by Tara Rose
“I didn’t think you had.”
“Was it a car accident?”
“No.” He took several deep breaths. Eighteen years and it was still so fucking difficult to talk about. “He murdered them because they wouldn’t give him any money. He broke into their house. I was away at school and my sister, Sally, was out on a date.”
Her eyes widened. “Sally Decker…that’s where I know your last name from. Now I realize who you are. She and I were in the same grade. She owns the Racy Jewelry store now, right?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Carson, I am so sorry. I didn’t put it all together until now.”
“You don’t owe me an apology, but thank you for the concern.”
“As much as my parents drive me nuts, I can’t imagine going through something like that, and at such a young age.”
“It hasn’t been a cakewalk since then. But I wouldn’t be a cop otherwise, and I wouldn’t be as involved in the D.A.R.E. program in the schools.”
She nodded several times. “Giving back to the community. What a wonderful way to honor their memory. That’s what I want to do. I want to figure out how to do something noble like that for Racy. For the hometown I thought was horrible, and that I now realize is…it’s just wonderful.”
For a few seconds he was sure she was going to cry, and he knew if she did, there was no way he’d be able to stop himself from hugging her again. She took a few deep breaths, and then turned to walk again.
Just before they turned the corner onto Ash Lane, he screwed up his courage because this was ridiculous. No woman had ever affected him this way, and so quickly. He had to do something about it.
What’s the worst that could happen? She’d say no and that would be that. But if he didn’t try, he’d regret it. “Would you like to go to a movie or dinner sometime?”
She stopped again and looked at him with only slight trepidation, but he still felt like a damn fool. “Are you sure it’s okay? I mean with you being a cop?”
“You’re not under arrest or accused of a crime.” Was that all she was worried about, or had he missed something else? His instincts were rusty. He hadn’t asked anyone out in over a year.
She watched him for so long that he really wished he’d kept his big mouth shut. But finally her gaze relaxed, and then she smiled again. “In that case, I’d love to.”
He exhaled a bit too loudly, reined it in quickly, and hoped she hadn’t caught it. They were outside her parents’ home, and he followed her to the door that he assumed led up to her apartment. She turned to face him. “Thank you. For everything.”
“You’re welcome.” Dinner. She’d agreed to have dinner with him. Or a movie. The Cineplex was finally open again, but dinner would be more intimate. It would give them more of a chance to talk. “When are you free to go out?” He wanted to kick himself as soon as he’d asked. She had no job. She had no life. She was probably free all the time.
“You name the day, since I don’t know your schedule.”
“I’m off on Tuesday. Have you been to Gino’s Ristoranti since you returned?”
Her eyes widened again. “I’ve never been there. Not even before I left the first time.”
He hadn’t expected that. He’d assumed for years that just about everyone in Racy had been to Gino’s at least once. “Well then, I’m taking you there on Tuesday. I’ll pick you up about six.”
“Okay. Thank you. I can’t wait.”
Carson kissed her forehead because he had to kiss something on her body, and he knew if he kissed her mouth, he’d never make it back to the station tonight to finish his shift. “So am I. Good night.”
He turned and got the hell out of there before his dick exploded. With every step, he imagined her standing on the sidewalk, watching him. But he didn’t dare turn around because if he was right, he’d have to go back. And then he’d have to call their chief, Dean Ramsey, and tell him he wasn’t coming in for about a week.
He was in deep, deep shit, and he absolutely loved it.
Chapter Three
Teresa tried to sleep but she couldn’t. After going over everything she’d said to Sean and Carson, and convincing herself that she hadn’t left out any important details, she stood in front of the bathroom mirror and stared at the spot on her forehead that Carson had kissed. She felt like a girl in school again, mooning over her first crush.
About two in the morning she finally fell asleep briefly, but Ray and his friends chased her in dreams, as they did too often these days. When she awoke it was still dark, so she sent Maggie an e-mail, asking about Carson. Maggie still rose at the crack of dawn, even on weekends, so she knew she’d probably receive an answer this morning.
