Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“Are you thinking of going for the job if Martha decides to retire?”
She sighed, glancing up. “Maybe. I keep wondering if I would regret it.”
“Why don’t you ask your boss if you could take a leave of absence for three months and try it? If you regret it, you can go back to being a cop. If you like it, you can stay.”
She frowned. “That’s a good idea. If he brings it up again, I’ll ask.”
I kissed her forehead. “You wanna have a bath and go to bed early?”
“Will you wash my back?”
“Yep. Anything else I think needs a good rubbing too.”
She laughed, the sound light and sweet. I bent and kissed her mouth. “Go fill the tub. I’ll be right behind you.”
She stood, and I chuckled, holding out the bowl. “Drop the popcorn, Cinnamon.”
She shook her head, stuffing it into her mouth and hurrying away. I watched her go with a smile.
I leaned my head back, wondering how a talk with Henry Harper would go. He’d always been decent with me. Tried to advise me more than once to get my life on track. Unlike some of the police I’d had interactions with, he had never been obnoxious or talked to me as if I was some lowlife. I was surprised he remembered me, but I was glad he seemed open-minded about this situation.
I heard Hannah’s voice humming down the hall, and I stood. I would deal with that in a couple of days. I had skin to wash.
Thoroughly.
So thoroughly that Hannah forgot about the day.
It was good to have a goal.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Chase
I wasn’t in a great mood the next morning. The night before, Hannah had candles burning when I joined her in the tub, but earlier today, in the morning light, I saw the bruise on her shoulder when she was getting dressed. I stilled her movements, brushing my fingers over the darkened skin.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. I was just clumsy.”
I shook my head. “You’re never clumsy.”
She sighed and told me how Dan had pushed her into the corner of the wall where a steel case was located. “It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt. The chief made him apologize,” she assured me.
I was furious that he would even be close enough to her to touch her. That he would pick on a woman because he was angry she wasn’t in love with him.
“He needs to be taught a lesson.”
Hannah gripped my arm. “Not by you. Do not seek him out, Chase. Promise me.”
I was still mulling it over when I arrived at the garage. It was already bustling with our regular clients. I grabbed a coffee and sat at my desk, pulling up the schedule, pleased to see we were on track with everything. Charly wandered in, dressed in red overalls and a lacy white T-shirt. She’d tied up the shoulders with ribbons and rolled the cuffs of the pants up her calves. Glittery sneakers covered her feet, and she wore a Reynolds Restoration hat on her head backward, her hair falling down her back. I thought she looked cute. Maxx would find her outfit over the top and sexy and demand she change it. She’d ignore him as usual, and he would glower at her all day. They’d make up later—if they lasted that long. Their foreplay amused everyone around them.
I arched my eyebrow at her. “You can’t give Maxx a break today?”
She grinned. “He needs a distraction.”
I chuckled. “Well, you’re giving him one, I’m sure. The vehicles are due to start arriving shortly.”
She smiled. “This is such a boon for the garage. For the town. Maxx can employ more people. All that expansion we’ve done will be a great investment.”
I patted her shoulder. “I know.”
She poured coffee into Maxx’s cup. “I’m going to go and see the big guy. Remind him how great we are. Today is gonna be easy peasy for us.”
I watched her go with a grin. She was the perfect complement to Maxx’s intensity. She always saw the bright side, took on any chore with ease, and knew how to bolster him. He would be worried about the garage, the finances, and the investment. She would assure him that everything was going to work out fine and distract him with her silly outfit, pretending she had no idea. She knew exactly what she was doing.
I got busy with some outstanding invoices, surprised when Dom appeared in my door.
“You better come out here, Chase.”
I stood. “What’s wrong?”
“Jim Albright is here. And he’s not alone.”
Frowning, I followed Dom through the garage. All the bays were full, and the waiting room had some people in it, the TV on and distracting them. Outside, I blinked at what I saw. Maxx, Stefano, and Charly were gathered with Jim Albright, who looked upset. The kicker was the man standing just outside the loose circle, smirking.