She cuts me a look.
“You were with her the whole time.”
A light-pink blush dusts her cheek. “Just doing my job.”
“I know. You’re good at it.”
If there is one thing I learned during my time as manager of the telecommunication center, it’s that 911 dispatchers are some of our most over-worked and under-appreciated public servants. I went out of my way to make sure they received praise for the work they did.
Noli stares straight at me. “Thanks for saying that.”
“It’s the truth.”
She takes a drink of her beer. “You weren’t so bad yourself. You kept her calm and got the job done.”
I feel my chest puff up at her praise. I know for a fact that Noli doesn’t dish it out regularly, and that makes it all the more valuable. “You know me, if there’s problem, I’ll solve it.”
“I think that’s Vanilla Ice.”
“Tough to tell the difference between the two of us, don’t you think?”
She gives me an exasperated look. “You’re ridiculous.”
“That’s one word for it. But I saw a baby be born today, so I guess I’m a little slap happy. The head coming out… Noli, I’m telling you.Wild.”
She reaches over and shoves me. It’s playful, and I’m grateful.
“Quit talking about Cynthia’snether regions.”She places extra emphasis on the word.
I’m struck by something all at once. This—being here with Noli—is exactly what I needed to process the day. Yes, helping Cynthia give birth was stressful, but it was, all in all, a happy ending.
Before I got dispatched to her house, I had been dealing with a case at the high school where I had been called in because a teacher was worried about the state of mind of one of her students. He ended up being sent to inpatient suicide watch at the local hospital.
Those are the calls that gut me.
Standing here with Noli, I don’t have to say any of that out loud, though. Somehow it makes it better knowing that she understands. She’s not a cop, but she works with us all day. She has our backs.
I trust her.
The realization startles me. I don’t let too many people get close. I’m friends with a bunch of locals, and my extroverted nature makes it easy for me to go out and have a good time. But really letting someone in? That’s not my MO.
Somehow, though, with Noli, I feel like I could.
Like I want to.
13
Bowling For Keeps
Noli
Collin is studying me like he’s trying to unscramble a word puzzle. I stare right back. The man looks incredible tonight. I’ll give him that. He’s wearing snug-fitting dark-wash jeans and a pale-green button-down shirt. I wonder if he knows it makes his eyes pop.
“I’m sorry, you know,” he blurts out.
I blink. “What?”
“For what happened at Romeo’s.”