It was so lonely in the tiny apartment. When she’d come back home in January it was to find Ria living here. Ria had moved back home after the tornado last May destroyed the bar and the apartment above it that Ria and Peppi used to share. Teresa had only half listened to all the details, because she’d been too busy crying all the time and trying to figure out how she was going to survive.
But it had been nice having her sister here, just the same. Then once Ria started dating Trent and Wyatt Rohan, she’d moved back in with Peppi above the new location for Luke’s Bar on Riverfront. She was now she was living with Trent and Wyatt in their condo.
Teresa was completely out of the gossip loop, but that was all right. She was more comfortable being on the fringes. It would take time to get to know everyone all over again, but she’d made an important first step in going to the police station.
And she had a date Tuesday. A real date. With a man who had a real job, and whom she knew wouldn’t start hanging out with people who sold drugs or stole things. Right here in her hometown. She wished she’d never left, but that was an old wish. She’d been wishing it for years. There were no time machines, so she couldn’t go back and change that. All she could do was move forward. That’s what Julie always told her, and Julie was right. She would start today, by going out in her town and taking a walk. It was time to start living again. It was time to stop being afraid.
* * * *
Garrett Amato was the newest sergeant on the Racy police force, and that meant when there was more than one of them on a shift, he usually drew the short straw. He didn’t mind taking patrol instead of desk duty, especially on a beautiful day like this. Finally, it was warmer than forty degrees. Everyone in this town was looking forward to spring, including Garrett.
He usually rode with one of the officers, but today he had the cruiser all to himself. It was a perfect, bright Sunday morning, and even though church services were still going on, there were a few pedestrians out and about. He nodded to those he knew, and even to those he only recognized by sight. That was the beauty of a small town. Everyone knew everyone else, at least by face if not by name.
Garrett had an ulterior motive, though, for scrutinizing the people he saw. With all the trouble they’d had recently, Garrett and the other police officers were on the lookout for anyone they didn’t recognize.
He turned the corner from Market Street onto Riverfront Drive, frowning as a pretty woman walked slowly past the shops. The only one open this morning was Have Some Coffee, but she didn’t go into it. She strolled along as though she was window shopping, but there was also something a bit off about her. He had no idea who she was, although she looked like one of the Rodriguez sisters.
They’d been briefed this morning by Sean and Carson about Teresa Rodriguez’s story last night, but he hadn’t expected to see her out strolling along the river on a Sunday morning, as if she hadn’t a care in the world.
He picked up his radio. “Hey, Randie, this is Garrett.” Randie Johnson had pulled desk duty today.
“Go, Garrett.”
“Do we have a physical description on Teresa Rodriguez?”
“Thin, about five foot five, long, dark curly hair and dark eyes. Why?” Randie’s voice held a note of concern.
“Just curious. She’s
out taking a walk along Riverfront.”
“Is that a crime now?”
Garrett disconnected the call. Randie was always giving him shit for chattering on the radio about nothing, but he was bored out of his mind most days he was on patrol. Except for the occasional excitement in this town, nothing really happened. Especially on a Sunday morning. He passed Teresa and tried to get a look at her face in the rearview mirror, but nearly ran down Minnie Hester who was out walking her dog.
He slammed on his brakes, and she waved to him from the middle of the crosswalk as if she had no idea he’d almost hit her. Garrett made his way down Riverfront toward Ash Lane. Near the east end of that street sat the Rodriguez house. It was a sprawling bungalow that boasted a double lot—something rare in this part of town—as well as a two-story garage. Teresa was living up there now, according to Sean and Carson.
