Page 26 of A Spot of Trouble
“Oh, look,” Violet said to the matching Dalmatians. “It’s Cinder’s dad.”
Sam chose not to point out that Cinder’s “dad” was, in fact, a dog with black-and-white spots, not a human being. He was Cinder’s partner and best friend, but somehow he didn’t think Violet would appreciate the difference.
#FreeCinder.
Sam forced himself to avert his gaze from Violet’s chest. Wordlessly, he offered her his hand to help her up off the floor.
She bit her lip and eyed his outstretched palm as if it were full of expired dog treats, while Sam meditated briefly on the sublime pleasure of her perfect pink mouth.
Finally, she placed her fingertips in his hand and let him lift her to her feet. Fireworks skittered across every inch of Sam’s skin at the contact. He couldn’t help wondering if she felt it too, but then he reminded himself of the unflattering hashtag. A Dalmatian provocation if he’d ever witnessed one.
“Thank you,” Violet said. Her hand felt warm and impossibly soft in his palm, especially contrasted with his rough calluses from years of working in a firehouse.
They stood touching for a prolonged moment until her cheeks flushed and she jerked her hand back.
“Nice shirt.” Sam gave her a tight smile and then spun on his heel and walked away. Thankfully, Cinder followed without having to be asked.
“Oh, good. He likes the T-shirts,” one of the seniors in Sam’s rearview gushed.
He didn’t have the heart to correct her. In fact, it made him smile a little bit. They wanted cute? Sam was about to bombard them with it. Those bingo-loving elderly people wouldn’t know what hit them. Violet and Sprinkles were about to be toppled right off their favored pedestal.
“Good morning, Marshal Nash.” A woman strode into the lobby from one of the offices behind the front desk. “I’m Barbara Nichols, the activity director here at Turtle Beach Senior Living Center. We’re glad you could come by today.”
“Call me Sam. Please.” He shook her hand and then tipped his head toward Cinder. “This is my partner, Cinder.”
Barbara’s dark eyes lit up. “Isn’t she just beautiful? How funny. For a second there, I thought she was Violet’s Dalmatian, Sprinkles.”
“Right. We get that a lot.” Sam forced a smile and glanced toward the lobby where Sprinkles was playing keep-away with Violet’s yoga mat. The effort it took not to roll his eyes was monumental.
Barbara shifted her gaze from Cinder back toward Sam. If the pursing of her lips was any indication, she seemed far less impressed with him than she was with his dog.
“You have my sincerest apologies about the other night,” he said, trying his best to sound sorrier than he actually felt. “I know how important bingo night is to the community. I’m happy to work with you and the residents to come up with a plan to reduce the number of people in the lobby and ensure the safety of everyone involved.”
Sam glanced down at Cinder and gave her a nearly imperceptible silent command, and she bobbed her spotted head up and down as if in agreement with what he’d just said.
Barbara’s lips twitched, as if she were trying her best not to smile at him. “And how exactly do you plan on doing that without having to turn away tourists? The rental beach houses tend to attract repeat customers year after year. Families are accustomed to all of our Turtle Beach traditions. It’s not only the locals who love bingo night, but our guests too. Plus it’s become one of the most vital ways for our senior residents to remain an active, important part of our little beach town.”
“I understand.” Sam nodded. He couldn’t agree more with the idea of keeping the town’s population of retirees involved in community events. So far, it was one of the things he liked best about Turtle Beach, even if most of the retirees in question were wearing #FreeCinder shirts at the moment.
“I was thinking that my colleague Griff and I could help set up an outdoor overflow area for bingo nights. You have plenty of space out front. We could set up picnic tables and a flat-screen television to broadcast the bingo caller’s announcements. That way, no one would be left out, but it would be a safe environment for everyone involved.”
Barbara’s eyebrows rose. “You’d volunteer to help us get an outdoor overflow area up and running?”
Sam glanced down at Cinder again and she nodded her head, throwing in a bat of one of her paws for good measure.
“It’s a deal,” Sam said.
“Indeed it is.” Barbara beamed at him.
Over her shoulder, Sam noticed Violet watching them as she finally liberated her yoga mat from Sprinkles. Her smug little grin stiffened in place and another zing of electricity skittered through Sam.
He felt himself smile. If he was being forced on a cutesy apology tour, he may as well enjoy himself a bit.
You haven’t seen anything yet.
Sam flashed Violet a wink.
Game on.
