Childhood Dream

by Theresa Paolo

  “Go away, Allison,” he said, not even hesitating to stop. No. If he hesitated, she would use that tight little body of hers to block his path. So he kept moving with determined strides.

  Not that it deterred her. Within seconds she was beside him, shoving a microphone into his face. “Can you tell us what the dispute was over? Was anyone arrested?”

  He sighed. There was only one way to handle little Miss TV Reporter. “Fuck. Fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck. Oh and fucking shit.”

  Allison growled and dropped her hand holding the microphone to her thigh. A loud smack echoed through the early late spring day. “Damn it, Reid! You know, I can’t use any footage on air if you curse.”

  “I know,” he said with a smile. He thought she would have learned by now—it had been ten years for crying out loud—but every time one little thing happened in this small town, she insisted on forcing his hand. She had yet to get him on camera, and while her persistence was somewhat admirable, he wished she would just give it a damn break. “Nothing even happened, so you’re not missing much.”

  Just a bunch of jackasses arguing over a girl. The fact that it was six am, and they were still drunk from the night before, made him think he’d need to add another round of patrols to the boardwalk after the bars closed.

  “I can’t have nothing to report, Reid. You got to give me something. Please.”

  He stopped walking and turned to the pain in his ass. She tilted her head, her long black hair falling out from behind her ear. Why he wanted to swipe it back into place was beyond him. “Look, it was just a stupid argument. No punches were thrown, no weapons were drawn. Just verbal diarrhea from a bunch of drunk twenty-one-year-olds who can’t hold their booze.”

  “I can spin it.”

  He had no doubt. The woman could make watching paint dry into a two-hour special event, and people would watch.

  “Go for it,” he said, and started walking again. He needed a cup of coffee and to get back to the station before making his rounds through town.

  He walked into the Local Bean and gave a wave to Cami, the owner, and friend. She greeted him with a bright smile. The strawberry blonde hair she’d been sporting for a while was gone and back to her signature platinum blonde. “How’s it going today?” she asked.

  “Throw a shot of espresso in there, will ya?”

  “A double cafe macchiato it is. Must be a rough morning.”

  “I’ve had worse.”

  Cami brought over the to-go cup and slid it across the counter. She gave the counter a quick wipe down, then tossed the towel over her shoulder. Her arms crossed over her chest, and she nodded toward the wall of windows overlooking the boardwalk. “Wouldn’t have something to do with a certain TV reporter now, would it?”

  “What do you think?” He took a sip of his hot drink and closed his eyes for a brief second as the caffeine work its way through his system then handed exact change over to Cami.

  Cami smirked. “She’s just trying to deliver the news to the good people of the town. Keeping us informed. I appreciate that.”

  “At least one of us does.”

  “Here.” Cami turned away and opened her pastry display. She grabbed a pair of tongs and pulled out an oversized chocolate chip cookie that Reid occasionally treated himself to. “On the house.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” he said.

  “I know, but I think the citizens of Willow Cove will thank me for it later.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Besides, don’t you have a meeting with the mayor today.”

  “I do.” He would be going over his budget and trying to find a way to kindly ask her for an increase.

  “Then consider this a good luck cookie.”

  He took the bag and held it up. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime. Now you better run. She looks distracted at the moment.” Cami nodded toward the boardwalk.

  Without a glance in Allison’s direction, Reid hurried out of the coffee shop and straight to his cruiser. He put the cookie on the seat beside him, took a tip of his coffee, then headed for the station.

  Ten minutes later, he was in his office, going through incident reports and trying to determine if he had the budget to up the patrols along the boardwalk. Curiosity tugged at his gut, though, so despite his resolve, he clicked on the local news.

  Sonny St. Clair, the local weather guy, pointed to a map, declaring clear skies for the next few days.

  Great. Most people loved clear skies and sunshine, but for Reid, it meant the perfect weather for people to do stupid things. “Back to you, Sandra.”

  The forty-year veteran smiled at the camera. Her hair and makeup perfect as always. At sixty-three, the woman still had that spark that most likely got her in that chair in the first place. “Thank you, Sonny. We’re going to go to the boardwalk where Allison Winters is reporting live. Allison?”

  Reid finished his coffee, tossing the cup into the garbage beside his desk. Allison came onto the screen, and he straightened. “Thank you, Sandra. I am here on the main boardwalk of Willow Cove after an altercation broke out in the early morning hours, involving two men who were under the influence. I was assured by our local sheriff there were no injuries, but it still begs the question. How safe is our boardwalk for the children?”

  Reid’s eyes widened, and he jumped up from his chair, slamming his hand down on the desk.

  “With the first official weekend of summer only a week away, how can we guarantee the safety of the community when the bars close and the police are nowhere to be found. Must we not forget it was less than two months ago when I was held at gunpoint at one of our local hangouts.”

  Reid jabbed his hand toward the TV, ramming his finger into the off button, before throwing the remote across the small space. “I’m going to kill her!” he yelled, grabbing the attention of Judy, one of his deputies.

