Enigma

by Laramie Briscoe

  “I watched him in my mirror, wondering who the hell he was, and what I could do to see him again.”

  “Could always break another law,” she offers, a snort on the end of her suggestion.

  Right now it sounds like a good idea, and I just might do it. Maybe it would break the ice to this situation we’ve found ourselves in.

  “When he had me sign the ticket, I put my phone number on there.”

  She spits out her coffee. “You didn’t!”

  Giggling, I nod. “I did. He didn’t call me.”

  “What an ass!”

  “Right?” I agree with her, putting the lid on what’s left of my salad. Somehow eating doesn’t interest me, not while I’m telling her the story of how I met Tucker. “So a few weeks go by, I pay the ticket, like a good citizen. I’m in the park, running, training for that fucking couch to 5k I did, remember that?”

  “We all did it and hated it, as an office.”

  “Yes! Back then I wasn’t super close with you and Stella, so I didn’t tell you everything.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You know you could have always told us anything.”

  “But I’m younger than you, and I thought you’d make fun of me.”

  No matter how they’d worked to make me a part of their group, being younger always made me feel at a disadvantage. From the day I met them in class, they’ve never treated me differently, but I see myself differently than I see them. Probably because they’re older, and I always feel at a disadvantage. It’s entirely on me, but the feeling is there.

  “We wouldn’t have. Look at who the two of us have ended up with.”

  Knowing what we know now, it does seem stupid, but back then it was a big deal for me. “Anyway, I was practicing in the park, I tripped over a break in the asphalt on the trail, and while I was sitting there, crying about how my pride was ruined and how bad it hurt, here comes Tucker.”

  “Like a fucking knight in shining armor.” Kels grins.

  God, I hate her sometimes, how she turns everything into a romance novel. “More like an annoyed dude with a dog.” I roll my eyes.

  “Sounds like Tucker.”

  “Exactly like Tucker. Being who he is, he took charge, carrying me the final mile back to our cars. I tried telling him I’m a medical assistant and could tell that I hadn’t done major damage, but it was definitely a sprain. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, he drove me to the twenty-four-hour clinic, and stayed with me while I called my parents.”

  The memories of that day wash over me with a fondness I miss. Everything was so easy then - feelings didn’t get in the way.

  “Then what happened? We’ve only got fifteen more minutes,” Kels presses.

  “A few weeks later, I saw him at the grocery store. On a whim I invited him for dinner, to thank him for what he did.”

  “Thanks for dinner.” Tucker stretches. “You really didn’t have to.”

  I’ve walked him out to his truck, and I’m not wanting the night to end, but he hasn’t really given me any indication he’d like it to go further.

  “You didn’t have to help me down the rest of the trail, but you did.”

  He laughs, the sound a deep reverberation in his chest. “Trust me, it wasn’t that hard. Carrying a woman like you against me for more than a mile? Don’t even sweat it.”

  There may never be another chance for me to ask, so I’m going to take a shot. “Why didn’t you ever call me?”

  He blushes. He fucking blushes.

  “Lots of women hit on me in my line of work,” he starts. “I mean you’re young and cute, I thought you were just trying to get out of a ticket.”

  I move closer to him, grabbing hold of the material of his shirt with my fingers. “And what about this? Do you think I’m just trying to thank you for helping me?”

  “The truth?”

  “Always, Tucker. I’m not the kind of girl who wants to hear things that are just supposed to make me happy.”

  “At first, yeah I thought you were being nice, but I’m feeling something.”

  Great, because I am too. “It’s not just you.”

  Knowing this may be my only chance, I lift up on my tiptoes, crushing my lips against his. He’s taller than me by a lot. His strong arms go around me, lifting me against him, so that I’m even with his lips. Stronger than I ever imagine a man could be, he turns me around, wrestles the door of his truck open, and manages to sit me on the leather seat.

  “It’s not just me,” he gasps, pushing my hair back from my face. “There’s something here, isn’t there?”