As Garrett drove down Main Street, admiring the nearly completed new courthouse and City Hall, his thoughts turned toward Teresa’s siblings. Rafe and Luke were Doms, and now Ria was a sub to Trent and Wyatt. As he always did when he thought about his friends in the lifestyle, he wondered if he’d ever have what they did. And it wasn’t just the Dom/sub relationships that he couldn’t help being jealous of. Some had started families. Ria was pregnant, and Olivia Kelly had given birth to a girl in March. Storm Jamison, the fire inspector, and Cameron Sinclair, the fire chief, were her Doms, and they were all blissfully happy.
Racy had eleven triads, and Garrett was friends with each of the people in them. He didn’t begrudge any of them their happiness, but hell…he’d share a sub just to have a date with one. She didn’t even have to be a sub. Just a female. His total lack of a dating life was his own fault and he knew that.
He’d spent so much time playing around, stringing women along and even pitting them against each other, that now no one took him seriously. At twenty-two it had been fun. At thirty-seven it was just pathetic. And lonely. Very, very lonely.
Teresa was peering into the front windows of the Racy Jewelry store when he drove down Riverfront again. Hadn’t she gone to school with Sally Decker? He thought so. They’d both been one year behind him, and he only knew that because he’d asked Sally out once. And then he’d never called her again. That had been his MO back then, but he’d never act that way now, if only someone would give him a chance.
Garrett sighed as he circled around Riverfront again, this time watching out for Minnie. But she was down on the river walk now, so there was no danger of hitting her. She was a sweet lady who ignored traffic as if she constantly forgot that it even existed.
As he passed The Fit Bod, Racy’s gym, he spotted several cars there already, including Thayer Denning’s ridiculous Porsche with the license plate that read “Dr Bod.” Thayer had a PhD in exercise physiology. He and Evan Rydell were both Doms to Cherilyn Barker, and Thayer insisted his vanity plate was good advertising for the gym. He and Evan had designed The Fit Bod, and they also co-owned it.
Garrett had told him often enough that since he only drove the Porsche through Racy, and everyone in Racy already knew about the gym, he wasn’t advertising anything except his silly car. Thayer was a good friend, but he was a bit full of himself.
Cherilyn worked for them now, having quit her job as an administrative assistant at City Hall last summer, the same time that Olivia Kelly had done so. Last summer had seen a lot of drama for the residents of Racy, starting with the tornado in May, and ending with Bernie Crumb’s indictment for murder. Nothing like a town’s mayor being mixed up with the bad guys.
Garrett swung down Ash Lane again, then turned right onto Market Street. When he turned right onto Riverfront one last time, he was still thinking about the events of last summer, and didn’t see the woman step off the sidewalk in front of the Racy Animal Clinic until he nearly hit her.
* * * *
Teresa looked up when she heard tires squealing, saw the police cruiser bearing down on her, and then she jumped back, falling on her ass in the process. The officer got out of his car and stared at her as if she had lobsters crawling on her face.
“I am so sorry,” she said, convinced she was about to be arrested any second now. “Totally my fault. I was lost in my daydreams.” Oh, classy. Now he’ll really think you’re an idiot. “I’m really sorry.”
He just kept staring at her without saying anything. She stared back because now she realized who it was. Garrett Amato. She’d gone to school with his sister, Ginger, and he’d been one year ahead of them. Garrett had been a player, but all the girls swooned over him. He’d also been a football star, and he hadn’t dated anyone more than once who wasn’t a cheerleader or on the pep squad. Teresa had been as far away from either as it was possible to get. He’d gone out with Sally once and then never called her again. Sally had cried for two weeks.
He looked older, but the years had been kind to him. She actually thought he looked far better now than he had in high school. What was it with the cops in this town? Garrett had the same warm brown eyes she remembered, and brown hair with a slight reddish tint, just like his sister. His features were handsome and charming. He had the kind of face you could gaze at for hours and never grow tired of looking at it.
But this was silly. She had to say something. “Garrett Amato, right? I remember you. I went to school with your sister.” Ginger had been one of her friends, once upon a time. She worked for Maggie now, as a marketing specialist at Notus. Teresa only knew that because Maggie had mentioned it in one of her recent e-mails. She’d been encouraging Teresa to contact her old friends since Teresa had moved back home.
