PDA hasn’t ever been something I’m into, but I’m glad she can’t seem to keep her hands off of me. I’m the same with her. If my other hand wasn’t holding Rambo’s leash, I’d have both arms around her. “Breakfast burrito,” I answer immediately, my mouth already watering. “You can get it with whatever you want. I get steak, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and bacon. Put a little salsa on top and oh my God.” I inhale a happy sigh. “So fuckin’ good.”
“Deputy Thompson.” I hear my name being called. When I look deeper into the wooden building, I see the owner and his wife.
“How’s it going, Ortiz?” I ask him, waving to the two of them.
“Much better, since we did like you suggested. Installing those cameras and the sign made a huge difference. No problems after that.”
“Good!”
“This isn’t even your jurisdiction, is it?” Stelle asked as it’s finally our turn.
“No, but they’re good people who were having trouble with vandals. I love the food here, I’d hate to see it go under because of something I could have helped prevent.”
“On the house, Deputy. What can I get you, your lady friend, and the dog?” Ortiz asks, shooting me a look after getting a glance of Stelle.
I hate taking things from people, but I also know this is probably the only way he can repay me. They’ve only been here a few years, and even if they are popular, I know more than anyone else how long it takes for a restaurant to turn a profit. “I’ll have my usual, along with some scrambled eggs and pieces of steak for him.” I point to Rambo. “What do you want, babe?”
“Just give me what you get.”
“Water or orange juice?” Ortiz writes it down on his paper.
“Water,” we say at the same time, laughing.
We have a seat, Rambo at my feet, and enjoy our lazy Saturday morning.
Stella
“Why don’t you work for your mom?” Ransom asks as he and I walk on the trail we picked out for the day. Rambo runs loose ahead of us, sniffing at anything and everything. We’ve brought a ball that he goes after and brings back. I wonder when he might get tired, but he never does.
“I did.” I brush some of the rainwater off the brim of my hat. “I planned on staying there too, but I just didn’t love it,” I admit. “She called me on it, and we had a serious conversation about what my future was going to be. When we both figured out event planning wasn’t my thing, I went into the medical assisting program, because that’s where Kels was going.”
“That seems like it would have been hard.” He runs his thumb along the back of my hand.
“It was, because she’d had all these plans for me to take over the business, and then there I was starting over at twenty-five. She lost her partner last year – Addison decided to get out of it – and I worried she’d pressure me into going back, but she hasn’t. It kind of leaves things up in the air, though.”
“Do you have any idea what she’s going to do? I know all about the family business.”
We haven’t told anyone about this, but I feel comfortable talking to Ransom about it. “She and I have had numerous discussions, and I think she’s going to offer Ruby a buy-in.”
“Ruby?” He seems surprised, but maybe the guys don’t see what we see.
“Yeah, she and Caleb aren’t having a hard time, per se, but their two more than full-time jobs are starting to weigh on their marriage now that their kids are older. They’ve given Ruby more kids, a heavier class load, and to be honest, Kels is picking up her niece and nephew almost every other day. We’re feeding them dinner a lot because Caleb and Ruby are on the same shift and neither one can get away from work. Ruby told me the other day she and Caleb haven’t had a weekend to themselves in over a year, and she’s starting to worry. Mom took her through what she does on a weekly basis the other day and I think Ruby’s going to give it a shot. She loves teaching, but it’s tearing her family apart. This way Ruby can work half the hours and make double the money.”
“Isn’t that crazy? We bust ass for the people of the town, and we have marriages crumbling, people can’t pay their bills, and fellow officers are struggling mentally.”
“I know.” I hold his hand tighter. “I see it all the time at the clinic. I hope at some point, things get easier for everyone.”
“So what are you going to do if your mom sells part of the business? Wouldn’t that be your part?” he asks as he grunts, throwing the ball for Rambo.
“It is, but I’ve given her my blessing. Like I said, I’m not interested in the business. I have thought about what to do if it goes through, though. I want to use that money and the money they set aside for college for me to go back to school.” My voice is quiet as I make the admission. “But I’m not sure I can force myself to do it.”
“Stelle, that’s amazing. School for what?”
“I’d like to get my nursing degree.” I stop our walk, turning to face him. “I already have an associates and some credits. For what I want, it would be about another two years of school.” I pull my gaze from his. “Which makes me feel like shit because we’re just starting this between us, and now I’m unsure of the path I want to take in life. What if I’m just too old.” I let my biggest fear take flight as I push the words out of my mouth.
He laughs, putting his hands on my shoulders. “That’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard in my life.”
“No seriously, most of my friends are married, with kids. They own homes, they have degrees, they know what they’re doing. I won’t be graduating until I’m at least thirty, and then I want to get married, I want to have kids.” I lay this all out, because he needs to know where I’m going. “But what if I’ve lost my chance at that point?”
“Stop.” His voice is firm. “Stop comparing yourself to everybody else. Your mom had you when she was thirty-six. My dad had me when he was thirty-six, Cutter was born when he was forty, Menace was in his mid-thirties too. There’s no cut-off date, Stelle. All that matters is you’re happy.”
