Chapter Thirteen
The next morning, Delaney got out of bed, padded across the hallway to her studio, and checked the window for Colt’s cruiser. It wasn’t there. The poor man never caught a break.
She planned to check the online version of the paper to see if they’d found the little boy. But the shade installers were coming and she didn’t want them to catch her in her nightgown.
She quickly got ready, went downstairs, and put on a pot of coffee. While waiting for it to brew, she fired up her laptop and searched for the story. According to the news, they’d found the boy at five a.m., huddled under a tree about three miles from where his parents had lost him. He appeared to be fine but was transported to a local hospital to be evaluated. Thank goodness it was summer. In winter, he would’ve frozen to death.
It had certainly been a long night for Colt. She thought about what he’d said, how he wanted to sleep with her. Never before had she been as physically attracted to a man as she was to Colt. But they were both tender from their last relationships. Not a good time to get involved, especially because she’d be leaving soon.
The doorbell rang, pulling Delaney from her thoughts. The shade installers. While the men worked upstairs she ate her breakfast and kept one ear open for Colt’s car. At around ten Hannah called.
“You want to meet the gang for lunch at Old Glory?”
Delaney wasn’t exactly sure who the gang was. Probably Deb and Foster. She agreed immediately, hoping that the installers would be done by noon. She changed into a long, flowy skirt, a ruched crossover top, and a pair of sandals, then accessorized with an assortment of sterling silver bangles on one arm. What the hell, she thought, and even put on a full face of makeup. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she looked like the woman she’d been in LA, before everything went to hell with Robert.
Happy and confident.
She supposed some of it was due to Colt’s attraction to her and, bizarrely, also due to the cargo pants. It felt marvelous to finally complete a project from beginning to end and to actually be proud of the results, even if they weren’t the couture designs that had made her famous.
She went to check on the progress of the workers and found that they had finished and were cleaning up. One of the installers demonstrated how to open and close the shades with the remote control. Nice and easy, and now she’d be able to work into the night with her drafting light on.
She waited for them to leave and walked into town, enjoying the last days of summer. The temperature hovered in the midseventies, and even from a few blocks away Delaney could see the edges of Lake Paiute, the wide expanse of the Sierra Nevada range, as well as the chairlifts going up and down the mountainsides. That’s how clear it was.
She’d miss this in Los Angeles, where the air felt thick and dirty and hung over the city like a dark film. When she arrived at Old Glory, Hannah, Deb, and Foster had already gotten a table and a large plate of pub fries.
“Hey,” Hannah greeted her. “Check it out.” She stood up and modeled a black and white color-block dress that had been part of Delaney’s Every-Day summer collection from last year. Delaney could objectively say the dress was stunning, and on Hannah, amazing.
“Wow,” Delaney said. “You could’ve been my runway model. The dress is fantastic on you.” And here she was getting excited over a pair of silly cargo pants.
“Thanks. I bought it last year when I first got it in the store, and thank goodness I did, because I’m dropping the line now that you’re no longer the designer.”
“I appreciate the loyalty, but you should still carry Delaney Scott if it sells well.” Even if they’d be Olivia’s designs.
“What’s this I hear about you making kick-ass cargo pants?” Deb asked. “I want a pair.”
“You do?” With Deb’s gorgeous figure she could make a gunnysack look good. Just the same, Delaney couldn’t understand why she’d want to wear something as shapeless as cargo pants. “Come over and let me take your measurements.” Perhaps she could make a pair that would accentuate a woman’s curves as opposed to hiding them.
“Seriously? I was being presumptuous, but I do really want a pair.”
“Then come over and you’ll get a pair.”
Deb clapped her hands together like it was Christmas.
“Win alert at twelve o’ clock,” Foster said. Deb tried to act uninterested, but Delaney caught her sneaking a peek.
“He’s seeing a blackjack dealer in Tahoe,” she said. “Whatever. I’m so over him.”
Delaney didn’t think so, not the way Deb followed him with hungry eyes. He’d come in with a few men Delaney had never seen before. Guys about Win’s age, late twenties, early thirties, some wearing Glory Junction Search and Rescue T-shirts.
“Did you hear about the little boy who got lost?” Hannah asked.
“Colt was at my house when he got the call about it.”
Three pairs of eyes examined her as if she’d been holding out on them.
“What’s going on with you two?” Hannah asked. “Colt seems to be hanging out with you a lot.”
“We’re neighbors. Occasionally, we’ll have a drink together on one of our decks. No big deal.”
