Page 5 of Whisk Me Away

“Excuse me, but do you have any books on apologizing to your lifelong best friend for staying away too long?” I giggled as Mia swung her head around at the sound of my voice.

For a second, I wasn’t sure what she was going to do. The look of shock slowly faded to one of excitement and before I knew it, she was launching herself at me. I may be short at a whopping five foot two, but Mia wasn’t much bigger than me so when her body collided with mine, it didn’t take much to keep us from tumbling to the floor.

Her black curls fell over her shoulder into my face as she crushed me in a hug so tight I struggled to draw in a breath.

“Nice to see you, too,” I managed to get out over a laugh.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! You’re here!” Mia squealed while she pulled back and grabbed my shoulders with both hands. “Why didn’t you text me? I had no idea you were going to be here today. How long will you be in town? I am so sorry about your mom!”

“Wow. Mi, take a breath. I can only answer one question at a time,” I giggled. “I didn’t text you because I was caught up in everything with Mom. I wasn’t thinking about anything other than getting back here.”

“Wait, so are you back back or just helping out for a few months?” Mia beamed at me as if she already knew the answer and could hardly wait for me to confirm her suspicions.

“I am back for good—oof,” before I could finish my sentence, I was wrapped up in another death grip.

Wow, I’ve missed this so much. I think I forced myself to forget all the good so I could deal with being away for so long but now that I was back, I didn’t know if I ever wanted to leave again.

“I’m at a loss for words!” Mia sobbed.

“That’s a first,” my reply earned me a giggle while she pulled back to look me in the eyes.

“I have missed you so much! I cannot tell you how happy I am you’re finally back for good.”

“I think your hug did that already,” I chuckled while walking to the oversized chairs in the corner.

Mia followed me over and plopped down in the chair next to me. We proceed to spend the next two hours chatting and catching up on all the town drama. When I left to grab some lunch from Sunny’s, my heart was impossibly full. Maybe being back home would be exactly what I needed.

CHAPTER 4

BRANT

“More coffee, Sheriff?” Daphne stopped next to the two-toned leather booth I was sitting in. Sunny’s was your typical small town diner with a high top breakfast bar and a handful of booths and tables scattered around the open space. The floor was covered in black and white checkered tiles and an old jukebox sat in the back corner.

“Sure, thanks,” I nodded to the young waitress before turning my attention back to my phone. A few times a week I liked to stop into the diner to grab a quick lunch before heading back to the station. It gave me a reason to check in with the people in town and spend time looking at something other than the same four, plain, beige walls of my office all the time.

When I stepped into the role of Sheriff in our small town, succeeding my father, I had this idealistic vision of leading our close-knit community with a hands-on approach. Little did I anticipate the extent to which I'd find myself tethered to a desk, buried under piles of paperwork, and navigating the bureaucratic intricacies that came with positions of leadership.

The reality of policing in a small town meant that my responsibilities veered more towards community engagement, dispute resolutions, and managing local affairs than the high-adrenaline pursuits I had initially imagined as a kid who dreamed of taking over for his father one day.

The shift from patrolling our familiar streets to overseeing administrative tasks was a surprising turn. Rather than chasing down criminals, my days were consumed by town meetings, budget considerations, and ensuring that the police force seamlessly blended into the fabric of our community.

While the slower pace initially irked my desire for action, I came to appreciate the unique challenges and rewards of leading a police force in a small town. But if I could change one thing about this gig it would be the need to make small talk with everyone. I preferred to keep to myself, help those in need, and then go home alone. That was just the way I liked my life.

A commotion from the front of the diner captured my attention. I looked up just in time to see the parking spot thief walk through the front door and right into Jim’s waiting arms.

“Look at you!” Jim said, beaming. “You are so grown up. I can still remember the times you would come in here after school and sit at the breakfast bar eating bowls of cherries.”

So, she wasn’t an out of towner if Jim knew her from childhood… Who was she and why did she look so familiar? It’s been bugging me since I ran into her that morning at church. There was just something familiar about those big, green eyes.

“Hi, Jim! It’s so good to see you again. I’ve been dreaming about your famous Monte Cristo sandwich the entire time I’ve been gone,” the mystery girl let out a laugh that somehow sent a shock straight through my chest.

It was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. You know the kind of laugh that was infectious and made you want to do just about anything in order to hear it again? Yeah, that was the kind of laugh this girl had, and something about it pulled at me.

“Why don’t you grab a seat and I’ll whip you one up real quick. Can’t leave my best girl hanging!” Jim replied with a wink.

“Thank you, if you could make that to-go I would love you forever!” She said sweetly.

“You got it, peanut,” he said before ambling through the swinging kitchen door behind the breakfast bar.

---