Concealed Hearts (Hometown Jasper #4) - Nicky James Page 0,15
next door did nothing to dissuade them. I could hardly pass blame. It had been no different when I was a teenager. I had taken more than a few dares to sneak into the old house as well. It was a rite of passage for any Jasper kid growing up.
Deciding I would leave dinner until after I called Tomi—in fear of making myself sick—I paced the floor with his phone number in hand while sorting out the best way to say hello after all I’d revealed.
Before I could lose my nerve, I dialed. For all I took on in any given day working for the Jasper police, it was ridiculous to be afraid of a simple phone conversation with an attractive doctor who lived a province away.
Tomi answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
My mouth decided to function of its own accord, rough and gravely and spewing nonsense I couldn’t control. “In case you think any part of this phone call is easy, it’s not. I can’t believe you left without saying goodbye. Some of us need a minute to sort ourselves out, you know. Now I’m a right mess, sweating in my uniform, and everything I planned to say to you has vanished.” I dropped onto my couch and chuckled at my sheer idiocy. “Shit. Let me start again. What I meant to say was, hello, Tomi. How are you?”
Tomi laughed, the sound was one I remembered well, and it caught me right in the chest. I could see his smiling face in my mind’s eye. His white teeth and the barely-there crinkles beside his eyes. Warm flawless skin. A slender body. Tall and confident.
“Windsor Elkhart. Are you having a moment?”
“A little bit. Give me a second, and I’ll find my feet. One of them has firmly lodged itself in my mouth, I’m afraid.”
“You’re doing fine. I wasn’t sure if you’d call, to be honest.”
His comment brought a nervous laugh up my throat. “That makes two of us. I wasn’t sure I would either.” After an extended pause, I felt obligated to fill in the silence, but Tomi beat me to it.
He seemed to choose his words carefully, each sentence delivered with precision like he’d given them a lot of thought. “I was surprised by your email. Emails. Not in a bad way. I guess I wasn’t expecting my feelings to be returned. For as much as I hated returning to Jasper, seeing you and talking to you was the one part I didn’t regret. I’m sorry I jumped ship so fast.”
My skin felt too tight, and I loosened the top few buttons on my uniform shirt so I could breathe easier. I had yet to change since I had jumped on the phone immediately when I got home.
“It’s been a long time since someone affected me like this.” My voice croaked more than I liked, but I kept going. “I mean a long, long time. I feel more than a little reckless right now. This is left-field for me. Not a single person in my everyday life knows this truth about me, Tomi.”
“You aren’t alone.”
“I know. You don’t know how that feels.”
More extended silence stretched between us.
“This is awkward, isn’t it?” I bounced my knee, clearing my throat. “I’m failing before I’ve even begun.”
“You aren’t. I’m sorry. I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that you and I are…”
“Yeah.”
More silence. We were such a pair.
“So, how long is a long, long time?” Tomi asked.
I tipped my head back and stared at the ceiling. “You’re going to think I’m insane.”
“Try me.”
“Since my first year in the academy. Over twenty years. It felt too risky, and … I guess that makes me a coward.”
Another beat of silence.
“That’s a long time.”
I chuckled. “I’m an old man, you know.”
“Please. You are far from an old man. You’re … distinguished.”
I laughed. “Ouch. That’s an old man term.”
“You’re forty-five. How’s that old? I’m not that far behind you.”
“How did you know my age?”
“I’m good at research. After your first email, I might have done some investigating.”
“Investigating is supposed to be my job.”
“Touché. In that case, what did your investigations teach you about me, Chief?”
My chest warmed with the way he said my title. It wasn’t how anyone else said it. There was a tenderness behind it. The tension left my body, and I found a comfortable seat on my couch, more relaxed as our conversation progressed.
“Well, I learned that the internet is a complex beast meant for a much younger generation, but in the