Jake’s proposition.
No getting her hopes up. His willingness to accept her occupation was only one part of the equation. The physical attraction that existed inside Lucky’s might fizzle once the forbidden-fruit aspect disappeared. They led very different lives—they might not connect, intellectually. Then there was Macy, the most important consideration of all. If her little girl didn’t like Jake, that would be the end of it. Period.
She was getting way ahead of herself. In fact, no more thinking about Jake this afternoon. She barely knew him, had only kissed him once—okay, twice, technically speaking. Still. Putting him out of her mind shouldn’t be that difficult.
The shrill sound of a siren pierced her silent musings. Red and blue lights flashed in her car’s rearview mirror. Instinctively, she indicated and changed lanes, stopping as tight to the curb as possible, along with the other motorists.
A police cruiser sped past, the dark streak disappearing from the view ahead as quickly as it had appeared from behind. Rushing to an emergency call, obviously. On the way to help somebody in need, or to deal with illegal activity? Or something more dangerous, such as the active-shooter situation at the university campus recently.
Her curiosity usually ended there. Now that she knew a cop, had a personal interest in his wellbeing, a dozen dangerous scenarios filled her head. Jake might be driving that car, on his way to confront a criminal. Or criminals, plural. The frightening possibilities were endless. The protective vest she’d pressed her chest against this morning only covered a small percentage of his body.
She’d planned to wait a couple days before calling him. Give her thoughts and emotions time to settle, rather than act impulsively. But she had to know.
At the Montessori school, she found the first available space and parked. She pulled her cell and Jake’s card from the side pocket of her bag. She didn’t need the card—she’d memorized his number after taping the original card he’d given her back together. That copy was tucked away in her jewelry box.
She tapped his number on the keypad and held her breath. The call connected, filling her ear with enough unanswered rings to initiate a fresh round of panic in her chest.
“Hang on a sec,” he said, by way of answering.
Muffled noises told her he’d either pocketed the phone or set it down. Now that she’d heard his voice, knew he was alive and safe, she could hang up, before he resumed the call. He hadn’t addressed her by name, maybe he didn’t have caller ID. She might be able to get away with it.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, a full minute later—because she hadn’t disconnected.
“It’s okay. I’m sure you’re very busy.”
“Not too busy for you.”
She could practically hear him smiling. “I guess you know who this is?”
“Oh yeah. Best call my phone has ever gotten.”
“Must be a new phone. When’d you get it, this morning?”
His deep chuckle warmed her all the way to her toes. “Had it over a year.” In the background, his radio rasped out beeps and garbled speech. “Shit. I’ve got to answer that.”
“No problem, I’ll let you go.”
“Don’t hang up.”
“Okay,” she said, though odds were, he hadn’t heard her reply.
He’d already begun to speak, his next words directed at the dispatcher. Police lingo, mostly, all of it spoken in a deep, authoritative voice.
They could be talking about some heinous crime for all Candace knew. Whatever it was, his tone inspired a pleasant tingle that had her crossing her legs to get some pressure.
“Hey. I’m back,” he said, after issuing a final 10-4 to the radio call. “You still there?”
“Of course. You commanded me to stay on the line.”
“That’s the secret to getting what I want from you? Instead of being patient and gentleman-like, I should order you around?”
“Don’t get any ideas.”
“Too late,” he said, his two words laced with unspoken, sexy promises. “Unfortunately, I do have to go. I’ll call you back soon as I get a chance.”
“No rush.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong, sweets. Talk to you soon.” Then he was gone, taking another little piece of her heart with him.
Jake
Final score, seven to six. Another exciting game, ending in a ninth-inning win for the Jays, yet Jake had barely focused on the edge-of-your-seat plays. He’d been too busy checking his phone, making sure he hadn’t accidentally muted the ringer or missed a notification. He hadn’t.
Seeing Candace’s name on his phone’s screen this afternoon had come as a surprise. A great one. Much sooner than he’d expected