“Yeah, it sort of is. Except for hanging out with his brothers, Jack, and Boden—because they both like craft beer—Colt’s a lone wolf.” Hannah reached for a fry. “And other than Carrie Jo, who’s like his sister, he doesn’t get involved with the women of Glory Junction. Not that the single women around here don’t throw themselves at him. Rachel Johnson has been after him for a year and the woman’s a major catch.”
“The owner of Tart Me Up?” They all nodded. Delaney hadn’t known that Rachel was interested in Colt, but of course she would be. Look at him. “I don’t know what to tell you.” She gazed over at Win to keep from having to look Hannah in the eye.
Boden came to take their orders and Delaney noticed that he paid special attention to Deb, even taking the chair next to hers so he could tell her about the specials. Deb was too busy watching Win to notice. They resumed their conversation about the missing boy and Boden added what he’d heard.
“The dogs lost his scent at the river and searchers feared he’d drowned. But Colt was able to track him into the forest. He found him curled up in a ball, crying. The mayor’s holding a big press conference in time for the six o’clock news. Bet you didn’t see that coming,” he mocked.
“How’d you hear all this?” Deb asked, impressed. “It wasn’t in the paper this morning.”
“I saw Gray over at Tart Me Up. He’s on Search and Rescue and told me what happened. Colt’s been at the hospital with the kid’s parents.”
“The boy’s okay, isn’t he?” Delaney asked.
“That’s what I heard, thank God.” Boden got up. “I’ll get this stuff out to you as soon as I can.”
As soon as he was out of earshot, Foster told Deb, “Boden’s hot. You ought to focus on him, instead of Win.”
So, Delaney hadn’t been the only one to notice Boden’s interest.
“Win’s dead to me.” Deb dipped a fry in the catsup, sucked on the tip, and followed Boden with her eyes as he called out their order to the kitchen. “He is kind of hot, isn’t he?”
“This just in?” Hannah also turned to take a second look. “Haven’t you noticed the female clientele shoving their boobs in his face?”
“It’s nice to know that the Garner brothers have some competition,” Deb said. “I for one am sick of them.... Well, not Colt. Colt’s the good brother.”
“Hey, Josh is a good brother,” Hannah insisted.
Conversation evolved into the End-of-Summer events and, of course, the kayak races. Delaney asked if any of them were going to Colt’s show. They all said yes, and she made plans to sit with them. She wanted to ask more about Lisa but didn’t want to be obvious about her interest in Colt’s past. They were already on to the fact that she and Colt spent time together; no need to stoke the gossip fires.
It was a nice lunch and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so comfortable with a group of people. In LA, most of her lunches had been to network and wheel and deal. The fashion industry was filled with ambitious phonies and cutthroats. She didn’t miss that part of the business. Here, people were more laid back and genuine.
After they finished eating, Deb made plans to come over that evening and get her measurements taken. Delaney started for home, first stopping at Tart Me Up to pick up bread and a few pastries to have on hand. At least that was the excuse she gave herself. In all the times visiting the bakery, she hadn’t paid much attention to its proprietor. Rachel Johnson seemed to spend most of her time in the back, baking, while her staff worked the counter.
Today, though, Rachel worked the cash register and graced Delaney with a big smile. She really was lovely. Blond, big brown eyes, and flawless skin. Delaney wanted to hate her but the baker exuded such warmth that she made it impossible.
“Hi, Delaney. What can I get you?”
Delaney didn’t think they’d said two words to each other, yet Rachel greeted her like she was a regular.
“How about the Dutch crunch and an assortment of turnovers.”
“Sure thing.” Rachel put the bread in a bag and grabbed a pink box for the Danish. “How’s it going?”
Delaney sighed. “I’ve been dabbling with designing adventure wear.”
“What a great idea. A Glory Junction line for the adventurer in all of us.” Rachel waved her hand in the air. “Don’t mind me. I’m taking a marketing class at the junior college. Back in the old days I used to wear some of your suits. Loved them.”
“The old days?”
“Yup. I was lead counsel for Del Monte in San Francisco.”
“The food company?” Delaney had no idea.
“Uh-huh. I traded it in for this.” Rachel waved her hand around the bakery. “Best move I ever made.”
“Impressive.” Delaney thought the baker certainly appeared happy. Even covered in flour and pastry cream, she seemed so positive, so comfortable in her own skin. Good for her.
Rachel rang Delaney up and handed her the pink box and bread. “Good luck with the adventure line. Can’t wait to see it in stores.”
Delaney didn’t bother telling her she was just playing until she got her mojo back. Taking a detour, she went to Sweet Stems and had Foster create an arrangement for her. The house could use some fresh flowers and it just so happened that his shop was next door to the police station. A coincidence, Delaney told herself.
