Page 31 of Grimm County Wishes (Grimm County Lawmen #4)

A l wiped the sweat from his brow. This shouldn’t be so difficult.

A beautiful woman sat across from him. They’d had a fun day of deep-sea fishing full of great conversation.

Somewhere on the floors above them waited a completely paid for honeymoon suite.

Most likely with chilled champagne and a bed covered in rose petals.

An awkward silence settled between them as Jazz looked over to the camera.

Diane was back on shift. With the amount of hours she was putting in, she must really enjoy the work.

Hopefully that meant she would join the Grimm County Lawmen crew when they started taping.

He’d missed teasing Hope, so it would be good to have another of Hunter’s sisters around.

Al rubbed his hand over his face. Focus. Tonight was the first of his three overnight dates. They were supposed to help him get to know the ladies better. Know, like in the Biblical sense .

He steadied his bouncing knee, trying to ignore the way the sea bass he’d eaten was threatening to come back up. He looked over at Lindsey, who was mouthing, “the key, the key.”

“Jazz, I’ve had a lovely evening. We get along great, and on paper, I can see how our lifestyles would really complement each other.”

Out of nowhere, Shane appeared, looking like a fancy waiter holding a plate covered with a silver dome. Okay, so maybe Mister Teen Idol still had a few moves.

Jazz’s eyes widened as she glanced over at Al. He reached for his glass and took another sip of red wine.

“Well, okay then,” she whispered, following his lead with her own glass.

Shane cleared his throat. “Al and Jazz, we’re down to three women of interest. There’s just one elimination before the final arraignment, and possibly, a proposal.

I want to make sure there is no evidence left uncovered in the investigation for love.

Therefore, I present you with a gift.” He lifted the dome off of the plate.

“This,” he paused several long seconds while mugging for the camera, “is the key to the Conjugal Suite.”

Jazz snorted, spitting her wine onto the table.

“Oh shit, are you okay?” Al jumped up and slapped her on the back .

Jazz waved Al away, laughing and choking as she wiped her face. “Please tell me he did not call that what I think he did.”

Al grinned. “You mean the Conjugal Suite? Unfortunately, yes.”

“All good over there?” Shane called from his safe distance several feet away.

“Yes, all good. Sorry about that,” Jazz said, looking up at Shane, then back at Al. “Actually, I’m not feeling all that well. Maybe it was the fish?” She nibbled on her lip and looked toward the camera.

Al rubbed his stomach. “Now that you mention it, I don’t feel so good either.”

“I’d rather go to my room and lie down. I’m not sure what the night will bring.” She rubbed her stomach and groaned loudly. “But I’m pretty sure we aren’t ready to know each other like that.”

“Wow, I hate that our night turned out this way, but I totally agree.” They hugged each other goodnight, and the crew stopped filming.

“Well, that wasn’t ideal, but neither is food poisoning,” Lindsey said as she walked up to Al. He looked around the room, watching the crew break down the equipment. He hid a smile as he saw Diane palm the suite key. At least someone would get some use out of it .

“Make sure you get plenty of fluids tonight. You’ve got another day of filming tomorrow, and I need you in top form for Iona.

” Al nodded, assuring Lindsey he’d take some medicine and stay hydrated.

Although, his stomach was feeling a whole lot better.

Now that his night had freed up, maybe he could check in with Jeannie and see if she wanted to finish their marathon of Constance Cairn, Vegetable Psychic.

***

Shane whipped off the dome covered plate with a flourish and proceeded to explain to Iona about the Conjugal Suite.

Al tuned him out, unnerved by the feeling of déjà vu, having been in the exact same scenario with Jazz barely twenty-four hours ago.

Although this time, Lindsey had taken fish off the menu.

Instead of deep-sea fishing, they’d spent the day at a spa and gone on a riverboat cruise through the sound. Iona had been very affectionate all day and was currently putting out all the right vibes for an overnight.

The familiar cramp returned to his belly.

He’d stuck with liquids most of the day and had grilled chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner.

Surely he wasn’t getting food poisoning again?

They needed to choose a different restaurant for tomorrow.

Not that he’d gotten sick after leaving last night, but poor Jazz had probably spent the night worshiping the porcelain god.

Iona reached over and grabbed the keycard from the plate. “Shane, I think I speak for both of us when I say, hell yes! We need that suite tonight, don’t we, baby?”

He hoped his grimace looked like a smile. His eyes roamed the room, searching for an answer that wasn’t there. His gaze locked with Diane’s, standing behind her camera. Poor girl must have picked up the food poisoning, because a few seconds later, she grabbed her stomach and ran out of the room.

Iona tapped her nail on the table. Maybe this was for the best. Jeannie and Shane had been making plans for a date over lunch. Shouldn’t he try to move on?

“Right, I guess that sounds—” Before he could finish, a loud wail erupted throughout the hotel restaurant. Emergency lights flashed inside the room, and Al quickly shifted to deputy mode.

“It’s okay, everybody, don’t panic. Probably a false alarm, but we need everyone to move toward the exits. Meet by the light pole on the opposite end of the parking lot. Lindsey, make sure you check off everyone against your call sheet and let me know if anyone is missing. ”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, switching it off airplane mode. Clearing a hotel in an emergency would be a nightmare. As he headed toward the manager’s desk to offer help, he felt a manicured hand scrape across his forearm.

“Where are you going? I thought you said we needed to wait outside,” Iona purred into his ear.

Shit. He’d forgotten all about her. “I need to help clear the building. Until we know why the alarm went off, we need to treat it as if there is a life-threatening emergency. There could be a couple hundred people staying here. Some might be asleep or have a disability and need help getting down the stairs.”

Iona’s head reared back as she scrunched her nose. “But you’re off duty.”

“I may not be in uniform, but I’m always a deputy. I’m sorry, Iona, but you need to go outside, and I need to get to work.”

Al couldn’t help but grin as Iona stormed off, clearly disappointed with the night’s turn of events. He should be disappointed, too, but wasn’t. He glanced around the dining area to make sure the crew had exited, only to find Diane entering the room. She must not have been sick after all .

“Hey, that goes for you, too. Hunter would have my ass if anything happened to you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I don’t smell any smoke, although I was hoping to catch a few fireworks from Iona. Besides, I like this version of you. Serious Deputy Al. It’ll be great for b-roll.”

“Absolutely not. It’s not worth the risk.” When she didn’t budge, Al crossed his arms. “Don’t make me call your mother.”

“Oh, now that’s just dirty.” The horn of a fire engine blared outside, competing with the still ringing alarm. “Fine. You win. Can I leave this camera here, or do you think the hotel will be closed for the rest of the night?”

“Best case, there’s no fire and you’ll be able to come back after the fire department gives the all clear. Maybe thirty minutes? Or if they find something, it could be tomorrow morning. Assuming the whole place doesn’t burn down, of course.”

“For your sake, I hope it’s a false alarm so you’ll still have plenty of time to use your suite.”

Al grimaced. “Oh, well, actually, there’s a lot of paperwork to fill out during an incident like this. Even more so when you’re off duty. I’ll have to, like, fill out a timesheet and stuff.”

Diane nodded. “Right. A timesheet. Hope said Christian is a stickler for that kind of thing.”

“Exactly! So even if the hotel reopens, I’m afraid my night with Iona is wrecked. Such a shame.” He shook his head as the weight on his shoulders lifted.

At that moment the fire marshal walked in, and as Al walked over to greet him, he noticed Diane had again snagged the suite key off the table.