“Why?” She rested the base of the bottle on her flat belly.
I finished my beer and shifted in my chair. It was a valid question since I was now working double time with my extra hours at the police station. “I know it’s a pain in the ass.”
“Which begs the question...why?”
“Because, I’m a nice guy Parker.” Her name felt right on my tongue. The acerbic Chief was mostly to needle her, but it felt wrong here in the darkness.
She finished her beer and swapped the empty for a fresh one then pulled her feet up under her. “Men rarely do anything for free.”
“You must have known some real assholes.”
She lifted a shoulder, answering with a snick of the top popping from her bottle.
“You’ve lived in Indigo Valley long enough to know most of us aren’t like that.”
“Haven’t been home in a long time, Cash.”
“Kansas City didn’t have any redeeming qualities?”
“It was all right. The cops in my unit were only tight if you had a dick.”
I choked on my sip.
She flashed a sad smile. “Sad but true. Why I took this job. I was tired of the boy’s club shutting me out of every promotion.”
“That sucks.” And made sense as to why she was so closed off. I couldn’t imagine how frustrating that had to be.
“All worked out. I missed home. Missed out on Matty finding Jenn. Now they’re doing the kid thing and it was one more reason to come home. I’m excited to be Aunt Parker.”
The quick flash of softness in her eyes made my chest tighten. I hadn’t really seen the soft side of this woman and I wanted more of it.
“Can’t say I mind being Uncle Cash to Danny.”
“Nora is so in love with that kid.”
“Comes in handy. Especially since the kid asked her if he could call her Mom.”
Her eyes shimmered in the flickering light. “Really?” Her voice husky.
“Sure did.” The mostly empty bottle dangled from my fingers. The long day and the third beer made me mellow. “She makes both of them happy.”
“Yeah, I know.”
We both sat in silence for a few minutes. The tree frogs singing a chorus with the crickets in the late hour.
It wasn’t a heavy silence, just two tired people that maybe didn’t want to be alone.
The minute I’d landed back in the Valley, I’d jumped in to help out. There wasn’t a whole lot of time for dating, nor much of an inclination on my part. It seemed like most of the people at the bars were people I’d grown up with or a handful of women who felt too young for me.
Was it just not wanting to be alone?
She drained her beer and sat forward. “I think I need to head to bed.”
I nodded. “Me too. Seven will be here before I know it. Sully already kicked my ass on the job today. Can’t wait to see what I have in store in a few hours.”
She shoved her feet back into her flips. “And yet, you were waiting out here for me?”
“Maybe I was out here for myself?”