  “Everything okay, boss?” she asked.

  “If you get a call later about me committing murder, it’s not a prank.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed, and he knew she was thinking of a witty reply, but he’d clearly caught her off guard. “Want me to disinfect the cell in anticipation for your arrival?”

  “That’d be nice. Thanks.”

  He grabbed his keys and stormed toward the door.

  “Hey boss,” Judy called.

  “Yeah?” He stopped and turned toward the three-year deputy who still had stars in her blue eyes. “Don’t kill anyone.”

  “No promises,” he said and headed out straight for his cruiser.

  ***

  Back at the studio, Allison sat down at her desk and flipped through the stack of fan mail. Usually it was older women trying to set her up with their sons, grandsons or whatever single male they had in their family, but even still, she got a kick out of them, and always made sure to send a handwritten note back with a thanks but no thanks. Without her fans, she’d be a nobody, and she knew that. Though amongst the fans were also the heartless souls who ripped her to shreds on social media, pointing out every blemish, split end and whatever else they can pick a part. Those lovely people also gave her the despised nickname of the babbler since she apparently over talked in interviews. Whatever. She was just making the interviewee comfortable, and it worked.

  She ignored the naysayers for the most part, but she couldn’t help and check her social media, searching those comments out. Sometimes she liked to heart the comment or leave a simple thank you just to show them no matter what they said, they wouldn’t break her spirit.

  Deciding against social media, she stuck with the envelopes, opening the first one on top and laughing when Marla from Crescent Lane invited her to a Memorial Day cookout to meet her nephew. She put the letter aside into the need to respond pile. Next was a letter from some creep telling her how hot she was. That letter went into the do not respond pile aka the garbage.

  The next envelope didn’t have a return address. She turned it over and slid her envelope opener under the flap. The white pape
r was ripped into a small square. The words were typed which wasn’t completely uncommon, but not her norm.

  She scanned the words, and a chill ran down her spine.

  You think you’re so perfect. But you ain’t.

  The world would be a better place without a bitch like you.

  Watch your back. The time is near.

  She stared at the words until they blended together into an ugly swirl of black. It wasn’t the first angry letter she’d received, or the first death threat, but there was something about this particular letter that grabbed at her throat and choked the air from her lungs.

  “Hey, Allison.” Sonny walked over, and she shoved the letter into her bag. His light gray suit fit him perfectly, and the blue and green tie with matching square pocket showed his impeccable style. He smiled down at her, his dark brown hair slicked back. He was a good-looking guy with a charming air about him that the local woman ate up. He was a couple years older than her, living the bachelor life, but had asked her out on several occasions. She’d said no. Dating a coworker sounded like a recipe for a disaster. Besides, if she were to ever grab Sandra’s coveted anchor seat after she retired—whenever that would finally be—Allison needed to keep her relationships strictly professional. “What was that?” he asked.

  “Oh nothing. What’s going on?”

  “I just wanted to say great reporting today.”

  A smile curved her lips. He was just being nice, but she’d take it. “Thanks.”

  “I’m going to grab a coffee. You want to come?” he asked.

  “No, I’m done for the day, so I’m going to catch up on some errands. Next time.”

  “I’ll hold you to it,” he said, giving her a wink before sauntering away.

  An unsettled pit landed in her stomach, and she grabbed the rest of the letters and shoved them in her drawer. She would look at them tomorrow. Right now, she just wanted to get out of the office and get to her home where she hoped was still somewhat of a mystery to her viewers.

  Her heels clicked on the tile floor as she made her way through the entrance of the building, waving at Tom, the security guard, as she went.

  “In a hurry today, Miss Allison?” The sixty-four-year-old, ex-army vet, asked.

  “Lots to do today. Want to get a head start. But tomorrow, I want to hear all about that granddaughter of yours.”

  “You bet!”

  She waved again and pushed out into the early afternoon. The one good thing about getting on the job at five in the morning was she was out the door by one and had the rest of the day to do whatever she pleased. Which usually consisted of a workout at the gym, a visit with one of her siblings or parents, and browsing the shops in town. Today, however, she just wanted to get home, and behind her locked door until the anxiety of that letter fizzled out.

  “Allison!” Her name was a bark across the parking lot, and her body froze.

  This was ridiculous. She wasn’t some timid girl who ran from fear. Heck. Just two months ago she held a gun to a crazed gunman, refusing to back down.

  She positioned her bag close where she kept her pepper spray—her gun was at home in the safe box— and pivoted on her heel. The tension in her shoulders eased when she saw Reid’s handsome face, even if anger twisted it into a sinister scowl. She could handle Reid no matter how snippy he got.

  “Oh, hi there, sheriff.”

  “Don’t you hi there, sheriff me. What the fuck Allison?”

  “It’s good to see you too, Allison.”

  “No, it’s not. What the hell is wrong with you?” His voice rose, echoing across the empty parking lot.

  “Depends who you ask,” she answered, knowing damn well it would only add fuel to his already burning fire.

