“That’s understandable, but you need to give it time. When Bronson gets to know you better, he’ll fall head over heels for you. I know it.”
I snickered and gave her a pointed look. “You can’t change people, and I’m not stupid enough to think he’ll suddenly want to commit just because he likes me.” I started painting the nails on my right hand. “When he took me out to lunch, you should have seen the waitress throw herself at him. If I continue to date him that probably won’t be the last time it happens. And why should he settle on one when he can have multiple women falling at his feet?”
Emily shook her head. “Bronson’s bored with all the attention. Trust me, he wants an equal partner, someone who looks past the external and sees him for who he really is: a kind man with a heart of gold.”
Ethan strode into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. He surveyed his options as he pushed a few items out of the way. “Still trying to play matchmaker, honey? Leave the poor girl alone—don’t get her hopes up. Bronson doesn’t have plans to get serious with another woman anytime soon. His last experience left him skittish.” He picked up a can of soda from the bottom shelf and closed the refrigerator door.
My heart dropped. Guys knew how to read other guys, especially if they were good friends. He’d probably had countless discussions with Bronson about this very topic and recognized where he stood on the matter. My posture fell. “See? That’s exactly why I have to set my expectations low. I don’t have time for games or players or men with dreamy blue eyes that make me picture future children with the same exquisite eyes.”
Emily snickered. “I can picture miniature Allisons and Bronsons running around. I have a feeling about you two. It’s just a matter of time.”
For a second, the light in her eyes died, and I had a feeling she was thinking about her own desire to have children, and her struggle to conceive.
I was about to say something when Ethan caught my eye as he leaned against the kitchen counter. He nodded towards Emily. “She said the exact same thing to me before we started dating. Snagged me before I had a chance to say no.”
“What did she say exactly?”
“It’s just a matter of time.”
I laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”
Emily giggled unapologetically. “I roped him in, inch by inch. He never had a chance.”
“Well, when it comes to Bronson and me, let’s not forget he’s a dog man and I’m a cat woman. Dogs and cats—they just don’t mix.”
* * *
The next morning, I pulled up in my driveway at exactly eight-fifty to find Bronson and his friend talking to Mrs. Chapman in my front yard. She had a hand over her heart, and I was just able to make out her quivering voice. “What’s the world coming to? In my day, you could leave the front door of your house unlocked and feel safe in your own home. And now look what we have to deal with!”
I opened my car door and slid out. “Hey, everyone.” Glancing at Bronson and his friend, I smiled. “You guys are early.”
A muscle pulsed in Bronson’s jaw. “I didn’t want you waiting around for us. The last thing we need is for something to happen before we secured the house with an alarm system and cameras.”
“Where’s Ace?”
“He’s at home. I’m not on duty today.” He nodded towards his friend. “This is Steve Harris.”
I stepped forward and shook his hand. “Thank you so much for coming. I really appreciate your help.”
He shrugged. “It’s nothing. I’m glad for the opportunity to help Bronson.”
“Allison, I saw these two men standing in your front yard and had to come investigate,” Mrs. Chapman said, a stern expression on her face. “Did you know Bronson here is an officer of the law?”
I stifled a smile. “Yes, I’m aware.”
She clutched her throat. “He told me he’s here to put security cameras on your front porch. Is that true?”
“I’m afraid it is.” I filled her in on recent events so she would know to stay clear of Barry. “And if you see him, please don’t engage. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She shook her finger at me. “I told you not to trust him.”
“You did indeed. I should have listened more closely. The man seems to follow me wherever I go.”
She glanced at Bronson and Steve. “One night I saw Barry stooping down next to Allison’s car, acting awfully suspicious.”
“That was the evening before my flat tire,” I said.
Bronson frowned. “Let me check something.” He walked over to my car and ran his hand underneath the body of the frame. “I feel something.” He gave a slight tug and pulled some kind of device out from underneath the bottom of the vehicle.
“What in the world?” I asked.
Steve joined him and both men studied the apparatus. Steve shook his head and glanced at me. “This is a GPS tracking device. Whoever put this under your car wanted to monitor your whereabouts.”
The oxygen must have been sucked out of my chest because I found it hard to get a full breath.
“Oh, dear,” Mrs. Chapman said, a worried expression on her face. “That can’t be good.”
For a second, the world around me blurred and a sharp tingling sensation spread across my skin as if my whole body felt numb.
Bronson stepped forward and grabbed me by the shoulders. “Take a deep breath. In through the nose,” he inhaled slowly, “and out through the mouth.” In my peripheral vision, I saw Mrs. Chapman hurry home.
After a few minutes of breathing deeply, I felt a little better. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I think I panicked.”
“You looked like you were about to faint,” Steve said.
Mrs. Chapman returned with a glass of water. “Take a sip. Did you have breakfast this morning?”
I sipped the water. “No, I was in a hurry to get here in time. Didn’t have a chance.”
