Happily This Christmas (Happily Inc #6) - Susan Mallery Page 0,11

house? Don’t women like that? Something—” he waved his hand “—I don’t know. Leafy and green. For Joylyn. Can pregnant women be around plants?”

“They can, and if you’d like, we can go to the nursery after we empty out your SUV. I’m sure they have a nice selection of leafy green things.”

“You’re making fun of me.”

“Only a little.”

* * *

“CAPTAIN, DO YOU have a second?”

Garrick looked up from his computer and saw Phillips, a relatively new officer, hovering outside his office.

He waved the younger man in and saved the email he’d been working on. His recent promotion had come with a lot of paperwork and responsibility. He disliked the former, enjoyed the latter and knew that if all went according to plan, both were going to increase.

After he’d returned from his last task force assignment in Colombia, he’d taken a few weeks to clear his head. He wasn’t going to say he had anything like PTSD, but weeks of being held hostage by an angry, vicious drug lord had left a few scars—some physical, some less visible. His job in Phoenix had been waiting for him, but Garrick had felt he wanted some kind of a change. The call from Frank Dineen, known to all in Happily Inc as Grandpa Frank, had offered an unexpected career path.

The current chief of police was looking at retiring in a few years, and the town wanted to hire an heir apparent. Garrick was a known entity with the right skill set. He’d been recommended by his boss in Phoenix and the task force commander. Three regular-length interviews and one two-day-long interview later, he’d been hired and had moved back to his hometown.

He’d come in as a sergeant and had been promoted to captain about six months ago. His “career development plan” included him getting more involved with community outreach, including the city council and other governing boards.

He wasn’t excited about the politics in the position, but understood that a part of good policing was understanding how government worked and knowing his department’s place in the overall structure of the town. He’d just wrapped up an online college course on city management. Last year he’d studied human resources as it related to law enforcement, and he still had three or four more courses he wanted to take. So much for his homework days being behind him.

He motioned to the chair next to his desk and waited until the young officer took a seat before asking, “What’s up?”

Phillips was a good kid—maybe twenty-five or twenty-six. Married with a two-year-old. He had a four-year degree in criminal justice. A year into law school, he’d decided to become a cop instead.

He was decent officer—a little impatient, but that came with his age. He was well liked and had no trouble working with female bosses. That was one of Garrick’s tests of new recruits—have them report to a woman. New hires tended to come to the job either cautious and willing to learn or arrogant as hell. Garrick wanted to weed out the jerks as quickly as possible. Happily Inc wasn’t a big metropolitan area. The force was meant to be part of the community, not an adversary.

Phillips had done well with everyone he worked with. The only negative reports were that he kept to himself a little more than was socially acceptable for such a close-knit group.

Phillips glanced at his hands, then up at Garrick. He cleared his throat. “I wanted to let you know that I’m, ah, gonna be moving out of my house. I’ll be staying with a friend for a few weeks while things get straightened out at home.”

Garrick’s radar lit up and his body tensed. Trouble on the home front was never good, but in a kid this young, with a baby, it could be a disaster.

He got up and closed the door, then resumed his seat. “I’m sorry to hear that. What seems to be the problem?”

Phillips looked startled by the question. “Just some personal stuff.”

Garrick waited. Phillips had come to him. He could have moved out without saying anything, but he hadn’t, which led Garrick to believe he wanted advice rather than to make an announcement.

“Angie’s being so difficult,” he said, his jaw tightening as he spoke. “When I get home from work, I’m tired. All she wants to do is talk to me. I need time to unwind, but I don’t get a second. She’s always asking me questions and wanting me to take care of the baby. It’s not