  His finger raised, and he pointed it at her, leaning toward her before angrily dropping his arm to his side and turning away. “Damn it. Why must you—” he cut his own words off. “Did you do it because I didn’t grant you a damn interview?”

  “Do what?”

  She honestly didn’t know what he was so furious about.

  He ran a hand through his very short, dark blonde hair. “I have a meeting with the mayor in two hours. What am I supposed to say to her after you completely threw me and my department under a bus on bullshit claims?”

  “The claims technically aren’t bullshit. If you had patrols on the boardwalk that altercation could have been avoided.”

  “Do you have the money to give me to make that happen? My budget is already spread thin and I was trying to figure out a way to do just that when your damn segment came on the TV.”

  “You were watching my segment?”

  “Don’t try to change the subject.”

  “I’m just surprised, is all. You do everything in your power to make it impossible for me to put you on the news yet you watch it.”

  “I was curious to see how you were going to spin the damn story, and good thing I watched, or I’d be broadsided when I walk into the mayor’s office.”

  “I was just asking a question.”

  “Bullshit! You’re so full of shit and you know it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Use it to your advantage then. Tell the mayor in order to increase patrol you need a budget increase. You’re welcome.”

  “Don’t act like you did me a favor. What about the people?”

  “What people?”

  “The town. You made me seem like I’m incompetent in my role as sheriff.”

  “It was one little news story for crying out loud. You are looking way too far into this.”

  “I don’t think I am. How can people trust me to protect them and their town with you putting doubt in their minds?”

  “Look, Reid, while I would love nothing more than to stand here and argue with you all day, I have things to do and you have a meeting with the mayor to get to.”

  “You’re infuriating!”

  She reached into her bag and pulled out her keys. The letter fell out and floated to the ground. Before Allison could snatch the paper up, Reid retrieved it. He held it out to her, then his hand snapped back, his blue eyes darting across the page.

  “What the fuck is this?”

  “Has anyone ever told you, you curse entirely too much.”

  “Don’t play games with me, right now. What is this?”

  She sighed. “It’s nothing.” She attempted to snatch it back, but it was fruitless.

  The tides shifted in Reid’s blue eyes, turning the frustrated clear blue to a dark and story combination of anger and concern. “When did you get this?”

  “Today, but it could have been in the mailroom longer.”

  “Jesus, Allison. Were you not going to report this?”

  “No. It’s just some asshole getting his kicks, and I refuse to let him win.”

  Reid’s long finger pointed to the paper in his other hand. “This is a serious threat.”

  “You’re overreacting.”

  “And I think you’re under reacting. Did you show your boss?”

  “No. It’s no necessary.”

  “Allison.” He stepped toward her, surrounding her in his masculine scent of wood and ocean air. She swallowed, refusing to inhale deeply. His hand rested gently on her arm, showing how much larger he was than her. The storm in his eyes cleared to blue skies, and he leveled her with his gaze. “What if it is serious?”

  She refused to allow herself to be scared of some jackass. “It wouldn’t be the first time and I’m still standing to talk about it.” But for some reason this threat felt different. She couldn’t explain it, just that the feeling went deep into her bones. But she wouldn’t tell Reid that. He’d blow it out of proportion and her boss would take her off the road, and then what? Sandra hadn’t retired, so her seat was firmly taken. Allison would have nowhere to go and jobless wasn’t an answer for her.

  “You’ve been threatened before?” he asked, and the incredulous tone mixed with the concern in his gaze, nearly brought her to her knees.

  “Yup,
” she said, forcing a brave smile. “So as you can see, it’s nothing to be concerned about. Like I said, just another asshole.”

  She went to take the letter back from him, and he held it out of her reach. Even in five-inch heels, he towered over her. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to hold onto this.”

  “Whatever. If it makes you happy, keep it. No skin off my back.” She moved around him to her car. She needed to get away from Reid, so she could think straight. “Good luck with your meeting.”

  “If you get any more of these.” He waved the letter in the air between them. “Please let me know.”

  “I will,” she said and got in her car

  A tap on the window had her clutching her chest. Reid’s face peered down. She turned the car on and lowered the window. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

  “I just wanted to say be careful.”

  It didn’t matter that he nearly killed her with fear himself. The kindness of his tone cut straight through the residual fear and engulfed her heart with warmth.

  “Thanks, I will.”

  He smiled and stepped away, turning toward his cruiser when she called out to him. He stopped spinning around toward her.

  “For what it’s worth. You’re a great sheriff.” With a smile she rolled up her window, and headed home where she would check her locks and make sure the alarm system she never used still worked.

  Other Books by Theresa

  Mad About Matt

  Crushing on Kate

  Moments with Mason

  Catching Cooper

  Hung Up on Hadley

  A Bride for Sam

  Dreaming of Daisy

  Charmed by Chase (Book 1 of the Marshall Family)

  Blindsided by Brooke

  Lusting After Layla

  Jaded Until Jax

  Sweet on Sophie (Book1 of the Reynold’s Family)

  Willow Cove

  Forbidden Lover