Page 13 of Break My Fall

He smirked a little, but that’s all her lame joke got her. She wanted to keep him talking. “Not to poke the bear or anything, but you never did explain how you happened to drive by right when I needed you.”

If she hadn’t been watching him, she wouldn’t have noticed the guilty expression on his face. “Gray? Were you following me?”

“No.” The word came out quick and sharp.

“But?”

He tapped the wheel a few times. “I was on patrol this morning. And I saw your 4Runner at the office and that the van was gone.”

“So you decided to drive toward the county line?”

“I continued patrolling.”

“At the county line?”

“I drive that road at least once a week.”

“You’re impossible.”

“I’m just doing my job, ma’am.”

She stared out the window and hoped he didn’t see the smile she was fighting. He’d come looking for her. Why? She wanted to ask, but she didn’t. “Under the circumstances, I’m glad you found me. I was contemplating how long it would take me to walk to town, and I’m not dressed for a long trek.” She held out a booted foot. “These boots were most definitely not made for walking.”

He did laugh then. Not a long laugh, but it was real and more relaxed than she’d heard from him today. She gave herself a mental gold star.

“I’ve never understood why women wear shoes that hurt their feet and make it impossible for them to move quickly.”

“Sometimes it’s vanity. We like the way we look while wearing them or the way they make our legs look. But mostly I think some women just like cute shoes. Abby and Eliza both love shoes, andthey’re only six.” Abby and Eliza were her cousins’ daughters, which made them her cousins once removed, but they called her Aunt Meredith, and she thought that was perfect. She loved both of their fathers like brothers.

Her mind flew to a different topic, and she blurted it out before she thought about it. “Did you hear that Cal’s adoption of Eliza is final and her name change is official? She’s now Eliza Shaw, and she’s ecstatic about it.”

Gray’s smile was a flash of white in her peripheral vision. “I heard. Cal told me she’s been going around introducing herself as Eliza Shaw and writing her name on everything.”

“Did he tell you about the gift?” Cal had given Eliza a monogrammed necklace with her new initials on it.

“I was with him when he picked it out.” There was a bit of smugness in Gray’s voice.

“Y’all did a good job. Landry told me Eliza wears it every day.”

“Cal was so excited to buy it. He couldn’t love that child more if she was his flesh and blood, but making everything legal and official has settled something in him.”

“I agree. He said Aunt Carol already asked when they’re going to give her a new grandbaby.”

“Oh, he told me.” Gray laughed, and the conversation settled into an easy flow until he pulled into the parking lot of her office. “Where are you headed from here?”

The question was asked innocently enough, but Meredith caught the protective edge in it. Normally, she would have bristled, but today, she appreciated knowing someone was looking out for her.

“I’m headed to my desk. It’s tax time.”

“Have fun with that.”

“Oh, I won’t, but I promised myself tacos tonight as a reward for my good behavior and hard work.”

“Tacos are a reward?”

She opened the door, climbed out, but then leaned back across the seat. “Tacos can be anything you want them to be. They can be a reward. They can be a treat. They can be therapy. They can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner. But most importantly, tacos can’t be limited to Tuesdays.” She grinned at him and closed the door.

And had the intense satisfaction of seeing him laugh as he drove toward the police station.

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