Page 95 of Love in the Storm

Asa bowed his head and asked the Lord for strength and comfort for Wendy, as well as discernment for Lyric. He laid out everything they needed in clear and honest words.

“Lord, we know Wendy’s sobriety is fragile. We pray she’ll have the strength to resist the urge to fall back into her old life.”

That was the part that terrified Lyric most. Was Wendy determined enough to withstand this storm or would she lose more than just her friend?

32

ASA

Asa stared at the incident report in front of him. There was something missing. What was the name of the man he’d talked to at the hardware store? The guy claimed he saw the subject running from the store across the street.

He flipped through his notepad. He’d recorded all of the witnesses’ names, but had he really failed to get that guy’s information? That wasn’t like him. He was thorough, if nothing else.

“Boom!” Dawson shouted as he walked by. “I’m winning Jacob’s birthday.”

“I didn’t know it was a competition,” Asa said.

Dawson sat on the end of the desk, rubbing his hands together. “He’s gonna love it. It’s the present to beat all presents.”

“Again, it’s not a competition. Though I love yourenthusiasm. Can you apply that kind of determination when you have traffic duty at the school?”

Dawson straightened. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I am excellent at directing traffic.”

“Yeah, maybe tone down the hip action.”

“Are you saying my dance moves are a distraction? A danger to the public?”

Asa shook his head. “I’m wondering why you have dance moves at all. It’s waving your hands. No hips involved.”

“Maybe you’re the one who isn’t doing it right. The ladies love my moves.”

“I’m sure they do.”

Jennifer walked by and punched Dawson’s arm. “They’re just too scared to tell you the truth. An old lady could dance better than you, Keller.”

Dawson gasped. “You take that back!”

Jennifer just grinned. She was one of the few women on the force, but she held her own better than half the men. Too bad her blonde hair and slim build made plenty of people underestimate her at first glance.

That was their mistake.

“I’ve seen your act. You have one move, and it’s not a pretty one.”

Asa sucked in a breath through his teeth. “That one had to hurt.”

Dawson jumped to his feet and stalked off. “I’llshow you. I know how to Google. I’ll be doing the twerkle by tomorrow.”

Jennifer’s eyes widened, and her smile faded. “Oh, no. What have I done?”

“There is no way he’ll twerk in public,” Asa said. When Jennifer didn’t agree with him, he added, “Right?”

“Maybe check on him in the morning. He might cause a few traffic incidents if he attempts something like that.” Jennifer checked her watch. “What are you even doing here? Your shift ended an hour ago.”

Asa huffed. “That’s a great question. Apparently, it’s taking longer than expected to get back into the action around here. Everything takes me twice as long.”

Jennifer chuckled. “Sorry. Glad it’s you and not me.”

Dawson stomped back to the desk. “I can do this one!” he said, turning his phone around so Asa and Jennifer could see a video of a woman in tight workout clothes swirling her hips around.

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