  “Yeah.” I curl my hands around his shoulders, going in for another taste of him.

  My whole life I’ve had boys, but him? He’s an actual man.

  “After that, the two of us started hanging out, hooking up, and we kept telling each other it was just for fun.”

  “But it wasn’t, was it?” Kels whispers.

  I whisper back, wishing the tears wouldn’t build in my eyes the way they are now. “It started out that way.” I shrug. “I tried to keep my feelings out of it, because he was truthful with what he wanted, but I caught feelings.”

  “Did you tell him?”

  My biggest regret. “Yeah, and when I did, it was over.”

  She puts her hand on my shoulder. “Over?”

  “Yeah, it was like he successfully erased me from his life.”

  “I guarantee you, he didn’t,” she argues.

  But I know. “It felt like it. One day we were together every day, and then it was like he flipped a switch and didn’t even know me anymore.”

  “He’s trying now, though,” Kels reminds me.

  “The question is, will I open myself up to him again?”

  She gets up, grabbing our stuff to throw it away. Our lunch break is over and we have to get back to work.

  “Only you know what you can deal with, Karsyn.”

  And that’s the million-dollar question, because I know without a doubt, I’d deal with a lot just to feel his arms wrap around me again.

  Chapter Three

  Tucker

  "You're slippin'." Nick gives me a grin as he comes into the conference room at the biggest hotel we have in our small town.

  It's time for a meeting of the Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team, and any of us who can attend have convened here. "What do you mean, I'm slippin'?"

  He chuckles. "Heard through the grapevine you only sent one rose to Karsyn this week."

  The grapevine means Kels, and I did only send one rose. "Fuck you, she knows what it means."

  "Does she?" He nods to the door, where she's walking in beside one of the new EMT's working with Cutter. I don't know the asshole’s name, but she's smiling and he's grinning.

  They laugh at something, and it's like a damn knife through my heart. She doesn't even look at me as she takes a seat next to Stella. Major, sitting at my feet, sniffs as he smells Karsyn and looks up at me. "Go on." I give him a gentle nudge.

  Just because she's blocking me out doesn't mean she'll block him out. For that I'm grateful, because he totally loves her. Almost as much as I do.

  She makes a sound of excitement as he hops up in her lap, licking at her chin. "Hey, buddy." She gives him praise. "Haven't seen you in a while."

  It's been eleven months and twenty-nine days since we had a conversation. Not that I'm keeping track or anything, but it's been eleven months since she gave me my shit, and I turned my back on her. She gave me a shot that day, promising she would help me through whatever it was holding me back. I didn’t believe her and did what I always do - count on myself. Worst mistake of my life, and I keep promising I’m going to change it, but I don't want to ruin what little respect she still has for me. There's a part of me that wants to go over, have a seat next to her, and reclaim my spot in her life. But that's selfish and a total dick move.

  "She loves the dog more than you." Nick elbows me.

  "I hate you," I growl. "Fucking hate you."

  "Becau
se I'm married, and have everything you want?" he taunts.

  Yes. That's exactly it. But I can't bring myself to admit it to him. Admitting it to him would mean admitting it to myself, and I just can't do it yet. "Because you're annoying as hell. When did you start smiling all the damn time, anyway?"

  "Got married and got everything I want." He winks.

  Fucking hate him.

  That's when I look across the room to my dog. The one who is supposed to be my partner, the one who has my back no matter what? He's got his head in Karsyn's lap, looking up at her like he's lovesick. When I snap my fingers, he turns to me, but doesn't move. He gives me a half-hearted look, whining slightly before he turns his head back into her lap, eating up the head scratches she's giving him. I don't let my eyes travel to hers. If we lock eyes, it's over. She'll see it all, because I'm sick of hiding it.

  Major hops down, curling at her feet. Even my dog has abandoned ship.

  Fuck my life. This sucks.

