Page 19 of Buck (Diver Downeast #2)

Thoughts of Bobbie continued to consume him as he entered Orono. Not that she’d ever been far from his mind, but he’d purposely refused to think about her while conducting business this morning, so he wouldn’t appear distracted.

Because, yeah, Bobbie was a major distraction.

Earlier, on his drive south, he’d called Chief Ildavorg and set up the meeting Bobbie had requested.

The Chief was intrigued, to say the least; especially because Buck and Bobbie were coming in together.

Still, the man didn’t dig for information beforehand.

He simply asked if Mason—the OPD’s Captain and Buck’s brother—could sit in.

Buck had assured him that Mason’s input would be more than welcome, in fact, he was pumped that his smart sibling would be in attendance. The more ears that heard his and Bobbie’s concerns, the better.

But back to that imagined kiss…

If Bobbie slapped his ass down, he’d apologize and regroup. But if she liked it…

Buck got a stirring in his gut he hadn’t felt in years. It was part lust, because…Bobbie. But mostly a giddy anticipation that he might be able to breathe new air into what had once been the start of the best relationship of his life.

Buck parked his van in front of Bobbie’s pretty little business again, so happy for her that she’d been able to land on her feet after such a rough beginning.

And by tough starts, he wasn’t just thinking about her scuttled sailboat.

He was remembering her as a fifteen-year-old girl, being abandoned by her selfish, alcoholic parents as they sought their divorce; to be left in the care of her two older, shithead brothers.

What the hell had her mother and father been thinking? Clearly, they hadn’t. Drew and Jeff had already proven themselves to be shiftless pricks at twenty-eight and twenty-six. Yet, their parents had walked away as if Bobbie would be just fine.

It was amazing that she’d turned out so well.

Buck walked up to the door and… Huh .

Did he knock? Did he go right in? The conundrum from before came back to haunt him.

That’s when he saw the doorbell.

Well, what do you know ?

He was just directing his finger toward the button when the door swung open.

“Hi,” Bobbie greeted him, looking a little flushed and breathless. Had she been busy hauling stuff around, or was it his presence that had her looking flustered?

Was it bad of him to wish for the latter?

“Hi,” he answered. “How did you know I was here?”

“Camera.” She pointed to two, small white devices that were pointed toward the door and the street out front.

“That’s smart,” Buck responded. He was glad Bobbie was taking precautions with the safety of her business. You never knew if there’d be a break-in…

Whoa. Not going there. Buck’s brain did not need a reminder of the shit he’d suffered over the hardware store debacle.

“So,” Bobbie shifted from foot to foot. “Would you like to come in and have a little tour?”

“I’d love that,” Buck told her honestly. “I have no idea how a catering business works.” He immediately grew distracted, staring at her mouth.

Did he make his move? Did he kiss her now?

Bobbie took the decision right out of his hands. She went up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his in a fast, controlled hit, then backed off immediately, almost as if it had never happened.

“Well, it’s not all that interesting,” she stated, answering his previous question. Her tongue poked out to…what? Taste him there?

Yes!

Bobbie went on, which forced Buck to refocus.

“Today, for instance, we’re making and freezing things for an alumni party we’re doing this coming weekend at the college.

” She gave an open-palmed smack to her forehead and snorted.

“Oh. That sounds bad. Most of what we serve is fresh; the majority of our menu is, as a matter of fact. But there are some foods that lend themselves to being frozen, and that makes our job easier when setting up.”

“I can understand that,” Buck nodded as he stepped inside and she closed the door behind them. He’d trust her implicitly, having tasted her food at the wedding.

Buck took it all in. The single room in front of him, no larger than thirty feet by thirty.

It was bright, and clean, and…very stainless.

It seemed like almost every surface was highly polished, but he supposed that made clean-up easier.

There were sinks, large refrigerators, and covered storage bins everywhere. It looked very professional.

Several people bustled about, all with hair-nets, blue coveralls, and nitrile gloves.

Buck brought his gaze back to Bobbie, and noted that she wore none of that.

“I see you wondering why I’m not in my PPC’s,” she nudged him gently in the ribs. “It’s because we have an appointment. You don’t want me showing up at the police station looking like I’m about to cook lunch.”

She sent a wry snicker toward a woman who had stopped chopping, to grin in their direction.

“I’m guessing PPC is…Personal Protective Clothing?” Buck posited, trying to ignore the silent exchange.

“Ding, ding. Got it in one,” the grinning woman answered, clearly not afraid to engage. “Give the man a prize.” She jiggled her eyebrows, then tipped her head from Bobbie to Buck, then back again.

“Cut it out, Mel,” Bobbie huffed amusedly. “Buck, I want you to meet Melo, my right-hand woman who also happens to be my best friend. She’s mouthy and bossy, but she’s worth every minute of the aggravation because she’s damned good at what she does.”

“Aww, Bobbie. I love you too.” Mel’s eyes narrowed amusedly. “I take it this stud-muffin is the reason you’ve been off your game all morning?” she suggested cheekily.

Bobbie rolled her eyes. “Did I mention, mouthy?” She huffed at her friend. “And I was not off my game.”

“And fresh bananas like being in the freezer,” Melo laughed, going back to her dicing.

Bobbie groaned. “Okay. Enough.” She turned back to Buck. “Over here we have?—”

She was cut off by Buck’s phone ringing in his pocket.

He held up a finger. “Let me just…”

Buck pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. “It’s Spence. I was going to surprise him with today’s haul, but he can be impatient. I’m sure he wants to know if I bought all the equipment I was looking at. Do you mind?” He pointed to his phone.

“No. No. Not at all. Please feel free.”

Buck hit the button to connect. “Hey, Spence. What’s up?”

“We have a situation,” Spencer barked.

Buck was immediately all ears. “Tell me.”

“The Chief just called and said somebody fishing on the river bank reported seeing a truck jettisoning a big-ass, possibly people-sized suitcase into the water off the Main Street bridge. And get this. The bystander said there was noise coming from inside it as it got swept downstream. I don’t have to tell you, that things going to sink fast, and with something in it…

The Chief called me because he wants a diver.

I’m fifteen minutes out, which could be too late. How close are you?”

“I’m at Bobbie’s place. I can be there in two minutes. And I have gear.”

“Go, go, go. Who knows what the hell is inside.”