“As soon as Steve finishes here, I’ll take you out for breakfast,” Bronson said.
“You don’t have to do that—”
“If a strapping young man like Bronson asked me to breakfast, I’d have one word for him,” Mrs. Chapman said with a nod. “And that would be a resounding yes.”
“I think you should listen to your neighbor,” Bronson said. “She knows what she’s talking about.”
A slow smile spread across my lips. “We’ll see. Let’s take care of business first.”
9
Steve stood in my front entryway after finishing his work. “I changed all your locks and installed motion detectors on the windows as well as the doors leading out of the house. I set up a camera in your living room, your front and back porch, and one in your bedroom. Also, I put one above your garage door so you can keep an eye on your car and make sure no one’s tampering with it.”
I sighed with relief. “Thank you for that.”
“If anyone tries to break-in, an alarm will go off and the police will be notified.” He showed me the console where I needed to input my security code. “When you leave for the day or go to bed at night, press these buttons to set the alarm.” He explained how to download an app where I could monitor the cameras away from home.
“Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it. How much do I owe you?”
He glanced at Bronson. “Nothing. It’s all been taken care of.”
“Are you sure? I know this equipment isn’t free.”
“Write a nice review for me on Yelp. Like I said earlier, I’m doing it as a favor for Bronson, and he refers me to new clients all the time. It’s not a big deal.” He handed me a card. “If you have any problems, give me a call.”
“I will. Thank you. I feel better knowing my home is more secure.”
After Steve left, Bronson turned to me. “Would you like to join me for breakfast?” He glanced at the time. “Actually, more like brunch.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“There’s a hole-in-the-wall place not far from here that m
akes amazing pancakes. Want to try it out?”
“Sure. Those are the best kind of places.”
We took Bronson’s car and once on the road, I let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t believe Barry installed a tracker on my vehicle. No wonder he knew how to find me.”
Bronson’s lips tightened. “I want you to file a restraining order right away.”
“I will. After seeing the GPS device, you don’t need to convince me.”
“Good.”
We arrived at the restaurant and made our way inside. It was crowded, and after waiting twenty minutes, we were seated. The waiter handed out menus and within a few minutes, we both ordered the pancake special.
Bronson settled back in his seat. “Mind if I ask you something random but fun? It’s a get-to-know-you kind of question.”
“Sure, I love random and fun.”
He grinned. “All right. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?”
“Are you going to share your embarrassing moment as well?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay then.” I smiled and drummed my fingers on the table. “I’ve had a few laughable situations over the years. It’s hard to pick one, but I’ll tell you my high school story.”
He rubbed his palms together. “This should be good. I love high school stories.”
“So, I’ve always been a bit squeamish and can’t listen to detailed accounts of blood and guts and all that.”
“Good to know.” He leaned forward on his elbows and gazed at me with interest.
“One afternoon, I was in my high school biology class, and the teacher said we could talk quietly amongst ourselves after we finished an assignment.” I peeked at him from underneath my eyelashes. “The student who sat in front of me turned around in her seat and starting asking advice about the birds and the bees. Apparently, her parents didn’t like to talk about that stuff.”
Bronson snickered. “Uh huh. Go on.”
“She asked a few questions I won’t repeat now, but let’s say they were not the type of things you’d want others to hear.” I turned my head and smoothed back an unruly strand of hair. “Anyway, once we’d finished discussing that, she switched topics abruptly to this surgery she had, and she went into specific detail about an infection she got after the surgery.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Yeah, uh-oh is right. I should have stopped her right then. I felt sick to my stomach, and I got this tingling sensation all over my body. The next thing I knew, I woke up on the ground with my head underneath one of the desks.”
Bronson’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. The teacher made all the students evacuate the classroom because she thought I’d had a seizure or something. I’d only fainted, but apparently, while waiting outside, everyone in the class asked my friend why I passed out.”
“And?”
“She didn’t want to tell them about her infection, so she said we’d talked about the birds and the bees, and it was too much for me, so I fainted.”
Bronson erupted in laughter. “No way. She really said that?”
“Yep.” I laughed. “I decided to take one for the team because I understood why she didn’t want everyone to know about her infection. It was pretty gruesome.”
“Did everyone give you a hard time?”
I shook my head. “They must have felt sorry for me because they let it go and never spoke of it.” We made eye contact, and I grinned. “At least, they didn’t speak of it while I was around.”
Bronson laughed. “That’s a good story. I want to hear another one.”
“Not so fast, it’s your turn.” I scooted closer and twisted my body to face him with my hands folded in my lap. “Can’t wait to hear one of yours.”
“There’s so many.”
“Pick one.”
The waiter brought out two heaping platters of thick, fluffy pancakes and my eyes widened. “Whoa. These look like they could feed a whole football team.”
“This place has the best food.”
“Duly noted.” I used a knife to spread whipped butter on each pancake. “All right. Your turn. I want to hear one of your stories.”
