She didn’t look up.
He squeezed her hand. “Jess.”
She took a deep breath before bringing her eyes to his. He braced himself for tears, for sadness, for anger.
He knew from a brief conversation with Nate that Kellan was beyond pissed about what had gone down. Not just with the situation at Superior Metals, but with Jess’s involvement in the story. Jarrett had tried to come to her defense, but Nate wasn’t hearing it. She’d gone to talk to people, to potential witnesses, as an officer, had even identified herself as such. And she had done it without clearing it through Kellan first.
For their captain, that was an almost unforgivable offense.
“We talked this morning,” she said.
Jarrett nodded. He knew this. She’d told him last night, as he was leaving her house. After they’d collapsed in bed together, both of them exhausted by the aftermath of the night before. They’d been too tired to do anything but hold each other, their arms wrapped tight, Jarrett’s lips pressed against Jess’s hair.
It had been enough.
More than enough.
“And?” Jarrett said, waiting for her to elaborate.
“And I don’t know.” She glanced back down at the table.
“What does that mean?” he asked with a frown. “What did he say?”
She swallowed. “He said a lot of things. Chewed my ass out for not following protocol. For acting impulsively. For not following the chain of command.”
Jarrett winced. He didn’t know Kellan well, but Nate had indicated that this would be the type of reaction he would have. The chief of police was known for his cool calm, until something really pissed him off, and then he let it all out.
She took a deep breath. “But he also said I did good.”
Jarrett arched an eyebrow in surprise.
She gave him a small smile. “Said that if we hadn’t done what we did, Katie Simmons’s death would have been classified as accidental. Just some woman who had taken too much Valium and slipped into the river. Said they may never have known about the situation at Superior Metals. Said we probably did the town a world of good, exposing potential contamination and giving officials the opportunity to correct things sooner rather than later.”
Jarrett smiled. All of those things were true.
But there was something she hadn’t said yet.
Something he was waiting for.
“What about your job?”
Her shoulders sagged and he felt a wave of disappointment wash over him.
Shit. He’d fired her.
“I haven’t decided,” she said, her voice heavy.
His brow furrowed. “What? What’s that supposed to mean?”
She drummed the tabletop with her free hand. “It means that Kellan gave me a written reprimand. It’ll go in my permanent record.”
He nodded, still frowning.
“But he said that, due to mitigating circumstances, this wouldn’t reflect badly on my opportunities for advancement.”
“Advancement?”
She nodded.
“What kind of advancement?”
“Detective.”
Jarrett squeezed her hand tight. “Really? That’s great! That’s what you want, right?”
To his surprise, her shoulders sagged even heavier.
“What’s wrong?”
She closed her eyes. “I don’t know if that’s what I want.”
“Okay,” he said slowly, trying to understand.
She looked at him, her eyes shining with tears, and his heart constricted. He didn’t want her to cry. He wanted her to be happy. She deserved to be happy.
“I became a police officer because it’s what I thought I was supposed to do.” Her voice was wooden. “I don’t know if it’s what I want.”
“What do you want, then?” he asked.
“That’s the problem. I don’t know.” She sighed. “I want to help solve cases. I think. I just…I want to find answers. I want to help people. I don’t want to direct traffic or write speeding tickets.”
“But you can do those things as a detective, can’t you?” Jarrett asked gently. “Solve cases? Help people?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “But I just don’t know if I want to. Being a police officer was my dad’s dream, not mine. I chose that career because I thought I would make him proud.”
“Jess.” He tipped her chin up with his thumb and smiled at her. “Your dad would be proud of you whatever you did. I promise.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
His fingers moved from her chin to her cheek and he cupped her face in his hand. “You know,” he said, the smile on his lips growing wider, “this story I’m working on is kind of big.”
Her eyebrows dipped, and he could read the confusion in her expression.
“I think I know a way you can solve cases and help people,” he said. “Except I call them stories.”
Her eyes rounded.
“I can’t do all this on my own,” he explained, waving a hand at the newspaper. “There are a thousand different leads to follow up on. Who knows how far back this goes? Superior could have been polluting the water for years.”
“Well yeah, but—”
“I can’t do all of it on my own.”
“There are other reporters at the Daily.”
Jarrett shook his head. “Yeah, but I don’t work well with other people.” He caught himself and gave her a sheepish smile. “Scratch that. I work well with one other person. You.”
“You’re asking me to quit my job and come work with you? Does your boss know this?”
“Terry won’t care,” he told her. “He wants the stories. Period. Whatever it takes.”
Jess closed her eyes. Her cheek was still in his hand, her skin soft and warm and smooth.
“I don’t know,” she murmured. “I don’t know what I want.”
He leaned close, his lips within inches of hers. “That’s okay,” he whispered. “You don’t have to make a decision now.”
Her eyes flickered open. He lost himself in the warmth of those amber pools.
“Actually, I do know one thing I want,” she said.
He waited.
Her eyes locked on his and his heart somersaulted.
“You,” she whispered.
His lips found hers, a gently heated kiss that set him aflame and sent desire and love coursing through him.
There were a lot of things Jarrett wanted. Things he had no problem admitting.
He wanted justice for his mom and the citizens of Aspen Falls.
He wanted to be the one who could continue to tell the story, to shine a light on what had happened to their town and what steps were being taken to rectify it.
But, like Jess, there was one thing he wanted above all else.
She was nestled in his arms, her lips locked on his.
And he was never letting go.
THE END
Dear Reader…
Dear reader,
I’m so excited that Jarrett and Jessica have found their happy ending. I can’t wait to see what they get up to in future novels. Will Jess end up investigating stories alongside her new love?
And will they make an appearance in the next book—Desperate Measures—which is all about the Latina detective, Camila and her ex-boyfriend, Alex?
Alex walked out of Cam’s life years ago...because it was the only way he could protect her from the man he knew he would become.
But now he’s back and needs Cam’s help, forcing her to choose between listening to her head or following her heart. Whatever choice she makes, she knows one thing: they’re both in danger. And they might not make it out alive.
DESPERATE MEASURES is due for release in August 2018.
If you want to be the first to hear about it, sign up for the newsletter. You’ll also be eligible for an early release discount, plus a free Melissa Pearl novel.
Happy reading!
xx
Melissa & Anna
&nb
sp; Aspen Falls Novels
All Aspen Falls Novels are available on Amazon.
DEAD OF WINTER
When Officer Blaine Hartford pulls over a distraught woman, he’s surprised to find his high school crush in the car. Old feelings are reignited as he tries to help her, but will she have the courage to tell him the truth…or are her secrets too ugly to share?
DEAD SET
Alaina is convinced her brother did not commit suicide, but no one will believe her. So, she hires a private investigator and the two soon find themselves caught in a dangerous game as the people desperate to keep the truth hidden will do anything to stop them.
DARK HORSE
No longer able to cope with Nate's obsession with work, Sally walks away. Devastated by the breakup, Nate throws himself into a new case...but when unforeseen circumstances endanger Sally's life, he must turn his back on everything but saving her.
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