Perfect Night (Mason Creek #4) - Terri E. Laine Page 0,29
good,” I said, with grin and a shrug.
She laughed. “House brand then. Size?”
“Big.”
She shook her head. “You’ve got jokes this morning.”
“I haven’t had coffee yet,” I said, deadpan.
Her giggle made me chuckle. “Black or with cream?”
“Black will work.”
“Okay. I’ve got you.” She winked and I stepped to the side. Janet was gone.
Or it least I thought she was. When I left the building, Janet was talking to someone outside and rushed over to talk to me.
“Aiden, I’m so sorry.” I stopped and didn’t mask my confusion. “I didn’t know you and Emma were a thing. I’m so embarrassed. Anyway, we can still have coffee of course. Emma could come too,” she said in a rush. “I should go.” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “It was nice seeing you again.”
She left me standing there wondering what the heck had just happened. I would have called Emma right then, but I didn’t want to do it on the sidewalk in the middle of town. I got in my truck and drove a few blocks over to the station.
“Morning, Aiden,” Bess said.
“Morning Bess.”
“Sheriff wants to see you,” she said.
I nodded. My call to Emma would have to wait.
“Sheriff,” I said when I walked in my boss’s office.
He sat behind the desk wearing a constipated look. “Close the door.”
I did as he asked and stood there more certain now what he was about to say.
“I got a call from my wife this morning. Can you guess what she wanted to talk to me about?”
Even though I could, I waited for him to tell me.
“My wife wanted to know if Emma’s broken her engagement and was now seeing you. According to her, there is a story in MC Scoop about Hattie and Hazel seeing Emma jogging over the weekend near your house wearing an LAPD shirt. Emma claimed the shirt stood for Love All People something or other.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. She’d thought quickly on her feet. The laugh earned me a glare. “Am I really to believe that’s a coincidence?”
I folded my arms over my chest. “With all due respect Sheriff, the answer has nothing to do with my job.”
“We talked about this—” he began.
“We have, and my friendship with Emma isn’t really anyone’s business. I won’t apologize for it or change it because some people in this town have nothing better to do than gossip.”
“Emma is engaged. I might not like the guy, but she is engaged. I bet your parents wouldn’t appreciate word that you’re having an improper relationship to be talked about during Sunday church service.”
“My parents trust I wouldn’t do anything to embarrass them. I hope in time you’ll trust me enough to give me that benefit of the doubt as well.”
He sighed. “The other thing my wife called me about is a vacation. She seems to believe now that I have you here, I could take much needed time off.”
“What about—” I was about to mention Stanley, the chief deputy sheriff who retired.
“He was a good cop, but not a good leader.”
“But he was the chief deputy sheriff not just a deputy.”
He shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder if you grew up here. Politics. He would have been Sheriff but even he knew his limitations. When the mayor approached me about running for Sheriff, he suggested that Stanley be promoted to chief deputy sheriff so he wouldn’t run against me.”
I was surprised he’d admitted that when he was so annoyed with me moments before.
“So I need to know if I can trust you to handle things if I take, let’s say, a week off. The misses wants to go to her sister’s cabin up on Lake McDonald for a little fishing and relaxing.”
“Relaxing for her. Fishing for you?” I asked with an arch of my brow.
“Fishing is relaxing. Can I trust you?”
“You hired me.”
He eyed me but I said nothing else. “Don’t make me regret it. You can go.”
I left and went to my office. My call to Emma went to voicemail. I didn’t leave a message. After I checked the log of the previous night’s events, I headed out.
My first stop was Mason Creek Dental. I passed by Twisted Sister Ice Cream Shack on the way. Hattie and Hazel were there like I always remembered growing up. They waved and I waved back despite being annoyed they did what they always did; spread rumors faster than social media.
I took a left on Laurel Lane and parked at the dentist’s office. Tim was busy, so