“How you going to carry that all home?” Foster asked while Delaney explored the store, which had so many pretty things, she didn’t know where to look first.
“Good question. I hadn’t thought of that.”
He went to the back of the shop and returned with a market basket.
“Thank you, Foster. I’ll return it on my next trip into town.”
“No worries. I’ve got plenty.”
They both turned to stare out the storefront window when they heard engines outside and watched a few satellite news trucks jockey for position in front of Glory Junction PD.
“They must be here for the press conference,” Foster said.
She craned her neck, hoping to see Colt in the gathering crowd of reporters, but there was no sign of him. It was too early, she supposed.
Delaney rushed home so she could put everything away and get some work done in time to watch the conference on television. Instead of sketching, she wound up playing with her new shades, repeatedly making them go up and down.
At six, before Deb got there, she turned on a local station. The press conference was at the top of the newscast. In front of the police station Colt and a line of city officials stood behind the mayor. Pond told the cameras that the little boy was home safe with his parents and doing well. Then he launched into a gratuitous speech about “his” town and how it pulled together in times of crises.
“Could you be any more smarmy?” Delaney muttered at her flat screen.
He thanked the Glory Junction Volunteer Search and Rescue team, praising it to the moon, and glossed over the role Colt and the police department had played in finding the boy. According to Boden, it had been Colt who’d actually rescued the child. Delaney wanted him to get the credit.
She waited for Colt to speak, but the mayor never called him to the podium, hogging the spotlight until the press conference was over and the newscast moved on to footage of a wildfire on the Central Coast.
Delaney flipped through the channels, catching the tail end of the conference on other networks. Same thing: Pond’s smug face filled the screen. A knock came at the door and she got up to get it.
Deb carried two bottles of wine in. “Sustenance,” she said, and peered past the foyer into the great room. “Wow. Fabulous place.”
“Thanks. Let me turn off the TV.” She took the bottles from Deb, dropped them off in the kitchen, and proceeded to the entertainment center.
“The press conference?” Deb continued to take in the house, stopping in front of Delaney’s favorite painting—a Jared Javitz oil she’d paid a pretty penny for.
“Yeah. The mayor seems to have left out the part that Colt was the one who found and rescued the boy.”
“I’m not surprised. The man’s an egomaniac.” She turned and assessed Delaney. “You’re interested in Colt, aren’t you?”
“Me?” Delaney stuttered. “Why would you think that?”
“All signs point that way. I can’t blame you—something about those Garner men.” Her lips pulled up on one side but she still looked sad.
“Nope,” Delaney lied. “We’re just friends.”
Deb continued to measure her, then sighed. “You’re better off. Colt never got over Lisa.”
Delaney suspected that she was right.
* * *
That had certainly been interesting. If Colt hadn’t known better, he would’ve thought Pond had run the entire search and rescue operation on his own.
“What a nut sack,” Jack whispered as the two of them walked inside the building together.
“Hey, at least the boy’s safe and sound. Let Pond get his rocks off talking to a bunch of reporters. Anyone with a lick of sense knows how these rescues work. I’m just happy he gave credit to the volunteers.”
“Who was that guy with him?”
Colt had never seen the man before, though he had all the telltale signs of a cop. The posture, the aviator sunglasses, and the Marlboro Man mustache. He’d shown up with the mayor at the press conference and had stood on the sidelines, observing the crowd, his right hand resting near his hip, where he would’ve carried his duty weapon. Call him paranoid, but Colt had a sneaking suspicion the guy was here interviewing to be his replacement. Pond was probably putting him up for the weekend so he could check out the town.
“Don’t know. Possibly your new boss.”
“Nah,” Jack said. “Pond talks a good game but he’d never fire you.”
Colt wasn’t so sure about that.
Carrie Jo was sitting at her desk, flipping through the local stations on the office TV. “That was it? Where were you guys? It was like the Pond Scum hour.”
Jack chuckled.
“Hey, a little respect.” Colt needed them to stop with the Pond Scum crap. It was getting out of hand.
He wasn’t in his office five minutes before his phone pinged with a text from Win.
That was bullshit, it said.
TJ called on Colt’s cell. “What the hell was that?”
Josh yelled in the background, “The mayor’s a douche bag.”
“Who cares?” Colt was more concerned with Pond’s mystery friend. “The important thing is the kid’s all right.”
“Still,” TJ said, “you’re the one who found him. Everyone else thought he’d drowned in the river.”
