Page 5 of Playing for Keeps
Sweet cream cheese, he passed with flying colors.
Her life was a series of decisions pre-planned and orderly. She made good grades, volunteered in the community, went to church every time the doors were open, and always followed the rules.
There weren’t any rules against hanging out with someone new, but there was a cloud of uncertainty looming over the mysterious man in front of her. There was history and a warning wrapped up in the lingering excitement of that out-of-this world kiss.
Just this once, she could break the unwritten rule and do something risky.
Caroline gestured toward the creek and flashed Justin a smile. “Lead the way.”
1
JUSTIN
“Ican’t believe we just saw that,” Justin mumbled as he walked beside Garrett to the cruiser.
“Just wait till I tell Cindy,” Garrett said, rubbing his mouth to hide his grin until they were far enough away from the half-naked woman that she wouldn’t hear them.
Justin went to the passenger side as Garrett moved to the other. “Someone’s going to have a good time watching our body cams later.”
Responding to a domestic violence call was pretty standard for the small-town police department. Having to carry on a civil conversation with a woman wearing only a lacy bra and silk pajama shorts while she explained why her husband called the police wasn’t something they went over at the academy.
“Filling out the paperwork is going to be awesome,” Garrett said. “I feel like I need to call my wife and remind her that I appreciate her.”
Garrett was one of those happily married men who thought having a wife was the coolest thing ever. Granted, he was probably right, as long as his wife wasn’t anything like the woman they’d just met.
Redemption Ridge wasn’t as exciting as a bigger city, but the force had plenty to keep them busy, including scantily-clad wives who allegedly hit their husbands.
As soon as they were back in the cruiser, Justin grabbed his coffee cup from the console and took a big swig. The drink had lost all trace of warmth hours ago, and he fought the urge to spit it back into the cup.
One big swallow and the killer coffee was gone. Coughing, Justin looked around for something to get the taste out of his mouth. “You got any water in here?”
“No, but we can stop at the donut shop and grab something.”
Justin coughed again, trying to hide his laughter. “You and donuts.”
“Who doesn’t like donuts?” Garrett asked. “As long as I don’t have to rush off to another call, I can have a little snack every now and then.”
Garrett parked the cruiser in front of Donut Haven. The brick building and black awningmatched many of the other shops of downtown Redemption Ridge. It had been around for as long as Justin could remember, but he’d never had the chance to visit until recently. Growing up, there hadn’t been money for things like donuts.
The line at the register was longer than usual, especially given the time of day. Parents wrangled wild kids, and couples of all ages chatted while wearing sugar-fueled smiles. “What’s going on?”
“Christmas tourists,” Garrett explained. “Get ready to wait for everything for the next month.” He jerked his chin toward a two-seater table by the window. “Grab us a seat. This one’s on me.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll take a regular glazed with a double espresso.”
“You got it,” Garrett said as he took his place at the back of the line.
Justin found a seat and turned so he had a good view of the whole place. The struggle to watch everything while being inconspicuous was a hard line to walk. Thankfully, few people in town knew he was back, and even fewer knew he was the same Justin McKinnon who’d retired from a successful Major League Baseball career a few months ago.
Retired. He’d planned a quiet exit from his career for next year, but instead he’d been forced to step down early. Injuries were every professional athlete’s worst fear, but no one stays on top forever.A pitcher with a blown rotator cuff and a labrum tear was useless, even after a full recovery.
Garrett placed a bag on the table and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Bathroom break. Listen for our drinks to be ready.”
“Sure.”
Garrett had been gone less than a minute before a young barista shouted, “Heartbreaker!”
Great. Garrett was in a joking mood today.