Garrett finally moved, advancing toward her with his hand out. She took it, not realizing that she’d still been sitting on the pavement until he helped her up. “I remember you, too, Teresa. Are you okay?”
He remembered her? Really? She hadn’t realized he even knew her name. “Oh, yes. Yes. I didn’t see your car. My fault. I’m really sorry.”
He looked embarrassed when she didn’t immediately let go of his hand, so she snatched hers away. Good lord. Could this be any more awkward?
“No, totally my fault. I didn’t see you either. Don’t tell anyone I was driving that recklessly, okay? I seem to be lost in a fog this morning. I almost hit Minnie Hester and her dog a few moments ago.”
Teresa laughed softly. “I’m a bit out of it this morning, too. It’s so pretty. But I should be more careful.”
His gaze roamed over her face, and Teresa had to take a deep breath to slow her heart rate. Was this real? He’d never given her more than a passing glance in school.
“We all heard you were back in town.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly, then remembered Sean asking if it was all right to share her story with the entire department. That meant he knew everything, not just that she’d moved back home again. “Sean and Carson told me they would share everything I told them last night with all the officers.”
He laughed as though he was nervous, and she found it shocking to see him so unnerved. He’d never strolled down the halls of Northwest High School exuding anything but smug, self-assurance. “See? I told you I was in a fog. I keep circling the same blocks this morning, too. Passed your parents’ house a couple of times now.”
She didn’t know how to respond, so she simply smiled.
“Are you back for good?”
“Yes. This time I am.”
“Great. Good. It’s a great town to live in.”
“I agree.” Why did he sound so off balance? What the hell had happened to him in the past eighteen years to change his personality this much?
“Are you working anywhere?”
“No. I’ve just started looking for a job.” Until she’d started seeing Julie, she hadn’t been able to do much more than cry and shake whenever she saw a man walk past the house.
He pointed east toward Market Street. “Busler’s Department Store is reopening at the end of May. At least, that’s what the sign in front of it says. And I know they’
re hiring. They lost a lot of employees last summer when all that stuff happened with the fire.”
“Fire?”
He frowned. “No one told you? Part of what Bernie Crumb was involved with included a serial arsonist who set fire to the original warehouse that housed the courts and City Hall while the reconstruction took place. That same arsonist tried to kill Gina Santori, Olivia Kelly, and Annalise Kerr by setting the Kelly’s garage on fire. The three women were in the apartment above it that day, working on their company, Giolanna Design Solutions.”
“Oh my God. I had no idea.” Teresa felt sick to her stomach as images of the things Garrett had just told her danced through her head. Her current dilemma paled in comparison to the problems this town had endured in the past year. And yet, no one else had hidden away for months and cried every minute. Teresa was suddenly ashamed of the time and emotional energy she’d spent on Ray Hammond. Enough was enough.
“Busler’s lost its HR director because it turned out she was in on it, and now she’s in jail. So Claude hired everyone new, from the top down. And now he needs sales help because most of his employees had to move on and find other jobs.”
“Well, thank you. I’ll apply there right away.”
“Glad I could help.”
They stared at each other, and the silence grew awkward. She’d never exchanged more than ten words with Garrett in school, if even that. It was odd to realize they’d just had a real conversation for the first time. “It’s good to see you again. I’ve been meaning to call Ginger.”
“I’m sure she’d love to hear from you.”
“Well, I should let you get back to your patrol.” His cruiser was still in the middle of the street with the driver’s side door open and the motor running.
“Yeah, I should.” He started to turn around, but then stopped and faced her. Teresa knew he was going to ask her out before he spoke again, and she couldn’t help but smile. Two cops asking her out in less than twenty-four hours. She felt like Dorothy must have when she emerged from the farm house and realized she most definitely was not in Kansas anymore.