Imperfect Heart (Combat Hearts Book 4)

by Tarina Deaton

“I’ll just take one of those,” he said.

  She blinked and tore her gaze from him and looked at Kevin. “And for you?”

  “I’ll have the same,” he said.

  “Okay. Be right back.” No, she wasn’t running away, even though it kind of felt that way. She had orders to fill. Food to deliver to tables. Images of full lips to get out of her head.

  Returning the carafe to the warmer, she pulled down two plates.

  “Psst! Psst! Zoe!”

  She glanced over her shoulder toward the kitchen. Rob leaned around the swinging door and gestured for her to come over to him.

  “Hang on. Let me serve these eclairs.”

  “No. Now.” He ducked back into the kitchen.

  She rolled her eyes but pushed through the door. Rob grabbed her and pulled her to the side before she cleared the threshold.

  “Porra. My arm doesn’t move that way.”

  “Sorry.” He rubbed her shoulder to ease the pain. “Tell me about Kevin. Is he dating anyone?”

  “I don’t know,” she said.

  “Find out for me,” he said.

  “What is this, high school? You find out.”

  “Not here. If he turned me down I’d be devastated and then I’d burn everyone’s order and Elba would fire me.”

  “That’s not overly dramatic at all. How do you know he’s even gay?” She was genuinely curious. She’d had her suspicions when he’d been younger, but she’d also chalked it up to him not being a rough-and-tumble kind of kid.

  “Oh, sweetie. My gay-dar is perfect. Please? I’ll owe you.”

  “Fine. I’ll figure out a way to ask him.”

  “Thank you! You’re my favorite today!” He smushed her face into his chest and shook her side-to-side in a hug.

  She pushed against his stomach. “Quit! You’re smothering me.”

  “Sorry.” He patted her on the head.

  Swatting at his arm, she ducked her head away. “Pat me on the head again and I’m not asking him anything.”

  “But you’re so tiny and adorable. I want to fold you up and stick you in my pocket.” He mimed doing exactly what he said, then laughed at her glare.

  She went back into the dining room and finished fixing their plates. Tim barely let the plate settle on the table before he cut off a piece and gobbled it up. His eyes closed in ecstasy as he chewed and his tongue darted out to catch a small speck of caramel at the corner of his mouth. It was…very erotic. Watching a guy eat should not be that sexy.

  Turning to Kevin, she said, “I know this is very high schoolish, but Rob would like to know if you’re seeing anyone.” She wasn’t going to be subtle after Rob patted her on the head and threatened to make her a pocket elf.

  Kevin’s gaze darted between her and Tim and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I— Uh— Does he have a sister he wants to set me up with?”

  She glanced between him and Tim. “No… He wants to know for himself,” she said quietly.

  He cleared his throat and looked down at his plate. “Oh. Uh…I’m not—”

  Tim leaned forward. “I won’t say anything if you’re not out.” His voice was low and reassuring. “If it’s the Department you’re worried about, don’t be—there’s at least three people on the force that are openly out. I was even a groomsman at one of the weddings last year.”

  Her heart fluttered in her chest. She hadn’t considered Kevin might not be out and Tim’s immediate acceptance and reassurance assuaged some of the guilt she felt for inadvertently outing him to his partner.

  “I appreciate that. It’s not the job. My family is very conservative.” His voice broke toward the end.

  Zoe rubbed Kevin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. That was really careless of me.”

  He squeezed her hand. “It’s not your fault. It’s not that I’m not out—a few close friends know—but I don’t broadcast my personal life from the rooftops.”

  “I’ve only known Rob for a couple of weeks, but he’s a really nice guy and very genuine. I can give you his number and if you’re interested you can give him a call. If not, he’ll live. Unless he pats me on the head again, then all bets are off.”

