Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 78054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Stefano stood. “I’ll come with you.”
I waved him off. “No, take your family home. I’ll handle it.”
“You need me?” Maxx offered.
“No, I got this.”
I walked away, stopping at the sound of feet running behind me. I turned to find Kelly there.
She reached out, touching my arm. “I can help.”
I felt the stares of our friends, knowing we were under their scrutiny. The smart thing to do was to say no. Take Stefano or Maxx.
But I held out my hand. “Yes, please.”
We pulled into the parking lot at O’Shea’s. Chase’s truck was at the back. He was sitting on the tailgate, speaking animatedly to a female police officer. She was leaning on the tailgate, her hip perched so she was angled toward him. Her head was tilted as if she was paying close attention to his words.
“Oh boy,” I muttered as we got out of the truck.
The officer looked up, standing as we approached. Chase turned his head, his glassy stare focusing on me. He slipped off the tailgate, unsteady on his feet. I reached for him as he half fell into me.
“Brett! My man Brett! Occifer Cinnamon—” he slurred “—this is my man Brett.” He patted my chest. “He’s a good guy.” Then he pointed toward Kelly. “That’s his lady. Hi, Kelly.” He grinned sloppily. “That’s Occifer Cinnamon. She was keeping me company.” He hiccupped. “I was working up my nerve to ask her out.” Then he placed a finger on his lips. “Shh. That’s a secret.”
“Sure, buddy,” I said.
“It’s Officer Gallagher, actually,” the police officer stated. “Not cinnamon.”
He ignored her. “Brett,” he said, sounding indignant. “My key wouldn’t work.” He held up his key ring, the light catching the silver. “It wouldn’t go in the hole.”
“That’s your house key, you moron,” I replied, taking it and tossing it to Kelly. “And the only hole around here is the one where your brain used to be.” I felt in his pocket and found the key fob for the truck, flipping that to her as well.
“Thank you, Officer—” I began.
“Cinnamon,” Chase inserted. “Occifer Cinnamon.
“Officer Gallagher,” she said again, sounding far too patient. She was obviously used to dealing with drunkards.
“Nope,” Chase insisted. “You’re so pretty with all those freckles. Like cinnamon sprinkled on your skin. I like them. I could write a poem about them.” He winked lewdly, half leaning toward her. “I’d like to lick them with—”
“Okay,” I interrupted him before the officer decided to lock him up for being an ass. “It’s time to go home. You need to sleep this off. Say good night and thank you, Chase.”
Chase frowned, confused. “Why am I saying thanks to myself?”
I shook my head, dragging him to the truck.
“We’re going?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“But I didn’t get her number. Did you see those eyes? Those freckles? Man, what I want—”
“Shut up,” I hissed. “Just shut up before she arrests you for propositioning a police officer or something.”
He made a noise of dissatisfaction but stayed quiet.
I helped him into the front seat, not surprised when he immediately shut his eyes and passed out. I grabbed the trash can from the back and a bottle of water I had there and put them in his lap. I hoped we’d make it home before he needed either item.
I returned to where Kelly was talking to Officer Gallagher. “I’m sorry,” I said. “That was very kind of you not simply hauling him to the drunk tank.”
She smiled. “He was rather cute, muttering about someone moving the keyhole and all he wanted to do was lie down in the back seat. He assured me it was very comfortable for naps.”
I laughed. “He does a lot of driving for the garage. He pulls over for naps when he has to.”
“I’ve heard of the garage. I just transferred here,” she said. “I need a tune-up, and someone mentioned that name. That’s what caught my eye as I was driving by. The logo on the side of the truck. Then I saw Mr. Donner stumbling around, and I came to check it out.” She sighed. “Thank God he wasn’t attempting to drive. When I asked him, he got quite indignant and informed me he couldn’t possibly drive since he was drunk, but he needed to lie down and the back seat was the best place.” She paused, a smile tugging at her mouth. “If only he could find the hole the key was supposed to go in.”
I pulled a card from my wallet. “Bring your car in. You’ll get great service.”
“Thanks.” She frowned. “From what I gathered from his mumblings, your friend is upset about a fight with his brother.”
I sighed. “A bit more complex than that, I’m afraid.”
She smiled sadly. The parking lot light overhead caught her face. I could see the freckles Chase was waxing on about. They were all over her face. And her eyes were stunning. A light caramel brown that glittered under the lights. Thank God he hadn’t started a sonnet about those too. I couldn’t tell what color her hair was since it was tucked under her hat, but her eyebrows were light, so I assumed her hair was too. There was an air of sweetness around her. She didn’t seem like your usual sort of cop. She was too young and innocent.