“I want to be, I want to serve the county, serve the people and help. That’s why I wasn’t big into the wedding planning. It didn’t fulfill the need I have to help others,” I try to explain the best I can. “I love my job, I love making a kid smile, soothing a worried person, seeing them leave with a sense of relief. That means everything to me.”
“Believe me, I get it, Stelle. Have you applied to go back to school?” He rubs some condensation off my cheek from the still-coming-down rain.
“No, I’ve been too scared to,” I admit softly.
“Then when we get back, we’re gonna see what you need to do. Print off the forms and complete whatever we can today. Life is short, babe. I, of all people, know how damn short it is. Do what you love. I’ll never hold you back.”
Tears prick the back of my eyes as I stand on tip-toe to kiss him. “Thank you, Ransom.”
“Anytime.” He grabs hold of the back of my neck. “And I mean that. Anytime you need me I’m here. That I promise you.”
Without a doubt, I know he does, and the little girl who had the big dreams of helping the world be a better place? I think she’s grown up to be a woman who’s finally found her place in the world. Thanks to the man standing beside her.
Chapter 13
Ransom
“How was your weekend?” Menace asks as he takes the passenger seat of my SUV.
The Moonshine Task Force has definitely changed over the years. Menace took over the role of supervisor about a year ago while my dad has stayed on with the department as a consultant. As they all get up in years, their jobs stretch and change while Caleb, Nick, and I take on more of the physicality. There, however, is something to be said for the knowledge, experience, and skill of the guys who’ve come before us. Dad will retire next year, and I’m enjoying working with him while I can, even if I don’t work as closely with him as I did the first two years I was on the force.
Since Menace took over as supervisor, he’s done a bi-monthly ride along wit
h each of us, and we’re working on developing a county-wide emergency response initiative. It’ll include different members of each public service branch: cops, firefighters, nurses, EMTs, doctors, and everything in between. You apply and can pass the tests? You’ll be expected to answer the call when bad things happen that require a response of some kind. If it passes, the MTF will be swallowed into the Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team – LSERT for short. We’re all excited about the new opportunities this could present for our small town.
“It was good.” I smile to myself as I think about the time spent with Stelle. After we came back from our hike, she and I had dedicated our afternoon to seeing what all she needs to do to make her dreams come true. I’m beyond proud and excited for her.
“What’s with the smile?” He takes a drink of his coffee. We’re working the early shift today and both of us are sucking down the caffeine.
I haven’t told anyone about Stelle, not really. Nick and Kels know because they know us, but I haven’t told anyone else about who she is. I’ve always trusted Menace, not only because he’s my dad’s best friend, but because he’s been a steadiness in my life too. I greatly respect his opinion.
“Can I talk to you about something? Something I don’t want a lot of people to know? In fact, I haven’t confirmed it with anyone yet.”
I start up the SUV and begin my drive through town, waiting on him to answer.
“You know I’m dedicated to helping you all with whatever it is you need. Your heads need to be in the game out here, so if I can help with that, you know I will. But word of warning, if you don’t want your dad to know about it, you better get to talking, because we’re meeting him for lunch today.” Menace gives me a pointed look.
It’s safe to say I’ve never been one to spill my guts, but this is a change in my life where I need to talk to someone. Knowing that Menace is here for me is one of the best things he can do for me as not only a friend but a co-worker and supervisor.
“I spent the weekend with Stella,” I blurt out my secret almost too loud.
He starts coughing on the drink he’s just taken. Now I’m scared I’ve killed him. “Stella Kepler?” He coughs again, clearing his throat loudly. “As in Renegade’s daughter, Stella?”
“Yeah.” I let the breath I’ve been holding out. “That Stella.”
“Dude.” Menace laughs, clapping his hands together. “Does Renegade know?”
“Fuck no,” I’m quick to answer. “I just told you nobody really knows.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“Not long at all. You know when I helped her at the Urgent Clinic standoff? She made me dinner.”
“Wait.” Menace’s tone is disbelieving. “That was only a few weeks ago.”
“We’ve known each other our whole lives,” I defend us.
“You have.”
“And from what I’ve heard through the grapevine, you and Karina didn’t waste any time either.” Once on a night right after I had graduated high school, the MTF had let me sit in on one of their drinking sessions – me sober, of course – and Menace had admitted he and Karina screwed the first night they met.
“Okay, you’ve got me there.” He runs a hand through his still thick hair. “You two are just so young.”
“Not so young,” I argue. “Karina was twenty-seven when the two of you got married. I’m twenty-six and Stelle is twenty-eight. You’re not looking at us objectively. You’re still seeing the two of us as little kids.”
This is frustrating, he’s known us our whole lives yes, but I was hoping he could take that out of the equation. He’s quiet for longer than I like, but in the end, he takes another drink, this time swallowing it without choking.
“You’re right.” He stretches his legs out on the passenger side. “You’re two adults. I mean you own a house, and Stella lives with my daughter, who I also know is an adult, but it’s really hard to see her that way too. Okay, here we go. What’s happening with you?”
“I spent the weekend with her.” I sigh like a love-struck teenager. “It was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had. She texted me this morning, and I think I’m still smiling from it. Who is this person I’ve become?” I look over at Menace like he has all the answers in the world.
