Page 43 of Perfect Harmony

“Sheriff?”

He placed the voice immediately, despiteonly having heard it a few times before. He glanced up. “Hello, Lucas.”

“Hey. How are you?” Lucas was holding twocoffees and he smiled in a friendly way at Gideon.

Gideon forced himself not to scowl. It wasn’tLucas’s fault that Gideon hated him. He didn’t know that Grace was off limits.

She isn’t off limits to him. Because you’retoo much of a fucking coward to ask her to be yours.

“Good, thanks. I didn’t realize you werevisiting this weekend,” Gideon said.

“Just came up for the night, actually. Haddinner with Connor and Kira and a few friends last night.”

Gideon’s back stiffened. Grace hadn’tmentioned last night that Lucas was at Kira’s place.

Maybe because she was too busy being gropedby you. Oh, hey, by the way – tell me again how professional it was to tell Gracieyou were going to eat her pussy while you were on goddamn duty?

“Sheriff? You all right?” Lucas wasstudying him with a faint look of concern. “You kind of look like you’re goingto throw up.”

“Bad headache,” he said. “You on your wayback to New Cassel?”

“Later this afternoon.” Lucas glanced atthe coffees he held in his hands. “Gracie graciously agreed to a coffee datewith me this morning.

Fresh new pain lanced across Gideon’s temple.“Grace? You’re on a date with Grace Larken?”

“Yes.”

Gideon followed Lucas’s gaze. Grace wassitting at a table by the window and she looked as nauseous as Gideon felt.She smiled stiffly at him before staring out the window.

Gideon glared at Lucas. He had an insaneurge to arrest him for something. Anything that would get him the fuck awayfrom Grace.

Lucas returned his look calmly, seeminglyunbothered by the anger pouring out of every pore in Gideon’s body. After amoment, he said, “Good seeing you again, Sheriff.”

Gideon jerked his head in acknowledgmentbefore turning around to face the counter. He shoved his phone into his pocketand stared blankly at the menu board. It was fine that Grace was on a date withthat fucking asshole. Perfectly fine. She was a grown woman who could dowhatever the hell she wanted because she didn’t belong to him.

She never had and she never would.

* * *

“What the fuck is up your ass this morning?”Preacher put his feet up on the scarred and dented coffee table and sipped athis coffee.

“Nothing.” Gideon paced in front of the largewindow that overlooked the main street.

Preacher lived in a small studio apartmentabove the tattoo shop. It was neat and tidy but - Gideon studied the avocadofridge and the orange shag carpet on the floor – it had a serious seventiesvibe. “Are you ever going to redo this place? Jesus, I feel like a pot-smokinghippie whenever I walk through the door.”

“Who the fuck cares what it looks like?You’re the only person who ever sees it,” Preacher said.

“The carpet is hideous,” Gideon said. “Andif you redid the kitchen, you could actually make room for a stove and stopeating out every fucking meal.”

Preacher laughed and patted his lean stomach.“I hate cooking and Nan’s Diner is just across the street. What do I need astove for?”

“I can’t believe you still get laid afterwomen see this place,” Gideon said.

“I’ve never brought a woman here and Inever will,” Preacher said. “I don’t need them in my goddamn personal space, fuckingup the feng shui or whatever that shit is called. Can you stop pacing like anervous dog and just tell me what the fuck is wrong?”

Gideon stalked to the small couch and satdown, picking moodily at the fabric on the arm. “I fucked up with Grace.”

“Oh yeah? What’d you do this time?”

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