Page 56 of Mountain Man Officer

“How long are you in town for?” I asked at the register.

“I don’t know,” she answered.

I made an attempt at friendly chitchat. “Well, you should check out the Lucky Lady. Best burgers in town.”

“I don’t eat burgers,” she said, and I wasn’t sure if she meant she was on a diet or if she was vegan. She pulled the door open and sashayed out, leaving me alone in stunned silence.

Ava came up behind me, startling me with her stage whisper. “Who was that?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

“I’ve never seen her before.”

“I have,” I said. “At the grocery store. She told me guys don’t appreciate cake.”

I turned around to meet my best friend’s eyes. “Weird,” Ava said.

I nodded in agreement.

21

JASON

Lindsey and I were having dinner together. She had picked up takeout at the diner on her way home, and we were enjoying wings and fries in the kitchen. This was the best time of day, in my opinion. We had nothing to do and nowhere to go. We were like a couple of teenagers holed up in an abandoned house all by ourselves. We laughed about the craziest things, fed each other French fries, and got drunk.

If I was lucky tonight, I was going to get laid, though I didn’t think about it like that. Sex with Lindsey was more than just a roll in the hay—it meant something and would just be a bonus to whatever fun we already had together that day. When I was inside her, I was transported to another world. She wasn’t just anybody; she was rapidly becoming my best friend. She was my stakeout partner, my inside man at the hair salon. She was my roommate and maybe even my soul mate if I was honest with myself. I could picture us growing old together in this cabin, taking our coffee out onto the porch in our late seventies.

We could have grandchildren racing up the driveway collecting bugs in jars. I would hold her hand and smile knowing that we had lived a good life together. The problem was, I wasn’t sure she felt the same way. I could tell she liked me, but what if she wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment? What if I scared her off with thoughts of the future? It would be better to just relax and let the relationship develop on its own. That way, no one would get hurt.

I was completely focused on the woman of my dreams when my phone beeped again.

“Work?” Lindsey asked.

I looked at the caller ID and nodded. It wasn’t work; it was Angie. She had called me six times that day and ten times the day before. She kept leaving voicemails, and the voicemails got stranger and stranger. If I hadn’t known it before, it was obvious now: Angie had some serious mental health issues that needed addressing.

“Hi, Jason!” Her voice was bubbly to start, and she rambled on about some memory we supposedly shared. “I was just thinking about that time when we went skinny-dipping in Malorie’s pool—do you remember that? And her toy poodle stole your underwear?” I most definitely did not remember that. Whether she made it up or it came from another man she had dated, I didn’t know. “Okay, so I just wanted to let you know I’m here if you need me.” That was a laugh. She was never there when I needed her in Nashville—she was always out shopping with her friends or day drinking at upscale bars. She didn’t have a nurturing bone in her body.

“I heard that the Lucky Lady has the best burgers in town,” she crowed. She was in Singer’s Ridge. When I had cautioned Ava against stalking Ryan, I hadn’t been aware how close to home the advice would hit. My own wife was in town somewhere, eating at my favorite restaurants, trying to reconnect. Dodging her phone calls was becoming exhausting, and now I would have to look over my shoulder everywhere I went.

I didn’t want it to ruin my evening with Lindsey, so I turned my phone off.

“I thought you never turned your phone off,” Lindsey observed.

I shrugged. “Ryan’s on call tonight.”

“But what if something happens?” Lindsey asked.

“I’ll turn it back on before bed,” I lied. I picked up Lindsey’s hand and kissed it. “Don’t worry, the town’s not going to explode without me.”

She laughed. We finished our dinner and played strip poker in the living room. Lindsey put on her playlist, and we danced like no one was watching. We made love and fell asleep in my bed.

Ihad to be careful getting out of my car, parked on the street outside the police station. I looked up the street and down, no sign of Angie. I grabbed my lunch and scooted into the station house, closing the door after me like a trapped rat.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Cheryl asked.

“No,” I said, pulling my jacket off and sitting down at my desk. “Everything’s great.”

She narrowed her eyes, unconvinced.

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