“You’ve got it bad, my man. We all go through it. But why aren’t you telling anyone?”
There’s a dark cloud that literally comes inside the SUV, settling over my head. “What if we don’t work out? We’re kind of worried it would mess up our group of friends. What if people start taking sides? It would make it awkward for everyone involved. Not to mention, Renegade isn’t going to think I’m good enough for his daughter.”
“Oh hell no, no one is good enough for my daughter, and I know he’s the same way. There is one thing I’ll tell you, Ransom. You’re a good man, and I’m starting to realize you are a man. For a long time, I’ve seen you as the teenager who used to come to the house, and get in trouble when he’d take Havoc’s truck without permission.”
I laugh, thinking about how I always did that. It used to piss my dad off so much. “Yeah, I have my own truck now.” A self-indulgent smile spreads across my face. “But I have to admit I had a great time with all those high school girls I used to mess around with in his.”
Mason laughs along with me. “And everybody knew that’s what you were doing.”
“Yeah, I’ve never been great at hiding shit, which is why I’m so nervous about this.”
“Don’t be.” Mason looks over at me, expression serious. “Don’t be nervous.”
“I’m nervous as fuck. Like what do I have to offer this woman? She’s turned my life upside down. In a few days, she’s turned my life upside down. Is it always like this?”
“Yes,” he laughs. “It’s always like this when it’s meant to be. It’s all encompassing. She’s all you think about, the only place you want to be, the person who makes you happy, the one who makes you feel like you can conquer any obstacle in your way.” He sighs himself. “I mean you don’t always get that, sometimes it takes half your life to find it. Judging by the way you’re talking, by the way you look, you’ve found it.”
“I think I have, and maybe that’s what scares me.”
“Anything that doesn’t scare you, isn’t worth it, Ransom. Think about joining the MTF, getting Rambo, telling your parents you didn’t want to go to a four-year university when your brother was a shoe-in for a scholarship. All of that scared you, I know it did, and look how it’s turned out. As far as what you have to offer her?”
This is what I’m the most scared of. Mason’s opinion means a lot to me, more than I’ve ever let anyone know.
“You’re a great man, an amazing friend, and one of the best cops I’ve had the honor of working alongside of. You’re your father’s son in the best of ways.” He gives me a grin. “I’m proud you’re on my team, and it’s a pleasure to serve beside you every day. Don’t ever think you’re less than what you are.”
There’s a lump in my throat I don’t want to acknowledge, but there’s also a pride I’ve never felt before. Like I’ve finally gotten over a hump and come out the other side having grown into the person I’ve always wanted to be. As we turn into The Café, I see Dad leaning against his truck.
“What we just talked about will stay between us, until you don’t want it to anymore,” Menace assures me as I come to a stop.
And I know this man is as good as his word. Between him and my dad, I have the best people to look up to. All I have to do is be the person I know I can – the person Stella deserves – the man she makes me want to be.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Dad says as we all start to take our seats at the table we’ve been put at in The Café, “but I invited Renegade since he’s riding solo today.”
Fuck me. Sitting at a table with Stella’s dad after I just confessed to someone else how I feel about her? This could get sticky.
“No, the more the merrier.” Menace shoots me a loo
k as he has a seat next to me.
Whenever I’m around these guys I tend to be quieter because I just like to listen to what they have to say. Today, I’m worried I might say something wrong. A waitress comes over and takes our orders, at my feet Rambo situates himself so that he rests his head on my foot. It’s truly one of the most comforting things he’s ever done for me.
“Thanks for walking your mom out last night.” Dad sits on the other side of me, pushing against my elbow. “She told me you made a trip back for her. I appreciate it.”
“She’s my mom,” I chuckle. “You know I’d do just about anything for her. I don’t think she should be closing at night by herself,” I give him my opinion. “She basically told me that was none of my business, but I’m telling you, it’s not right.”
“I’d agree with you, but you know as well as I do, Leigh is stubborn. Especially when she’s got shit on her mind.”
So Dad knows she’s got some stuff going on, even though Mom thinks she’s hiding it so damn well. That’s the mark of a great relationship, a great marriage. “She thinks she’s hiding it from you.”
A tight smile spreads across Dad’s face as he reaches up to push his palm over the buzzcut he still keeps. Slowly, he takes a drink of the water in front of him. His arm tattoos somewhat faded, but still there. Just looking at my dad, you would think he was in his early-fifties, not going into his mid-sixties. “She always thinks she’s doing something. When it’s time, I’ll call her on it.”
“Can’t wait to see how that goes.”
“I’m well-versed in how it’s going to go with your mom.”
Tilting my head, I shake it. That’s the type of shit I have no desire to hear about. “Enough said.”
He nods. “Yup.”
Menace and Renegade are discussing the meeting we’re having in a few weeks. It’s of interest to all of us, because the county will be deciding if they want to implement the emergency response team or not. As I’m about to give my opinion, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Leaning back in my chair, I extend my leg, grabbing the phone out. When I flip it over and activate the screen, I see Stella’s name. I can’t help but smile.
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