He was in his uniform. Even though he was her brother she took a second to admire how handsome he looked. There was something about a good-looking man in uniform. As he strode toward them, Kimberly made a tiny sound. Rose assumed she was also noticing that a hottie in uniform was approaching, but when she glanced at her fellow bridesmaid she saw her eyes were wide and her cheeks even more pale than usual. She seemed to shrink back in her seat and for a second Rose was worried she might faint.
She introduced James to the women he didn’t already know.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” he said in his cheerful way.
“Why Sherriff Chance,” Sarah said, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. “Are you here to arrest us for having a good time?”
He laughed as though it were the first time anyone had made a joke like that. “No, ma’am.” He leaned closer and she saw Sarah go into full flirting mode. “But don’t jaywalk or I will have to get out the cuffs.”
He turned to say hi to the rest of the women and Sarah leaned into Theresa and said in a voice that was probably meant to be quiet, “When he said ‘cuffs’ I had a totalFifty Shades of Greymoment.”
James, naturally, pretended he hadn’t heard. He shook hands with everyone and got to Kimberly last. When he held out his hand hers trembled visibly. She barely even murmured a greeting. James looked at her for a moment, his cheerful grin fading. He glanced at Rose, who shrugged. She had no idea what was going on with Kimberly.
She’d have asked him to join them but Kimberly looked as though she were about to slide beneath the table. They’d taken in a stray dog once when they were kids and poor Lady was terrified of the mail carrier and anyone in uniform. She was getting the same vibe from Kimberly. She’d finished her meal anyway, so she stood and said, “I have to go. This has been great. Can’t wait to see you all at the hen party.”
She walked out with James and he said, “What was up with the pretty blonde, Kimberly?”
“I don’t know. She reminded me of Lady. Remember that dog?”
He nodded. “The one who was scared of anyone wearing a uniform.” He strode forward with his purposeful gait. “But is that a thing? In humans?”
“I don’t know. Mostly I deal with ear infections and pregnant ladies.”
“I don’t usually scare beautiful women.”
Beautiful? She wouldn’t have called Kimberly beautiful, but then James always went for wounded doves and underdogs. She leaned into him. “On the plus side, you did give Sarah aFifty Shadesmoment.”
“Don’t even go there.”
“So what’s this cop business that brings you into Portland on a Saturday?”
“There’s a thing. A joint task force. Not even sure I’ll be appointed to it, this was an introductory meeting.”
He was deliberately vague which, she knew, meant he wasn’t going to tell her more. Interesting.
“Where do you want to go for coffee?” he asked.
“I don’t have a lot of time. I need to run into the hospital and check on a couple of patients.”
“Then how about here?” He indicated an indie coffee place with a big sign that boasted the best cinnamon buns in Portland.
“Perfect.”
They entered and she experienced the slight ruffle in the atmosphere that always happened when she was with her brother and he was in uniform. She felt the breathless moment when everyone reviewed their personal criminal record. Did they have unpaid parking tickets? Would he be able to tell? When they were settled at a small table near the back, she had a good look at her brother.
He was funny and charming, but he also had a serious side. When he’d gone into policing she’d been both surprised and worried. Surprised that anyone who grew up in the extremely liberal Chance household would go into a profession that was completely dominated by structure and hierarchy and was, in fact, part of ‘the system’ that their father, Jack Chance, was always railing against.
When James moved to Seattle to work for their PD she’d imagined he’d work his way up in the ranks and end up as the chief one day. Instead, when the old sheriff of Hidden Falls had announced his retirement, James had decided to run for the office.
He was the ideal candidate. Young, smart, well-trained, and, more important in a small town, likable. He preferred compromise to confrontation and seemed content to keep peace in the much smaller, quieter world of Hidden Falls.
He’d never talked much about his work in Seattle but she knew he’d dealt with some grisly cases and was somewhat impatient with all the bureaucracy. Hidden Falls had never had a crime more grisly than schoolyard fistfights and messy road accidents. And, unlike his Seattle work, James loved to talk about his current cases. “So,” she said, “What’s the latest in the dark criminal underbelly of Hidden Falls?”
James placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward, dropping his voice so no one in the vicinity could overhear them. “Had a pretty ugly confrontation between Winnifred and Joel Parsons and Reggie Banger.”
She knew the Parsons, they’d been in Hidden Falls forever. An annoying pair of killjoys she’d always thought. They were the kind of people who turned their lights out and pretended they weren’t home when Christmas carolers came calling. “I don’t think I know Reggie Banger.”
“He’s a newcomer. Only been in Hidden Falls about five years.”