He smiled. “I’ll tell you about the one I experienced on the job.” He cut up his pancakes and poured syrup on top.
“Does this involve Ace?” I asked, taking a bite and closing my eyes. “You weren’t kidding about how good these are. I could easily eat here every week.”
“Are you offering me a standing date?”
Snickering, I wiggled my eyebrows. “We’ll see. Finish your story first.”
“Okay.” He took a moment to eat another bite. “It does involve Ace. Early on in his training—it was Ace’s first time to search for drugs—we were called out to a scene where officers suspected the man had hidden drugs in his car.” He glanced at me and snickered. “The guy dressed like a gangster with these ridiculous low-rider jeans that kept bunching around his knees and exposed the tops of his boxers.”
“Did Ace . . .?
Bronson nodded. “He took off running and before I could stop him, he bit into the guy’s pants and pulled them down. They were already too big, so the guy lost his balance and went flying to the ground.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “That poor man. He probably never saw it coming.”
Bronson snickered. “I had to pull Ace off and help the guy up. The worst part was he accused me of doing it on purpose. Said I intentionally sent my dog to pull down his pants. I had to explain over and over that Ace had gotten overexcited and needed a little retraining.” He grinned. “Fun times. Fun times.”
His eyes swept my face, and the intensity of his gaze made my heart flutter. Warmth spread through my entire body, and I flushed. Having his full attention like this messed with my endorphins because I felt like getting up and running a few laps. I couldn’t hold back the smile that forced its way on my lips, and it was as if he knew which strings to pull, drawing me in, little by little.
“Why are you smiling, Allison?” Bronson lowered his voice to a teasing lilt. “Is it because I just told you a great story . . . or is it something else?”
The tone of his voice . . . the way his eyes locked on mine . . . the man was slowly hypnotizing me, and I wasn’t an unwilling participant.
I blinked, trying to wake up from my daze. “Maybe I like being here with you in this moment. You’re pretty cool when you aren’t in your business as usual mode.”
He pushed a stray lock of hair behind my ears. “Am I now?”
I nodded and scooted a little closer, enjoying the deep timbre of his voice.
Bronson bit down on his bottom lip and studied me for a few seconds. “Where have you been my whole life?”
I stared back and then burst into laughter. “I can’t believe you’re using that cheesy line. Seriously?”
He lifted his hands in the air and made a face. “First of all, I don’t need to use lines, thank you very much. And second of all, if I used a line on you, it definitely wouldn’t be cheesy.”
“Yeah, right.” I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes. “I’ve heard plenty of lines and they’re all cheesy.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“Maybe.”
“You think I can’t deliver a line that’s not lame or cheesy?”
I leaned back in my seat. “I doubt it.”
He straightened. “Tell a man he can’t do something, and he’ll do anything to prove you wrong.”
I winked. “Thanks for the info. Now I know reverse psychology works on you.”
He tapped me on the tip of my nose. “Very funny, Allycat.”
The gesture gave me permission to touch one of his dimples with my finger. “These are so cute.”
“Come on, now. Don’t distract me. I’m trying to think of a line you won’t find corny.”
“Good luck with that.”
“All right, here’s one. Ready?”
I nodded.
; He leaned forward and gazed into my eyes. “Allison, has anyone ever told you that the gold flecks in your hazel eyes make you look like an angel?”
A beat passed and then I shook my head. “That sounded so canned.”
He cleared his throat. “All right. Give me another chance. I have a better one. You’re really going to like this.”
“You think?”
“Yep. Trust me . . . this is the one.” He licked his lips and smiled. “Are you sure you’re not tired? Because you’ve been running through my mind all day.”
I burst into laughter and put my head down on the table, knocking it a few times for good measure. “That was bad . . . so so bad.” I straightened and gave him a look. “I think you should quit while you’re ahead.”
He licked his lips. “Oh, no, we’re just getting started.” He stared up at the ceiling and appeared to think for a moment and then glanced at me with a grin. “How about this one? I’m not a photographer, but I can picture you and me together.” He winked. “Like that one? See how I put photographer and picture together?”
My mouth dropped open. “Sorry, but that was . . . unimpressive,” I said, snickering. “How many of these do you know?”
“Maybe I shouldn’t admit this but more than a dozen or so.”
“Okay. Let’s hear another.”
“When God made you, He was showing off.”
“Well, that rolled off your tongue awfully quick. Use that one a lot?”
“Nope. Never have.”
“I’ll tell you one I’ve heard a few times.” I glanced around as I tried to think exactly how it went. “You’re pretty, and I’m cute.” I put a hand on his arm. “Together, we’d be pretty cute.”
“Nice,” he said, grinning. “That’s very original except I think you got it mixed up.”
“No, I said it correctly.”
“You’re the pretty one, and I’m cute.”
“Are you capitalizing on my pickup line, Bronson?”
“Of course. You opened the door. How could I not walk through?” He smiled. “By the way, do you have a Band-Aid I can use?”
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