  “Officer Williams, please come forward and tell us about what you do with the Laurel Springs Police Department.”

  I sigh silently. This councilwoman has hit on me every single time we’ve been around one another. I’ve tried to dissuade her, but she keeps it up. As I get up and step toward her, she gives me a private smile. It’s one I don’t want and I refuse to give back to her.

  As I take my place at the front, I give a little wave to the members of the LSERT present today. “Hey, I’m Tucker Williams, and I’m the K-9 trainer for the greater northern Alabama area, as well as being a K-9 officer.” I clear my throat, letting my gaze fall onto Karsyn.

  She’s pretending not to listen, but I can see the pride on her face, even though she keeps it turned away from me. I click my tongue and Major comes to my side. “Heel.” I point down to the ground. He sits next to me, patiently waiting his next command, calmly looking over the crowd.

  “Right now there are a total of four K-9’s for our half of the state. Major is new to me; we’ve been together for two years, Ransom has Rambo who has been a defining piece of this puzzle to get us more dogs, and then Birmingham has two K-9’s. For the most part Ransom and I deal with everything north of Birmingham. What we want to do is get enough funds to purchase two more dogs, but that runs around twenty thousand dollars.” I look down at Major, petting him.

  “How would you raise this money?” the EMT who walked in with Karsyn asks.

  “Good question, that’s what I’m talking to you all for. Bottom line is we need the dogs. Rambo alone has proven his worth, if we had two more like him?”

  “There’s no other dog like Rambo,” Stella says loud enough for everyone to hear.

  There are giggles around the room, and I can’t help but laugh too. “Touché. But I think y’all understand what I’m getting at. These dogs are another line of defense against a number of threats to our town. They track missing people, wanted people, they smell dope, and just like you all saw Rambo do, they can go after one perpetrator while we go after another. They are expensive, but they will more than prove their worth.”

  I’m losing the room, I can tell. The EMT opens his mouth again. “I suppose you will train them?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “Who takes your spot while you’re training them?”

  This time I don’t have to answer the question. Karsyn does it for me. She’s well aware of my schedule.

  “He works overtime to make sure the people in this part of the state are well taken care of. He trained dogs in the military and there’s no one more equipped to handle one like he is. If Tucker says we need two dogs, then I firmly believe we need two dogs.”

  Our eyes meet for the first time in longer than I care to admit. She’s not smiling at me, but she’s silently giving me the strength I need to proceed. Public speaking isn’t my strong suit, but I’m here in the interest of the community.

  “As Ms. Fallaway said, I’ll work overtime to make sure the dogs are properly trained. Dogs can learn a lot from one another too, so one of the best things will be them all getting a chance to be together. I’ve done research and there’s one dog available in the next few weeks. We, as an organization, can apply for a government stipend, or we can raise the money on our own.”

  “Again,” the fucker interrupts me, “where are we going to get even ten thousand dollars, much less twenty?”

  I’ve about had it with him. “Where do the kids get their money for what they want?”

  Stella’s eyes brighten. She’s with me and shows as much as she begins to speak. If there’s one thing Stella loves, it’s dogs, and I know she’s sick of Ransom working all-nighters when he’s needed. With their baby, I know she wants him home more often than not. “They do bake sales, car washes, ask for donations.”

  “Exactly.” I nod. “I know it’s not going to be easy, but with some elbow grease and a lot of hard work, we can get what we need, and if we’re serious about this, then that’s what we’ll have to do.”

  Nick speaks up from where he sits. “I can guarantee D will help with this. If we ask the kids of the community for their help, they’ll help. We just have to put it out there.”

  “Okay.” The councilwoman stands next to me, putting her hand along my waist. I do my best to slink away, but she’s determined. “Who will be heading this thing up?” she asks.

  “I can help.” Karsyn raises her hand. “I know a thing or two about fundraisers. I was a cheerleader in high school.”

