Page 14 of Change of Heart

I paid Savannah, then stopped in the doorway, squinting into the sun. Was someone taking pictures of Charlotte in her Jeep?

I jogged across the parking lot toward a man with a camera pointed at her, tracking her Jeep as she drove away. He appeared to be deliberately nondescript. Medium height and build, pale, with a baseball cap and a brown leather jacket. But his camera was expensive. He had to be a major photography buff or a professional.

“Hey, what are you up to?” I didn’t identify myself as law enforcement even though I should have.

“Nothing. Just taking pictures. It’s a free country.”

“Yeah. It is. And there are hundreds of more interesting and picture worthy spots around here. Why would you choose a parking lot to photograph?”

“No reason. I’m new here. I’m still getting used to the area.” He dodged my question.

“I’m Detective Caden Barrett, Sweetbriar PD, and it appeared that you were taking pictures of the Jeep that drove away. We don’t take kindly to folks photographing people trying to go about their day. May I see your ID? And your camera please.”

His friendly smile turned sly. “Am I being detained?”

I huffed a sigh. “No, you are not.”

“Have I committed a crime?”

“I don’t know yet. Have you?”

He smirked. “Since you obviously don’t have a warrant for the camera, we both know I don’t have to show you anything. I’ll be on my way. Have a nice day, Detective Caden Barrett, Sweetbriar PD.”

I narrowed my eyes, watching as he got into a rental car and drove off. Removing my cellphone, I took pictures and notated the license plate number and the make and model, then texted the info to my partner, Trevor, to run.

I couldn’t put my finger on why his presence bothered me so much, not yet anyway. Charlotte was famous, and it was possible he was simply a fan. Or he could be telling the truth. One thing for certain though, I wouldn’t wait for something to happen. I always trusted my gut; it hadn’t led me wrong yet.

Minutes later, Trevor shot me a text. The rental was legit and the driver had a clean record; he was an attorney from Pennsylvania.

Chapter6

Charlotte

As the great Taylor Swift had once kind of said: I knew he was trouble, yet I walked right into Holloway’s anyway. I had pulled up in my Jeep to find him standing there, all long legs and broad shoulders, big biceps, and that glorious beard... The beard was new, and I liked it.A lot.Anyway, he was hotter than ever, and I was drifting into yearning, burning, crushing-on-Cade territory again. I was stuck in a middle school déjà vu; maybe I’d go home and cry into my journal over a juice box and some Cheetos.

The smart thing to do would be to steer clear of him. He was an irresistibly rugged, brawny mountain man cop now. I would bet money he could rip a log in half like Captain America. I would also pay good money to see him do it—shirtless, maybe even pantsless.

Be smart, Charlotte. Stay away.

I didn’t want to be smart. Being smart was boring. What I wanted to do was find him and see how that sexy beard would feel running over every inch of my body. Would it tickle? I bet it would.

Why couldn’t I?

Why shouldn’t I?

We were consenting adults and we used to be so good together—so freaking good...

Argh!No more thinking about Cade’s physical prowess allowed.

I had a career to maintain, one I had fought hard for. I had stuff, and things, and, vital, uh crap to do. Dang it, I couldn’t afford to get wrapped up and distracted by a man. Not ever again.

I had goals. Big ones.

There were two things I had always wanted out of my life. From the time I first learned to read—when I saw all the magic contained within the pages of a book—I wanted to be a writer. And from the second I saw Caden Andrew Barrett walk through the door of the Sweetbriar Tiny Tots Preschool, carrying a blue teddy bear dressed like a cop and a Superman lunch box, I had known he would be mine someday. But during our senior year, I earned a full scholarship to NYU to study writing and that had turned my dream into a real-life, tangible goal—a goal I had been determined to reach.

But I couldn’t have both. I’d tried it once, but stifling my dream and neglecting my goals had eaten me alive. I couldn’t do it, not even for Cade. And I refused to hurt him ever again.

I’d married him after graduation, putting off college with the hope I could somehow convince him to come with me, or at least wait for me. I tried everything I could think of to keep both of my dreams in my life, but it wasn’t meant to be—he had goals of his own that didn’t mesh with mine.

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