“I’m starving. Let’s stop at Lulu’s for lunch.”

Blaine gave Matt a tight smile and held his tongue while the rookie cop drove them to the last place he should probably go.

He couldn’t really protest. Every cop working this part of town always stopped at Lulu’s for a bite. It was the best, so there was no other option.

He tapped his finger on the edge of the window as Matt found a parking spot across the street. Despite Blaine’s initial reservations, it had been a pretty easy shift so far. Rookie duty meant easy cruising around the streets.

Blaine kind of wished he was working on the drug cases with Nate, but patrolling the streets of Aspen Falls was valid too. He should be grateful. It gave him time to stop by Gary’s Garage and arrange for Rosie’s car to be towed and serviced. Gary was skeptical that the Escort was worth the cost of fixing it, so Blaine told him to hold off on starting anything so he could check with Rosie first. She probably couldn’t afford the repairs anyway, but could she be without a car? He needed to talk to her about it, but he hadn’t wanted to call in front of Matt. What if he said something stupid again?

He still couldn’t believe he’d admitted to loving her in high school.

And then Erin had texted, which served as a stark reminder that he had no right to love Rosie at all.

The snow crunched beneath Blaine’s boots as he walked across the fresh powder. Matt held the door for him and they strolled into the warmth of Lulu’s. It was hard not to feel good in this place. It was a home away from home…for anyone.

Approaching the counter, he looked to see who was serving, his heart doing a little hiccup when Rosie appeared from the kitchen.

“Oh, hi.” Her smile was a little tight at the edges but soon softened when he grinned back at her. She tipped her head and closed her eyes with a soft giggle. Leaning against the counter, she told him. “I got a call from Gary. Thank you so much for arranging the tow.”

“Not a problem.” Blaine winced. “Did he talk to you about the car?”

“Yeah,” she said, her expression clouding. “I think I’m just going to have to accept his offer and sell it to him for the parts that actually do work.”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay. I need the cash anyway.” Her face flickered with a frown he wanted to understand.

“Why?” Matt moved in beside him, his tone a little abrasive.

“E-excuse me?” she stammered.

“Why do you need cash?”

The question stunned her, the color from her face quickly draining as she opened and closed her mouth.

Blaine’s insides stirred with curiosity, but concern overrode the feeling.

With a sharp nudge, he shut Matt up. “I don’t think that’s any of your business, Officer Billings.”

“Sorry.” Matt snickered. “I was just curious.”

Rosie’s eyebrows rose as she shared a quick look with Blaine. He winked at her, which made her grin, and Blaine was reminded once again that he should not be standing there flirting with Rosie Sweet.

“So, eating…” He cleared his throat and looked up at the board.

Rosie grabbed a pencil, seeming way more confident than she had even just a few days ago.

“I’ll take a chicken sub with the works and a Diet Coke, please.” Matt pulled out his wallet.

Blaine stood back to let him pay, unable to keep his eyes off Rosie as she smiled at him with a polite friendliness.

As soon as Matt moved out of earshot, Blaine stepped back up to the counter. “I’ll take a turkey on rye, hold the mayo.”

“Hold the mayo?” She frowned. “How can you enjoy a sandwich without mayo?”

“It’s fattening.”

“Like you need to worry about that.” She ran her eyes down his torso, her cheeks tinging pink as she fought a smile. Her gaze made him feel something special, which he kind of loved. “Have the mayo. Have extra mayo. It’s delicious.”

He grinned. “Do you talk to all your customers this way?”

“Only the ones I consider friends, and I can tell you with full assurance that Julio stood over me as I made the mayonnaise this morning and it has turned out very nicely.” She swallowed. “At least my third attempt did.”

He chuckled. She was adorable. “And here I was thinking Louanne just bought the mayo in bulk.”

“People come here for a reason, Officer Hartford.”

He grinned. “Alright. I’ll try the mayo, but only because you made it.”

“You won’t regret it.” She winked, and he had to look away in case he actually disintegrated on the spot. He was flirting with Rosie Sweet, and she was flirting right back.

You shouldn’t be flirting with Rosie Sweet!

He reprimanded himself and paid quickly, stopping to grab a water on his way to the table.

“So, who is she?” Matt’s bright blue eyes sparkled as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Blaine tried to play it cool. “Just a friend from high school.”

“I haven’t seen her around.”

“She just got back into town.”

“When?” Matt scratched his chin while he stared across the coffee shop at Rosie, who was now serving an elderly woman with a cane.

“Last week.” Blaine shrugged, not wanting to delve into the fact that he pulled her over for speeding but then didn’t give her a ticket.

“Huh.” Matt nodded and glanced out the window, seemingly finished discussing Rosie. “Think we’ll get some more fresh snow today?”

“If you believe the weatherman. But we know how often they actually get it right.”

Matt snorted. “Never.”

“Wonder if they’ve updated the forecast.” Blaine pulled out his phone, so busy looking at the weather that he missed his opportunity to watch Rosie walk their sandwiches over.

It was a good thing.

He shouldn’t be watching her anyway.

He slid his phone away and smiled up at her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She patted his shoulder and was about to walk away from the table when Matt’s question stopped her.

“So, I hear you just got back into town. Where were you before then?”

“Um…” She smoothed down her red apron and gave him a tight smile. “I’ve been all over. I’m a bit of a nomad.”

“So just flying back home for a little visit, then?”

“Yeah, catching up with a few old friends.” Her nose wrinkled and she smiled at Blaine.

He gazed at her with interest, desperately hoping she’d dish out a little more. He wanted to know where she’d been. Which cities had she flitted through on her nomadic journey?

“You completed your degree at the U, though, right? That’s where you were headed after graduation.”

“Yes.” She nodded. “And I stayed there for a little bit before moving on.”

“You like the big city, huh?” Matt tore off an edge of lettuce and popped it in his mouth.

“Minneapolis was a little too big for me. I’ve kind of been going smaller since then.”

“Oh yeah? Where?” Matt’s face lit up while Rosie’s eyebrows pinched together.

He was pushing it a little, Blaine thought. It wasn’t that his questions were bad, but the way he delivered them was too much, and with so much force that declining to answer seemed like it would be unacceptable.

Blaine dipped his eyebrows and lightly kicked Matt under the table.

The young cop snickered. “Sorry if you think I’m being nosy. I’ve just lived in lots of towns around here. St. Cloud, Princeton, Monticello, Brookvale.”

Rosie bit her lips together as he listed the cities. She looked nervous for some reason, and Blaine’s gut pinched with concern.

She pulled her expression into a tight smile. “Wow, you really have moved around. We’ll have to swap stories sometime.” Smoothing down her apron again, she glanced over her shoulder and pointed at the counter. “Excuse me, I better get back to work.”

Matt studied her as she walked away, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Did she seem nervous to you?”

Yes!

But Blaine wasn’t about to say it. His protective instincts made him shrug. He picked up his turkey sandwich and took a large bite to stop any more conversation. It tasted freaking amazing.

Rosie was right. He didn’t regret the mayo.