  At least he smiled at her poor attempt to lighten the mood. Rubbing his shoulder one last time, she left them to their pastries and made the rounds of the few occupied tables. She filled their cups once and tried to keep an eye on Kevin’s mood. She could kick herself for being so careless, especially since it didn’t seem that he’d shared with Tim. Less than fifteen minutes later, they stood at the register to pay their bill.

  “How were the eclairs?”

  “They were delicious,” Tim said.

  She looked at his lips, because where else would she look when he said it like that? “Would you like some to go?”

  “No, thank you. I try to limit my sweets to one a day otherwise I’d never fit into my uniform.”

  “I don’t see that being a problem.”

  “Why, Miss Acevedo, have you been checking me out?”

  His smirk, accompanied by that damn dimple, made her insides gooier than the caramel on the eclairs.

  “No,” she said forcefully. “I just— You—” She waved her hand vaguely in his direction as if that explained everything that needed explaining. It should.

  He winked but thankfully didn’t tease her anymore. “Kevin, I’ll meet you outside.”

  Kevin stepped up to the register and handed over his bill and money. “If I could get that other thing you offered as well?”

  It took a second for his request to click. “Oh! Yes! Hang on.”

  She pushed through to the kitchen. “Give me your number now.”

  “You have my number,” Elba said.

  “Not you. Rob.”

  “Really?” he asked.

  “Yes. Hurry before he has to leave.”

  He rattled off his number while bouncing on his toes like a little kid on Christmas morning and she had to bat his hands away and threaten to tear up the note when he tried to pat her on the head again.

  Chapter 13

  Tim trudged down the stairs, pulling a shirt over his head as he went. He’d go for a run after he fed Mitzy. What the hell kind of name was that for a dog? Denise said she’d come with that name, but he had his doubts. He wouldn’t put it past her to name a dog Mitzy just to screw with him. He’d tried out other names, but so far none had stuck so he decided to call her “dog”—it wasn’t like he was keeping her forever anyway.

  When he rounded the corner into his living room, the lady in question raised her head. Upon seeing him, she ambled to her feet and shuffled over. He’d never seen a dog shuffle before, but that was the only way he could think to describe it.

  “Come on, girl, outside then I’ll get you some food.” He didn’t bother with a leash since she wasn’t going to wander off. Even if she did, as slow as she moved she wouldn’t get very far before he caught her. After clearing the back door, she walked exactly six steps into the grass, squatted, and returned to the house.

  He filled one bowl with kibble and the other with fresh water. She lay down in front of her food, paws on either side of the bowl, and ate her breakfast.

  Hands on his hips, he stared down at her. She paused long enough to look up at him as if to say “Don’t judge me” and went back to eating. Shaking his head, he laced up his running shoes and left out the front. Stretching his quadriceps, movement in his peripheral caught his attention and he glanced to his right.

  Zoe appeared to be bouncing on a pogo stick on the far side of her car. It was almost as odd as seeing her stuck in a window. Almost.

  It’s none of your business. Don’t get involved. Right. Telling himself that did not stop him from dropping his leg and crossing their yards to help her. Because he was nothing if not a glutton for punishment.

  “What are you doing?” he asked as he rounded the back of her small SUV.

  She shrieked and slipped off the tire iron she’d been b
ouncing on, tumbling to the ground.

  “Oh, shit.” He crouched down next to her. “Are you okay? Is anything hurt?”

  She groaned and sat up. “Just my pride. How do you always manage to find me in the most awkward situations?”

  He grinned at her disgruntled tone. “How do you always manage to be in the most awkward situations when I find you?”

  “I’m pretty sure they aren’t awkward until you show up.”

  “I’m pretty sure getting stuck in a window was awkward before I showed up.”

  If glares could kill, he would probably be a pile of ash. Chuckling, he helped her to her feet. “You good?”

  “Yes.” She dusted off the seat of her pants. Shaking the curls out of her face, she twisted her hair up into some kind of precarious pile on top of her head and secured it with a clip.

  A few loose curls escaped and his fingers itched to see if they were as soft as he remembered. “Lug nuts stuck?”