  The EMT gives me a smartass smile. “Seems to me since this is something Officer Williams wants, he should be the one to head it up. I mean, only seems fair.”

  Work with Karsyn? I’ll take it. I give him a huge smile. “Ya know? You’re right, I would love to help Ms. Fallaway head this up. I am the one requesting the extra manpower.”

  “It’s settled then,” the councilwoman says. “When we meet next week, hopefully the two of you will have some ideas for what we can do.”

  The meeting breaks up after this, and I notice Karsyn isn’t getting up to leave. Looks like the two of us are about to speak the first words we’ve spoken to one another in too long a time.

  “Thanks for offering to help.” My voice is soft as I approach her. She looks up, her gaze meeting me straight on. I love those eyes of hers, so fucking expressive, especially when I’ve done something she likes.

  “It wasn’t for you, Tucker. You and I both know Laurel Springs needs these improvements. It’ll help everyone.”

  But I see it, in her eyes. She wants to be here with me, just like I want to be with her. As soon as we quit lying to ourselves, the better off we’ll be.

  The only question is, who will give in first?

  Chapter Four

  Karsyn

  I shift in the booth at The Café, waiting for Tucker to get here. After the LSERT meeting, we’d quickly decided to meet in public for our first brainstorming session. I don’t know if that was more for me than him. In our previous attempt at a relationship, we’d never gone out in public together. Not because we hadn’t wanted to, but because we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.

  More than once he’d come to pick me up for dinner, and we’d ended up in bed.

  This is going to be a test of epic proportions. Checking my phone, I see he’s got a few more minutes to get here. I was earlier than I’d expected to be.

  “Do you want anything while you wait?” Leigh asks as she walks by the booth.

  “Ya know what? I’ll take an order of fries and a Coke.”

  Fries are my go-to, I’ll eat them any day of the week, any way they come.

  “Anything else?”

  Immediately I think about who’s meeting me. “An order of cheese sticks along with a Sprite, some water and a treat for Major?”

  She grins. “Will do, I’ll have it all out to ya in a few minutes.”

  “Take your time.”

  My gaze travels along the parking section in front of the building, this time zeroing in on a Laurel Springs P
D SUV. It’s Tucker. I can see him, opening the back door of the driver’s side to let Major out. The two of them make an imposing team as they walk toward the entrance. Major is a big boy, standing to about Tucker’s knees, and Tucker? He’s a man in charge. He walks everywhere like he owns the damn place.

  He holds the door open for a woman carrying a baby, and my stomach cramps. At one point, I’d thought maybe the two of us would have that in the future. Then I told him how I felt, and it was over.

  They walk over to where I’m sitting. His eyes move to the spot beside me, before he takes the spot across from me. Major takes a spot underneath the booth at our feet.

  “Surprised you’re sitting with your back to the door,” I comment, as I situate myself so that my feet aren’t in Major’s way.

  “Didn’t think you’d be okay with me sitting all up next to you,” he answers, rubbing a hand over his facial hair.

  Truthfully, I probably wouldn’t have minded it. Instead, I poke the bear. “Good, didn’t want you over here anyway.”

  A slow grin slides across his face. “Yeah, okay.”

  Leigh picks that moment to bring the food and drinks, reaching under the table, she gives Major his stuff, petting him on the head. “I heard you two have major planning to do, so I’ll leave you alone. If you need anything, please let me know!”

  I’ve brought a notebook and a pouch of pens with me. So many people prefer to use their laptops or phones to keep track of their to-do lists, or their day-to-day activities. Not me, there’s something so satisfying about making lists in different colors of pen, and then marking the tasks off as I go. Grabbing them out of my bag, I put them on the table in front of me, next to my fries.

  “You ordered for me?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

  “I hope you haven’t changed your tastes that much. I mean I used to know what you liked.” I shift uneasily in my seat. Maybe he’s changed and I just didn’t know it.

  “The things I’ve changed haven’t been my taste, Syn, not at all.”