Boden came over with a pitcher of iced tea and the three of them instantly stopped talking. “Did I interrupt some serious girl talk?”
“We were just discussing Colt,” Deb said.
“The gossip that he’s getting axed today?”
“We all knew it was only a matter of time,” Deb said. “Pond’s been introducing that cop from the Bay Area all over the place.”
“The guy’s a first-class weasel.” Boden filled their glasses with tea. “Anyone hear from him . . . Colt, not Pond Scum?”
Everyone looked at Delaney. “Not a word. Should I call him?” She reached for her phone.
Truthfully, she wanted to run over to the station and make sure he was okay. Colt wouldn’t like it, though. He was an island when it came to his own problems, remote and self-reliant. Case in point: the situation with Lisa. She and all the Garners agreed that the woman shouldn’t be allowed to make millions off his song. But when Colt made his mind up about something he was unyielding.
“Nah,” Boden said. “It could be a bad rumor. Why stir shit up?”
Good point, but she still intended to call him when she got home.
Foster rushed in. “Sorry I’m late. I got a last-minute gladiola shipment. I heard ‘rumor.’ What’s going on?”
They told him.
“Yeah, I heard it too, from Rachel. She heard it from a teller at Wells Fargo, who heard from Pond’s housekeeper. It doesn’t look good. But hey, at least he’s nominated for a CMA.”
“The one Lisa Laredo, the wonder slut, is gonna get credit for,” Deb said. The whole town really did know about Colt’s song. “I say someone drops a dime to TMZ.”
“Hey,” Hannah interrupted, “this is a sore spot for Colt. He’s got enough going on in his life right now.”
Boden nodded his head as if he agreed. Despite the fact that Colt didn’t let many people in, he had good friends. People who had his back. People who knew what a good man he was, honest, fair, and hardworking.
And she was so into him, it stunned her.
After lunch and against her better judgment, she swung by the police department. Carrie Jo sat at her desk, eating cottage cheese. Delaney surmised she was on another diet.
“You here to see the big guy?”
“If he’s not too busy.”
Carrie Jo got up, went to Colt’s office, and popped her head inside. She returned a few minutes later. “Go on in.”
Delaney had never been in his office before. Like his house, it was devoid of adornment. A dartboard, a Garner Adventure calendar, a few plaques and trophies, and a photo of Colt in his San Francisco police uniform with another officer. As far as personal items, that was it.
He sat at a metal desk with his feet up. “Hey, everything okay?”
“You tell me.”
His expression turned quizzical. “Did I do something wrong?”
“There’s a rumor going around that—”
“Yeah, Carrie Jo told me. So far, I’m still gainfully employed, but the day is young.”
She tilted her head and looked at him, knowing that the self-deprecation was just a coping mechanism. Or a cover-up of his real feelings. “You don’t have to be tough for me, Colt. It has to be awful. I’d like to beat some sense into the mayor.”
His mouth curved up. “Unfortunately, I think he could take you. There’s no sense getting myself worked up about it. The whole thing is out of my hands. How are the plans for the fashion show coming?”
“Crazy, but good. Hannah says your brothers are halfway done with the stage.”
Colt nodded. “That’s what I hear. I plan to go over later and help out. Drop by if you’re not too busy.”
“Okay. Maybe we could get dinner afterward.”
“Sure.” He got up from behind the desk, walked to the door, closed it, and pulled her in for a kiss. It was long and passionate and made her heart pound.
His phone rang and he eventually pulled away to take the call. She sat on the sofa, trying to assess if the conversation had anything to do with Colt’s future on the force. He must’ve read her mind because he shook his head when she looked at him, her face a giant question mark.
“Hang on a second,” he told the caller, muted the sound, and turned to her. “It’s about the burglary case. I’ll see you tonight?”
“Yep.” Hitching her purse over her shoulder, she headed to the door, feeling a domesticity she’d never shared with Robert. And that was the bitch of it.
