both rooms put together...with space to spare.
When he glanced down at Ally, she was looking up at him, a frown tugging at her pretty mouth. “I like it.”
Smooth, Dunn. He flashed a smile. “That’s all that matters, right?”.”
She dropped his hand and sighed, giving him her back as she moved toward the hall. He wanted to haul her back into his arms. Just so he could hold her tight and feel her breathe.
“I need a couple minutes,” she called from what he assumed was the bathroom. He almost followed her so he could try and soothe her hurt feelings, but he let it go. Best to move on before something changed and their date ended before it even started.
When she stepped out a few minutes later, she smelled a delicious combination of sweet and spicy, a scent he’d come to friggin’ love over the last year. Even more so when it lingered on his pillows and sheets after sleepovers.
“Mmm, come here,” he said, pulling her close and burying his face in her neck. She must have forgiven him, because she melted into him, her hands sliding around his waist. “You smell amazing.”
“You do, too.” She leaned up and sniffed his collar, and the light graze of her little nose against his skin made him shiver. They hadn’t touched each other in weeks and his body was all too aware. His cock stirred behind his zipper and, though he hated to, he set her away before she noticed.
“You ready to go? I thought we’d head up to North Platte. There’s a great little seafood restaurant I’ve been meaning to take you to.” When her copper eyes lit up, he gave a mental fist pump. Finally he’d done something right.
“That sounds great. Let me grab my purse.”
He followed her out the door and took a moment to look around while she locked up. A laundry room sat between her apartment and the one across the hall, and the telltale click of zippers and buttons hitting the sides of a machine caught his attention.
“Your load?” he asked, because the safety freak in him couldn’t let her walk away with a dryer going.
“Not mine.” She tucked her keys into her purse and nodded toward the stairs with an eager smile. He was anxious to go, too, but he paused when the door of the neighboring apartment opened. Best to make sure that whoever she was living next door too wasn’t anyone he’d have to keep an eye on.
Nick Caliendo stepping out in a pair of jogging pants and nothing else was certainly a fucking safety risk.
Nick lifted a hand in greeting. “Hey, Sheriff.”
Mark’s jaw had locked together so hard, it took him a moment to dislodge the joint and acknowledge the man in return. “Didn’t you know you were living here, Caliendo.”
“Ally didn’t tell you? Huh.” Nick grinned and leaned to the side to get a better look at Ally, waiting at the top of the stairs. “Hey, Al. Thanks for leaving those leftovers yesterday. Was a nice surprise.”
“Thanks for driving me home Friday night,” she said and Mark swiveled his head around to look at her.
“Friday night?”
“Long story.” She shrugged and started down the stairs, so he glanced back at the man who was getting too close to Ally for his liking.
“What happened Friday night?” Mark demanded, the nice buzz he’d felt from Ally’s touch already worn off.
“I gave her a ride, man. You want the details, you ask her.” Nick waved him off and strolled his half naked ass into the laundry room.
Mark cracked his neck, because this guy was seriously starting to piss him off.
He jogged down to the first floor and found Ally waiting beside the passenger side of his truck with a knowing grin on her face.
“There’s nothing going on with me and Nick, you big goof. I wasn’t feeling well and he offered to give me a ride home. I turned him down, but then he said he’d call you and since I didn’t want that, I gave in.” She lifted her shoulders and a pretty tint of color spread across her cheeks. Her light summer tan had faded and her freckles stood out against her fair skin. She was a natural beauty and he had no doubt Nick thought so, too.
Relief that nothing had happened between them washed through his veins, but it was quickly chased off by her remark. “You could’ve called me.”
“I could have, yes. But it’s not your job to bail me out.”
The fuck it wasn’t. “Were you drunk?”
“Nope. Not a single drink. I learned my lesson the last time.”
Thank God for that, though he couldn’t bring himself to regret how the night had ended, even if she had left him standing alone in her driveway.
He opened the door for her and she climbed in. It wasn’t necessary, but he leaned over and buckled her seatbelt. On his retreat, he paused and grazed his knuckles down her cheek.
“You can call me, Ally. Always.” Then he stole a kiss and closed the door before she could protest.
***
North Platte was forty-five minutes northwest of River Bend and, to Ally’s surprise, she and Mark made lots of small talk on the drive. He told her about the great deal he’d gotten on the new truck and she told him about her apartment lease and how nutty her elderly neighbors were. They also chatted about her dad getting back to farming and how he wanted all the leftover pumpkins gone within the next week or two so he could clean up the barn before winter.
“You should grab some for deer bait,” she said, as they pulled into the restaurant parking lot.
“Ah, I don’t know. That might be awkward.”
“Why? Dad practically gives them away this time of year. Might as well take what he’s giving. Hunting season’s only a couple weeks away.”
He shut off the truck and turned a small smile her way, his blue eye
s soft in a cute, frat boy sort of way. “I’ve been sleeping with his daughter for the past year. You think he’s going to willingly let me step a single foot onto his property?”
“But you’re a cop...”
“Who’s seen every inch of your body naked.”
Good point. And something they might’ve avoided had they gone about this thing between them differently. Didn’t mean it was too late, just that it would be a little more strained now. Pending, of course, she and Mark ever got on the same page about what they wanted.
He winked and came around to her door, played the part of the perfect gentleman, helping her out and putting his hand at the small of her back as the hostess saw them to a table. They ordered different entrees—her shrimp scampi and him an encrusted whitefish—with plans to share them both. It was just a quirky thing they did when they went out, because they were both ridiculously indecisive. Something they’d bonded over early on and found great humor in ever since.
“What’s that look for?” Mark asked after the waitress took their menus and promised to return with their drinks.
Ally unfolded a napkin on her lap and sighed. “One minute we’re like oil and water and the next like milk and honey. It’s...interesting.”
He leaned his elbows on the table and met her gaze. “It’s how we’ve always been. Even when we were just friends.”
And that was the in she’d been waiting for. “That insinuates we’re something more now.”
He blinked at her. “Of course we are.”
The waitress came back with her raspberry tea and his Coke and the moment drew out, Mark’s eyes never leaving hers.
“You don’t think we’re more than friends?” Mark asked when they were alone again.
“We’ve never talked about it before and I’m not one to make assumptions.”