  “No, I just enjoy jumping up and down on a tire iron at five in the morning.”

  “Smart ass.” He looked down at the flatter than flat tire. “Looks like you hit a nail or something. Did you notice if it was low yesterday?”

  “No, but I also didn’t check them when I got home.”

  She had already pulled the spare and jack out of her car, so he crouched down next to the car, grabbed the tire iron and hefted on it. “Sucker is on there tight.”

  “Would you like to try jumping on it?”

  He grinned up at her. “Are you always this surly in the morning?”

  She scrubbed her hands over her face. “Sorry. I’m not a very good morning person, especially when I’m stressed.”

  “What are you stressed about?” He grunted and the nut finally gave. Turning the iron a few more times for good measure, he moved to the next one.

  “The building inspector is coming by the bookstore this morning. I’m nervous we aren’t going to pass and if that happens, it’s going to cost more money I haven’t budgeted for and more time I haven’t accounted for.”

  “Do you have a reason to think you won’t pass?” The next two nuts loosened with little effort.

  “No. Linda assured me everything is good and in compliance, but it’s a big deal and it’s not something I can control so I’m freaking out about it.”

  Finishing the final nut, he set the tire iron aside and grabbed the jack. Peering under the car, he placed it near the back support and raised the car.

  “What time is the inspection?” he asked.

  “Ten o’clock.” She lifted the spare tire off the ground and rolled it closer to him.

  Pulling the flat tire off, he set it out of the way and took the new tire from her. “And you’re going in now so you can freak out there instead of here?”

  “No. I told Elba I would help her out in the cafe this morning so she could train her new waitress.”

  “Have you guys known each other a while?”

  “Almost fifteen years. We were roommates at our first assignment.”

  “Where was that?”

  “Las Vegas, Nevada.”

  He finger-tightened the nuts and picked up the tire iron. “That must have been a blast.”

  She held the tire still while he spun the nuts as much as he could with the tire still lifted. “Not really. We were only nineteen so our partying options were limited.”

  Tossing the tire iron to the side, he eased the jack down and tightened the lug nuts more. “Good as new.”

  “Thank you. Hopefully it didn’t completely ruin your morning.”

  He gathered up the tools and jack and placed them in the storage bag, returning it to the back of her car. He moved as close as he could to her. “I don’t mind helping.”

  Her gaze dropped. “Do you…uh…tire fix?”

  Damn, she was adorable. “You mean where can you take your tire to get it fixed?”

  “Um, yes. That.”

  “I’ll take it in for you and get it patched.”

  Her gaze darted up to his. “You don’t have to do that. You already changed it for me.”

  He gave in and twisted one long curl around his finger. It was as soft as it looked. Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed hard, staring at his finger out of the corner of her eye as he dragged it down the curl.

  “You can treat me to dinner.”

  “Huh?”

  He released the curl and it bounced back into position. “In exchange for taking your tire to get fixed, you can treat me to dinner.”

  “Oh.”

  It came out breathy and he wanted to hear it under different circumstances. To feel that soft exhalation against his cheek.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay. Good luck today, Zoe.” He winked and took a few steps back. Leaning down, he hefted the tire onto his shoulder and strode across the lawn.

  “Thank you,” she called out.

  “You’re welcome.” He grinned and tossed the tire into the back of his truck. He waved back at Zoe, still standing beside her car and went inside to take a shower. He wasn’t going to get his run in, but for once he wasn’t upset about the disruption to his schedule.

  Tim glanced over his notes for Kevin’s training report. He was glad he had nothing but good things to say about his performance. That wasn’t always the case and he enjoyed writing positive reports a hell of a lot better than negative ones. Kevin was going to be a good cop and a good addition to the force. He just hoped he got some of his personal issues figured out. Not that he’d put that in his report—Kevin had shared a lot of information with him after they’d left the Cafe the other day and he wouldn’t betray his confidence—but he’d be a better cop overall if he didn’t have those things hanging over his head.

