Page 13 of Awakening the Sheriff

I loved the vibe of the small, cozy restaurant. From the outside, it was a plain-looking building, the kind of place you’d pass without a second thought, and the name Bella Italia was pretty cliché as well, but the inside was warm and inviting. The walls were covered with dark wood panels and black-and-white photographs of Italy, and the tables held white tablecloths and red-and-white-checkered napkins. They’d decorated the ceiling with empty wine bottles, cleverly stringing little lights in between, which created a romantic atmosphere. If I ever had a date, this would be a good place to take her.

But tonight was all about my friends. Tomás and Tiago ignored the curious stares from other patrons who recognized the famous Banner twins, the best-known male models in the world. Tiago had brought Cas, his new boyfriend, and those two were so cute together that Marnin kept saying it made him want to barf.

Marnin was my best friend from high school. He lived in Seattle but had come down for the weekend, staying with Tiago and Cas in their new house instead of in my guest room. It was more practical, and he had much more space, but I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt, like Tiago had taken my friend from me. Nonsense, of course, but it reinforced my loneliness. Maybe Tomás could relate. At times, I caught him staring at his brother and Cas with a look of longing.

York had joined us as well. Back in high school, his older brother, Essex, had been our best friend, but he’d died in action as a Marine. Last September, when we’d had our high school reunion, we’d reconnected with York and had found out he was struggling, and now we tried to include him. The man needed friends, and that was an easy problem to tackle.

“You need to buy bigger uniform shirts.” Tomás eyed me critically, munching on some crudités they’d served us when we sat down. “If you flex too hard, you’ll rip the seams.”

I hadn’t intended to show up in uniform, but after a last-minute call, I’d been running late and hadn’t had time to change. “They’re fine. I haven’t gotten bigger.”

Marnin snorted. “He’s a walking thirst trap.”

“What the hell is a thirst trap?” York frowned.

“It’s a sexy picture of someone that makes you drool, often done on purpose. The only reason I know is that I have two teenagers,” I told him. That wasn’t entirely true because Ennio had used the term repeatedly as well, but I wasn’t gonna drag my brother into this. “And in this case, it’s nonsense. I’m wearing a uniform, not inviting people to check out my body.”

“Hey, uniform fetish is a thing,” Marnin protested.

I flipped him the bird. “I saw you on the cover of GQ.” I turned to Tomás, eager to change the subject. “Looking good, as always.”

“Thank you. I enjoy doing shoots with them because they always come up with something creative rather than the standard boring pics. They had me wearing this amazing silk suit, and I didn’t want to take it off.”

“Do you get to keep the clothes?” York asked.

“They’re often on loan from designers. But we’ve had some shoots where we got to keep stuff, and of course, those are the best.”

“A-are you guys ready to order?”

The server looked a little flustered. It was always funny to see how people reacted to Tomás and Tiago. I’d known them since elementary school, so they were still the same boys I’d grown up with, but to everyone else, their celebrity was awe-inspiring and sometimes even nerve-racking.

“I’d like the garden salad with grilled chicken,” Tomás said.

Poor guy. The price to pay for being a famous model and keeping his body in the excellent shape he was in was eating rabbit food. I didn’t mind vegetables but in an Italian restaurant? Damn straight, I’d be ordering a big bowl of homemade pasta carbonara. Carb loading for the win. And if the portions were big enough, I’d have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

We all put our food requests in and ordered some more drinks. Nothing but sparkling water for me, as I had to drive home. I rarely drank anyway, the downside of always being on duty. Technically, I wasn’t, but it often felt that way.

The door opened, letting in a rush of cold air. As always, I was seated with my back toward the wall and had a full overview of the room and the door, so I spotted him as he walked in, stomping the snow off his feet. Keaton Perry, the English teacher. Was he alone? It seemed so. Or maybe he was meeting someone?

When he looked in my direction, I waved at him. He raised his hand hesitantly in return. The hostess greeted him and led him to a table close to us, where he sat down. He took off his coat, revealing another nice button-down shirt. The man sure liked to dress up, though I had to admit those little bow ties looked cute on him. Kinda old-fashioned, but I liked them. They fit him somehow.

It felt wrong to let him sit by himself. He should join us. As a new resident of Forestville, he might not have made local friends yet. Despite what people seemed to think, it wasn’t easy as an adult, especially in a tight-knit community like our town, where most people had known each other for decades.

“Excuse me for a moment,” I said to my friends and made my way over to Keaton, who looked up from perusing the menu. “Hey, Keaton.”

“Hi, Sheriff Frant.”

“Auden is fine. How have you been?”

“Hanging in there. You?”

“Can’t complain.” I could though. That New Year’s Eve melancholy still hadn’t left me, but I wouldn’t tell him that. “Any new developments with Byron?”

A smile tugged at his lips. “You mean in the five days since we last saw each other? I’m not a miracle worker, you know.”

I grinned. “Too much to expect, huh?”

He shrugged. “Things haven’t gotten worse, so there’s that. He was quiet this week, maybe because of the paper he had to write as a punishment. That took quite some time.”

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