“I don’t need a pat on the back for that. It’s my job. Besides, finding the kid . . . that’s enough.”
“Drinks tonight at Old Glory?” TJ asked.
“Yeah. I’ll ask Jack and Carrie Jo if they want to come too.” Colt would’ve liked to invite Delaney but needed to cool things down with her. By Halloween she’d be gone, returning to her real life in Los Angeles.
When he got off the phone he went out to the bull pen to talk to Carrie Jo. The mayor and his buddy were wandering through the office, talking in hushed tones. Yep, the guy was Colt’s replacement, all right. Carrie Jo thought so too, because she caught Colt’s eye and mouthed, “Shit.” He signaled for her to keep her lips zipped.
“Colt,” the mayor called. “I want you to meet a friend of mine.”
Colt walked over to where they were standing. The man wore a cheesy grin and stuck his hand out. Colt took it and introduced himself.
“This is Brian Dooney,” the mayor said. “He’s a captain at the Fremont Police Department and loves Glory Junction.”
“It’s a good place,” Colt said, trying to sound amiable. “I was raised here.”
“Oh yeah?” Brian sounded like he couldn’t care less; he was too busy checking out Carrie Jo.
“Colt’s family owns a little adventure tour company on Main Street.”
Little? It wasn’t so little. But Colt didn’t correct Pond.
“That must be fun,” Brian said.
“Yep. Fun. You up for the weekend or are you looking for a job?” Colt couldn’t help himself.
The mayor suddenly looked uncomfortable.
“Up for the weekend, but I wouldn’t mind making it permanent if the job was right. Who’s the big blonde?”
Colt clenched his fists at his sides, just thankful that Carrie Jo was too far away to hear the conversation. He’d take her with him to Garner Adventure before he’d leave her to this asshole.
“That’s Carrie Jo Morgan. She’s the department secretary,” Pond said.
“Executive assistant,” Colt corrected. “How do you know Mayor Pond, Brian?”
“Brian used to work off duty doing security for my startup before I sold it.”
Interesting, Colt thought. Captains didn’t usually take off-duty jobs, but maybe Brian hadn’t been that high up in the ranks back then.
“It was nice meeting you,” Colt lied. “Enjoy your stay in Glory Junction.”
“Maybe I’ll stop by your family’s company. I do a little motorcycle racing; you got anything like that?”
“No. Most of our stuff is for the seasoned adventurer. BASE jumping, cave diving, hang gliding, ice climbing, extreme skiing. Probably nothing you’d be interested in.” Colt walked away.
“What’s going on?” Carrie Jo whispered as he passed her desk.
“Not now.” He went inside his office, shut the door, and called his old partner at SFPD.
Even though Colt had been gone a while, he was still tight with the friends he’d made on the force in San Francisco. Still regularly went on ski and camping trips with them and had them up to Glory Junction for GA’s special events.
“Yo, Garner, what up?”
“You know a Brian Dooney? He’s a captain at Fremont PD.”
“Not off the top of my head. Why?”
“He’s looking to get hired here and I wanted to know what the off-the-record rap on him is.”
“I could ask around. How soon you need the information?”
“Soon.”
“Let me see what I can do.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
As soon as Colt got off the phone Carrie Jo and Jack rushed into his office, their expressions panicked. If Colt’s job was at risk so was Jack’s. Whoever became chief would want to bring in his own command staff. People loyal to him, not his predecessor. That’s just the way it was in any department.
“They’re gone,” Carrie Jo said. “What the hell, Colt?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“No way is he getting rid of you.” Jack plopped down on the couch. “The city council won’t stand for it.”
“Look at the city charter. The mayor has the ultimate say in these situations. If he wants to dump me, he can.”
“He doesn’t have the balls. The whole town will turn against him.”
“I don’t know about that. Have you looked around lately? This isn’t the same Glory Junction it was ten, fifteen years ago. Lots of new residents. Remember, Pond won by a landslide. People have faith in him.”
“That Brian guy gave me the willies.” Carrie Jo sat next to Jack. “He thinks he’s Thomas Magnum, PI, with that mustache.”
“I agree with Carrie Jo,” Jack said. “The dude made my skin crawl.”
Colt didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want his people to be unhappy but he had no power over the situation. “Let me talk to Ben, see if Pond has a contractual obligation to keep me on. But, guys, I’m pretty sure I’m an at-will employee.” Meaning he could be terminated at any time. “I’m meeting my brothers at Old Glory. You two in?”
“Let me get my purse and lock up.”