  His phone rang and he answered on the second ring. “Larken.”

  “Hey, it’s Bubba.”

  Leaning back in his chair, he arched his back to relieve the ache. “Hey. Tire ready?” He’d dropped it off on his way into work.

  “Where’d you get that tire?”

  He leaned forward. “My neighbor. Helped her change it this morning, why?”

  “Someone have it out for her?”

  “Not that I know of. Why?”

  “Tire was slashed, man. Was that the only tire that was flat?”

  What the fuck? “Yeah. The other three were fine.”

  “Might want to have her take her car in to have them checked out. Unusual for a slashed tire to not go flat, but stranger things have happened. Stranger that someone would be pissed off enough to hit one tire, but not the rest of them.”

  “I’ll give her a call.”

  “You do that. Want me to put a new tire on the rim?”

  “Yeah, thanks. I’ll pick it up this afternoon.”

  “Sure thing.” Bubba hung up and Tim set his own phone down.

  Grabbing his cell phone from the desk, he thumbed through the contacts until he came to the number Denise had texted him. It went to voicemail after only one ring. Either she was already busy with the inspection or she didn’t answer unknown numbers. He glanced at the clock. Almost ten o’clock. She might still be at the restaurant—he’d try to catch her there.

  Pulling up an internet search engine, he typed the Cafe and address into the search bar, then used his work phone to call the number listed.

  “Thank you for calling the Cafe. This is Elba.”

  “Hi, Elba. This is Tim.”

  Silence answered him.

  “Hello? Elba? Are you there?”

  “Yes! Sorry. I must have accidentally muted the phone.”

  “Is Zoe there?”

  “You just missed her—she went next door a few minutes ago. Can I take a message?”

  “Actually, I realized I don’t have her store number. Would you be able to give it to me?”

  “And what would you do with her number if I gave it to you?”

  He smiled and twirled a pen around his fingers. “I would call her.”

  “And w
hat would you say to her when you called her?”

  “You’re being awfully nosy, Elba.”

  “I’m her best friend. I’m supposed to be nosy.”

  “Are you going to give me the number?” He wasn’t going to tell Elba the real reason he was calling until he talked to Zoe. She could think what she wanted. Not that he wouldn’t use Zoe’s number to ask her out as well, but that wasn’t what he needed it for right now.

  “I suppose. Ready?”

  “Yup.” He typed the number into his cell phone, thanked her and hung up, immediately pressing dial on his cell.

  “Book Haven.”

  “Zoe?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Tim. Your neighbor.” He wasn’t sure why he needed to clarify which Tim he was—how many could she possibly know?

  “Oh. Hi. Is everything all right?”

  “No. Yes. Maybe.”

  “Well, that’s not confusing at all.”

  Her sarcastic tone made him smile, the same way it had that morning. It wasn’t as biting as Denise’s, but still got her point across. “Do you know of any reason why someone would slash your tire?”

  “What?”

  “Because you didn’t run over a nail.”

  She was quiet for a few moments. Could she really be thinking that hard about who would want to slash her tire?

  “Not unless Mrs. Wilson is still mad for that time my brother glued her mailbox closed.”

  His bark of laughter caught him by surprise. “Why—? Never mind, I don’t really want to know. I don’t think Mrs. Wilson has it out for you for something that happened close to twenty years ago.”

  “Then no. I have no idea. Could it have been random?”

  “Maybe, but it’s unusual to have that kind of vandalism without trying to break into the car or steal the tires. Did you notice any other damage?”

  “No, that was all.”

  “All right. The tire shop is putting a new tire on the rim for you. I’ll pick it up and drop it off this evening.”

  “Um, tonight won’t work. I managed to get the internet and phone companies scheduled for this evening and I’m going to get some boxes out of storage so I can start clearing it out and Linda’s daughter is going to prep the loft tonight so she can start painting first thing tomorrow and I need to push out job notifications to hire employees and—”