“Well, don’t encourage her. You’ve got work to do.”
Ah, Rear Admiral Franklin McQuaid, the workaholic. He never took a vacation. And never encouraged it in his son, either. Justice let out his breath. He’d like to settle down, get married, and raise a family with a woman who made his heart race, a woman he couldn’t live without. He longed for the kind of relationship his parents had. Maybe now that he was retired from the Navy, he could fill the empty place in his soul with the love of a good woman.
He’d given some thought to what she’d be like. He didn’t particularly care if she was beautiful or not, as long as he was attracted to her. She’d be intelligent, kind, loyal, compassionate, and most of all, loving. And, he grinned to himself, her sexual appetite would definitely have to match his. He wanted a wife who lit their bed on fire with her passion.
Did the woman of his dreams even exist? Probably not.
Justice clasped his father’s shoulder. “Whatever, Dad. Let’s go.”
When Franklin pulled up Pop’s Diner on Google Maps, he laughed. “That poor girl doesn’t know directions! The diner is two milesnorthof here, just across the street from the beach.”
Justice glanced sideways at his father. “Give her a break. At the moment I’m lousy with directions, too.”
“I meant no offense.”
“I know. I just need time to adjust to my new normal.”
Ten minutes later Justice pulled into the crowded parking lot of the diner.
“Popular place,” Franklin commented. “I hope the food is good.”
Justice inclined his head toward two Laguna Beach patrol cars. “Cops are here.”
An overhead bell rang as they entered the diner. A busy waitress carrying a coffee pot instructed them to seat themselves, and as luck would have it, there was an empty booth behind the one where four Laguna Beach cops sat eating breakfast.
Out of habit, Justice’s eyes swept the interior of the diner, noting the location of the exits and the customers who were sitting alone, particularly at the counter. He noticed an attractive young woman with her sleek dark hair pulled into a ponytail. She wore black leggings, a light hoodie, and jogging shoes. As she ate breakfast, the cops kept making suggestive remarks about her.
A vein in Justice’s temple began to throb, and his eyes darkened in anger. He wanted to toss them on their asses and teach them a lesson they wouldn’t soon forget.
Apparently, the woman had had enough of their lewd comments, for she slammed money down on the counter and rose from the stool. As she moved past the cops, one grabbed her arm.
“You’re nothing special,” he said. “What makes you think you’re better than us?”
Jerking her arm out of his grasp, she muttered, “Go to hell,” which sent the cop’s partners into uproarious gales of laughter. Justice and Franklin heard what she said, too, and smiled at each other as the woman left the diner.
Justice slid out of the booth and murmured, “I need to have a few words with those guys.”
“Justice, no,” Franklin hissed.
He ignored his father and approached the cops. “Good morning, Officers.”
They didn’t look up from their plates which pissed him off even more.
“Do you think that sexually harassing a citizen and manhandling her is an acceptable standard of behavior for the Laguna Beach Police Department?”
That got their attention. Four heads snapped up and swung in his direction.
The sandy-haired, burly cop who’d spoken so rudely to the young woman waved his fork at Justice. “Buzz off before I haul you down to the station for disturbing my breakfast.”
His companions guffawed.
Justice glanced idly at his watch. “Funny you should mention that. I’ve got an appointment at the station with Chief Ferguson today at sixteen-hundred hours. I’m her replacement. Chief of Police Justice McQuaid.” He gazed steadily at the three officers who’d suddenly stopped snickering. “Still think Officer Dooley is hilarious?” he continued, reading the cop’s nametag.
Their faces turned bright red, and they chorused, “No, Chief.”
“Good. I expect to see all four of you in my office tomorrow morning at eight o’clock sharp. Have a nice day, Officers. And be safe out there.” Justice smiled and returned to his booth.
He assumed he’d ruined their appetites because a couple of minutes later the officers laid money on the table for their waitress and hastily left the diner.
