Page 8 of Saving Her Heart
As we drive away, I catch myself checking the rearview mirror. I tell myself it's to assess the scene we're leaving, but I know I'm looking for her. Still. After all this time.
My phone buzzes with a text from Hudson.
Hudson: Heard there was a goat situation at Hibiscus Point. Please tell me you got pictures.
I ignore it. The last thing I need is for the guys to find out Kendall was involved. They've been pushing me to talk to her for months, ever since Kate and Hudson's wedding made it clear we were both going to be part of the same social circle whether we liked it or not.
The radio crackles with another call—a fender bender on Main Street. Normal cop stuff. No livestock involved. I should be relieved to get back to regular duties, but part of me is alreadycounting down the twenty-four hours until Kendall has to come to the station.
Professional. I need to keep it professional. Follow the rules, write the reports, maintain distance. It's been working for ten years. But the image of her standing barefoot by the pool, defiant and beautiful and absolutely not mine anymore, is going to haunt me for a lot longer than twenty-four hours.
"You sure you're okay?" Declan asks as we head toward Main Street.
"I'm fine."
"You know, if you ever want to talk about?—"
"I said I'm fine."
He drops it, but I can feel him watching me. Everyone knows the history—small towns don't let you forget your high school mistakes. They all watched me choose the badge over Kendall, and they've been watching us avoid each other ever since.
My phone buzzes again. This time it's a number I don't recognize, but the message is clear.
Unknown: The board meeting is at 5 PM. That woman needs to be held accountable for this disaster. - V. Thornfield
Great. Valerie's got my number now and apparently thinks I'm her personal enforcement officer. I delete the message without responding. Whatever happens at that board meeting, it's not my jurisdiction. My job is to write up the violations and file the report.
But as we respond to the fender bender, I keep thinking about that flash of defeat in Kendall's eyes. She's going to lose her job over this. Her reputation's shot. And there's nothing I can do about it without breaking the rules I've built my life around.
The same rules that cost me her in the first place.
"Declan," I say as we're directing traffic around the minor accident. "That Mrs. Parsons—she's the one from last week's complaint, right? The noise violation?"
"Yeah. Apparently, her husband's been dead for over a year, but she keeps forgetting."
"Someone should follow up on that. Make sure she's getting proper care."
He gives me a look. "Someone like social services?"
"Yeah. Maybe... maybe mention it in your report. The confusion, the goat situation. Sounds like she needs help."
"I'll make sure it's documented." He pauses. "That's what you told Kendall, isn't it? To document the condition?"
I focus on directing a car around the accident. "Just trying to make sure all the bases are covered."
"Right. All the bases." His tone says he's not buying it, but he doesn't push.
We finish with the accident and head back to the station. I've got reports to write, ordinances to cite, and a professional distance to maintain. But I know that in less than twenty-four hours, Kendall's going to walk into the station, and I'm going to have to sit across from her in an interview room and pretend that this is just another case.
Pretend that I don't still remember exactly how she takes her coffee, or that she hums when she's nervous, or that she has a small scar on her left hand from when we tried to build a treehouse our freshman year of high school.
Pretend that I didn't throw it all away for a badge and a rulebook that feels heavier every day.
My phone buzzes one more time. Hudson again.
Hudson: Kane says the goat was wearing a collar that said 'Emotional Support Animal.' This gets better and better.
I silence my phone and pull into the station parking lot. Time to write up a report about a therapy goat that isn't actually a therapy animal, property damage caused by said goat, and multiple health code violations.
