Page 33 of More Than Nothing
Elenie lifted the less-damaged corner of her lips. “We don’t really keep tabs on each other in my house.”
“Have you ever considered asking Otto if he’d put you up on a full-time basis?”
She shook her head before he’d even finished the sentence. “There’s no way I’d bring him to Frank’s attention like that. Otto’s been the closest I’ve had to a friend in years. I won’t risk his safety.”
They walked into the house together.
“I’m heading home,” Roman told Otto. “Please don’t get up.”
The older man reached for the remote control and turned down the volume. “I was just thinking about turning in myself.”
“Thank you for a lovely evening. Your deck is the perfect place to unwind. It was kind of you to invite us.” Roman bent down from his great height, his strong hands gentle around the gnarly bones of Otto’s fingers.
“You’re welcome any time. And if you make a habit of bringing food too, I’ll get you a key cut.” Otto chuckled and waved them away. “Elenie, will you lock up after our police chief, please?”
They moved into the foyer and stopped by the front door. Roman jiggled his car keys in his pocket. “I hope you sleep well. That looks like a comfy couch.”
“Thanks for the pizza. It was delicious.”
“Thanks for the company,” Roman replied. He was shrouded in shadows, as if the night was his to command. Elenie thought he might say something else. She stepped a little closer so she could read his expression, her skin still sparking with that same electricity that threatened to arc and jump the short distance between them. His hand on her shoulder speared a plume of heat through her cotton shirt as he gave it a light squeeze.
A simple gesture. One that made it impossible to keep her eyes on his face.
He’s a decent man. You’re not used to them, but they do exist. Don’t overthink it.
Roman’s voice rasped. “Sleep well. Don’t forget to flip the latch after I’ve gone.”
He pulled the door closed behind him before Elenie could speak, and she stood in the silence, listening to his truck start up, a starburst of conflicting emotions blooming in her chest.
Chapter 16
Roman
The next week passed in a steady procession of minor incidents, including a fistfight at last call outside the Rusty Barrel, a small fire on farming land, and a traffic accident that took out the main stoplights in town.
Roman sat through an interminable meeting of the town council mostly hijacked by Peggy Winterburn and her cronies for a lively discussion on speed bumps. He took Dougie with him to the high school, where they conducted an open, no-nonsense talk about the facts, laws, risks and consequences of alcohol and drug use. Millie Westlake, recently back at school and warned in advance, chose to sit it out, but the interaction from other students was rewarding.
Maggie celebrated a birthday and Roman bought in pastries for everyone to share. When Dougie gave her flowers with a flourish and Forsberg and Morgan sang a loud and out-of-tune rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday,” he felt an unfamiliar glow of contentment, grateful to be a part of the small team and its vibrant new energy.
And all the while, in amongst the ordinary, Roman thought of Elenie and what she’d revealed about her life. The simple words, calmly delivered with little self-pity, had turned him inside out. Shemight not relish being viewed as a victim, but what she was dealing with would have broken someone weaker.
Fuck. He’d been trying to pump her for information at the town fair, and just talking to him had put her in danger. He felt like a monster.
There was a disconcerting jostle against the sides of the cardboard box he’d stuffed his feelings into over the past couple of years. The firmly folded flaps buckled and bowed. The broken body of the girl who’d looked like Florence was giving over her almost-constant presence in his mind to someone very much alive. A waitress with suspicious eyes, a clever mind, and a tentative smile, who would put herself at risk to protect an elderly friend.
Something about Elenie reeled Roman in. He swore to himself he’d provide the backup she needed from now on—for as long as he could. And he wondered if the impact he’d been wanting to make so desperately when he’d chased his career toward the crazy, tough, and violent was waiting for him back home after all.
Halfway through a run of late shifts, Roman was called to a drunk and disorderly at the liquor store. He arrived to find the door pulled shut, blinds open. Nathan Reyes was hovering and rushed to let him in with a grateful smile and an audible huff of relief.
Athena Dax wandered the floor, idly swinging a bottle in each hand and humming softly to herself. Her eyes lit up when she saw him. “Officer Big and Beautiful! So good to see you again.”
She wore a beige cropped tank with no bra, and pale jeans so tight it looked as if she’d been sewn into them. A silky, knitted cardigan draped off one skinny shoulder and pooled around her elbow. Roman had never seen a woman sashay before, but sashay she did until she stood in front of him, just a little closer than was comfortable. The smell of drink on her breath was overpowering. He exchanged a sideways glance with Nathan, who mouthed the word “Wasted!” at him just out of Athena’s eyeline.
“I was heading home,” she purred, reaching up to stroke his chest but hitting him with one of the bottles instead. “Unless you want to take me for a drink somewhere quiet?”
“You’re not leaving with the vodka unless you pay for it.” Nathan’s voice was firm.
Athena pouted up at Roman. Everything Elenie had told him ran through his mind and he was hit by a strong wave of repulsion for every way in which her mother had let her down. “I’ve come out without my purse and I’ve asked him very kindly to put it on my tab. I’ll settle up another time. No big deal.”
