Page 21 of Professional Consult

“That’s nice of you.”

Things have a way of getting weird with Luke. In the short time I’ve known him, he’s gotten eerily quiet and irritated over things that don’t seem like they should trigger that type of reaction. But seeing as how he’s made it into his thirties and remained single, it’s possible he just values his privacy.

Riggs comes over, whining for table scraps.

“Can I?”

Luke rolls his eyes. “Go ahead.”

I give Riggs a bacon strip, which he devours in a second. His big eyes train on me again, but I resist.

Luke’s eyes train on the table, and I know that the next words out of his mouth are going to be sour.

“I, uh, will bring you around today, tell you about my job, answer any questions you might have, but after that, I think it’s best that you leave.”

“I’m hardly going to get the help I need staying only one day.”

“This just doesn’t work. It was never supposed to extend past a night in a cell. I still can’t believe my boneheaded brother put us through all this.”

I can’t blame Luke for wanting me out of his hair. He’s clearly not enamored by my celebrity status, which I find refreshing, and he is the chief of police, which can’t be an easy job.

“How many men do you have working under you?”

“Just six. We work hand in hand with three other nearby towns, so we never get overwhelmed.”

I smile. “As a child, did you dream of being a police officer?”

He frowns. Of course he does. He doesn’t like outsiders prying into his business.

Suddenly self-conscious, I say, “We can just sit here and not talk if you’d prefer.”

He grunts a frustrated sound that makes me set down my fork and start to clean up.

“Hey,” he grabs my wrist as I reach for his plate. “I didn’t mean to get all upset. It’s just that I’m not used to early morning conversations.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not fine. It’s not like you want to be here, and you don’t have to be. I can take you to the airport this morning. Right now, if you’d like.”

“I’m staying.”

He slams his fist down on the table and grunts.

I remind myself that he has every right to be mad. We both do.

So perhaps it’s time I sweeten the pot.

I sit back down at the table and cover his fist with my hand. His fist relaxes, turning slightly so I can feel his palm before he quickly retracts it away.

For a moment, I thought it would be a sweet interaction, but I should know better where Luke is concerned.

“You said yesterday that you agreed to your brother’s scheme because you wanted a new playground. So what if I can give you something better?”

His brows knit together. “What do you mean?”

“What else do the small children of Pond Spring need? A library? A community garden? A new science lab? Whatever it is, I can make it happen.”

“Youwould build a library?”