Jack said he’d meet them at the bar. Since he was on call tonight, he needed to brief the watch commander. Colt and Carrie Jo walked over together. The place was packed, as it usually was on a Friday night. He spotted TJ and Josh at their regular table and went to the bar to get a pitcher of beer.
“Missed you at the press conference,” Boden said. “It looked like the Carter Pond hour on my TV.”
“No comment.”
Colt brought the pitcher back to the table with a couple of pint glasses and put it next to TJ and Josh’s half empty one. He started to pour a glass for Carrie Jo but she shook her head.
“Too fattening. I’d rather take my calories in chocolate.”
“Suit yourself.”
His brothers finished their pitcher and topped their glasses off with his. A few minutes later Jack came in the door with Pond and Brian on his tail.
“Don’t look at me,” Jack said once he got to their table. “I didn’t invite them.”
The two men sat at the bar, far enough away that they couldn’t hear Colt and the rest of the gang, especially with the music from the jukebox blasting. In a couple of hours, a live band would take the stage. The Racketeers. Colt had seen the poster on the door advertising them, but had never heard of the group before. He probably wouldn’t be staying long enough for the band anyway. Tomorrow was a workday.
TJ and Josh played Jack and Carrie Jo in a game of pool. Win eventually showed up and challenged Colt to a game of darts. He kept one eye on the mayor and the Fremont police captain, who was scoping out every woman in the place. Colt was pretty sure he’d seen a ring on Brian’s wedding finger.
Boden came over with a fresh pitcher on the house. “Who’s the steroid head with the mayor?”
“I’m getting the feeling that he’s my successor,” Colt replied.
Win immediately turned his head to check out Brian at the bar. “What are you talking about?”
Colt told them about his suspicions.
“No way,” Win said. “Pond can’t just fire you without cause.”
“He can do whatever he wants. All he has to say is he wants to take the department in a new direction and that he and I couldn’t come to terms on the mayor’s vision for the future. It happens all the time.”
Jack and Carrie Jo had obviously filled TJ and Josh in, because the four of them came over to the dartboards. His brothers looked furious.
“That’s the guy?” TJ cocked his head at Brian.
“Yup. Try not to be too obvious, people.”
“I’m going to talk to Dad about this,” TJ said. “Pond is messing with the wrong people.”
Colt shrugged. “It is what it is, TJ. The mayor has the right to handpick anyone he wants. The voters put their faith in him.”
“The voters didn’t know what a jerk off the guy is,” Josh said.
Colt’s family was a loyal lot and he loved them for it. But sometimes they had an inflated view of their influence in town. A lot had changed since his parents had left the Bay Area to put down roots in Glory Junction, back when it was still a cow town. Since then, a whole crop of wealthy baby boomers and Gen Xers had become residents. To them, Gray and Mary Garner were the old guard.
He stayed for one set of the Racketeers and went home, feeling more dejected than he had in a long time. Being Glory Junction’s police chief was a big part of who he was. TJ was the businessman in the family, Josh the war hero, and Win the charismatic charmer. Law enforcement had given Colt an identity separate from the family business. He supposed he could always apply for a position somewhere else, but this was his town, his home, the place where the people he loved lived.
Turning up the easement, he noted that Delaney was charging her Tesla and parked at the top of his driveway. He got out of his car and checked Delaney’s studio windows to see if the lights were on and if she was still up. New shades made it impossible to tell. But as he got closer to her deck, he heard female laughter.
“Hey,” she called to him. “Saw you on TV.”
He walked closer and saw that his sister-in-law and Deb were there, drinking wine. “Yeah?”
“You looked good,” she slurred slightly. Clearly, she’d had a few.
“Thanks. You having a party?” He waved to Hannah and Deb, who waved back.
“Sort of. Deb came over so I could take her measurements for a pair of cargo pants. Hannah decided to come over, too. You want to hang out with us?”
They looked pretty happy to have their girl thing going. He didn’t want to intrude. “I’m gonna call it a night, but thanks for the invite.”
“Sure. You okay? You look kind of down. Is it because Pond hogged the press conference?”
“Nah,” he said. “Just tired.”
“Okay. ’Night then.”
“Good night.” He started back across the road, stopped suddenly, and pulled Delaney aside, out of earshot from the others. “You want to have dinner at my parents’ house Sunday?”
She seemed surprised by the invitation. “Me? Why?”
He was a glutton for punishment, that’s why.
“Josh is having surgery next week and my mom’s having everyone to the house.”
“Of course,” she said, pleased to have been asked. “I’d love to go.”
“Good. Hannah could use the support of her friends.” God, he was such a dick.