Page 19 of The Sunny Side (Rojo 2nd Generation: Rojo Police Department #3)

“You’re going to have to get over yourself, Max,” I warned as we walked up the sidewalk toward the school. “It’s not like the vet waterboarded you. It was a shot, dude. Good grief.”

Max gave me a side-eye, and I had to hold back a laugh. This dog had almost as much sass as the women in my family. I didn’t want to imagine what he would say if we were at home with his word board right now.

Once I scanned my badge to unlock the door, I let Max go in first so I could close the door gently. Since the air conditioning wasn’t great in this building, most teachers kept their doors open so the air could circulate, which meant it was important to keep the hallway noise down.

I made eye contact with teachers as I passed and smiled at the reaction Max and I got when the students saw us.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of kids who feared the police, so I did my best to show them that even though there would always be a few bad apples in the bunch, the majority of us were good people who cared.

When I got closer to Mrs. Proctor’s room, I wasn’t surprised to hear an unfamiliar voice and had a few seconds to appreciate the beauty of the raspy tone before I turned the corner and found the last person I was expecting to see standing in front of the class.

She pushed her glasses up her nose and stared at me as one of the kids called out, “Officer D!”

Another one said, “I hope you’ve been studying!”

Clarisse Middleton, the woman I had wondered about for years and been horribly wrong about for the same amount of time, seemed just as shocked to see me as I was to see her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in that sexy as hell voice.

I smiled before I answered, “Max and I work here.”

“Are you the resource officer?”

“The one and only.”

“Do you know each other?” an astute student in the front row asked.

I was still looking at Clarisse when I answered, “We’ve met once or twice.”

There were cheers and jeers from the class, and I smiled when Clarisse frowned and said, “We’re in the middle of class, Officer D.”

“Are you trying to give them the upperhand in our trivia competition?”

“I’m sure they don’t need my help to win, but it’s always nice to be ready, right?”

“I’m always prepared,” I said as I shrugged the shoulder holding my backpack. “I carry around anything I would need in an emergency situation.”

I could tell she understood my meaning when she said, “I’d like to talk to you about that after school, if you don’t mind.”

The kids started up again but quieted when Clarisse raised her hand. She looked out over the room and said, “Officer D should probably go study, right?”

The students agreed, and I smiled at them before I looked back at Clarisse. “I’ll see you around, Ms. Middleton.”

“Unless you’re hiding again,” I heard her mumble under her breath.

I was still laughing when I got to my office, and even though my mind kept wandering, I did try to study. After all, I couldn’t have a classroom of middle schoolers wipe the floor with me if I wanted to make a good impression on their new teacher.

◆◆◆

The shorter school days of the summer passed much quicker than the ones during the regular school year would. I was thankful for that since I couldn’t seem to focus on anything but the meeting I would be having with Clarisse after the students left.

It was a surprise to see her this morning and to be able to look at her in a situation other than a medical emergency.

It was also the first time I’d seen her standing up, so I was surprised to see how tall she was.

I was a large man like my father, and at almost 6’4”, I appreciated a woman with stature.

I also appreciated a woman who didn’t look like she’d blow over in a stiff wind, and Clarisse fit that bill in all of the best ways.

She had curves in all the right places, and I wondered what she’d feel like in my arms. I remembered how terrifying it was to hold her all those years ago.

Hopefully, if I played my cards right, I’d get a chance to experience that again in a much more pleasant situation.

I was daydreaming about that exact scenario when Max perked up and I heard footsteps outside my office. Clarisse appeared in the doorway with her hands clasped together in front of her and an uncertain look on her face.

“Hello, Ms. Middleton,” I said with a smile.

“Officer D,” Clarisse said softly before she burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Nothing! I just . . . nothing.”

I made a mental note to get her to tell me what made her laugh later, but right now, she still seemed skittish even though she was smiling. I felt as if she might run away at any second.

“I was just as surprised to see you as you were to see me,” I assured her. “I got your address from a friend of mine and was going to come by to see if you would take a walk with me and Max this evening.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to walk around the park again. The last time I was there, someone assaulted me out of the blue and then refused to talk to me once the dust settled.”

“I’m sorry I hid from you, but I had my reasons, I promise.”

“I just wanted to apologize for what my stepmother did all of those years ago.”

“You don’t have to apologize for someone else, especially since you had no idea what was going on at the time.”

“Everything about that day is hazy,” Clarisse admitted. “I don’t remember what I did earlier or even the drive up the mountain. I do remember seeing you, even though it felt like a dream.”

“Head injuries are scary like that.”

“I thought you were a figment of my imagination since my parents insisted that the person I remembered wasn’t anything like the man who rescued me.”

“I have never understood why your mother . . .”

“Stepmother.”

“Sorry. I’ve never understood why your stepmother hated me on sight, but after talking to your sister, I think I have an idea.”

“I can tell you exactly why. She’s a gold-digging social climber who couldn’t stomach the idea that regular people had rescued me and should be rewarded for their good deeds.”

“She sounds like a piece of work.”

“That should be thrown in a landfill to rot with the rest of the trash.”

“So, you two are close?” I asked sarcastically.

“If I never see her again, it will be too soon.”

“Same. She made quite the impression.”

“Thank you for all of your help that day.”

“I’m sorry I hit you in the head with a tennis ball,” I said at the same time.

Clarisse laughed before she said, “All is forgiven, and thank you for rescuing me the second time, too, Mr. Dumont.”

“Call me Brawley.”

“That’s such a unique name.”

“So’s Clarisse.”

“My friends call me Clancy.”

“Would you like to become friends, Clancy?”

“I’d like that more than anything.”

“Friends is a good start, but I’d like something else.”

Clancy seemed confused for a second before she asked, “For rescuing me?”

I shook my head and laughed before I said, “No. I’d do that over and over again without any thanks.”

“Which you didn’t get, but I would really like to find a way to thank you properly.”

“No thanks necessary, but there is something you could do for me.”

“Anything!”

“Will you go out with me, Clancy?”

“Where?”

I laughed again before I said, “I’m asking if I can take you on a date.”

“Oh!” The blush that stained her cheeks was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen, and when she started to stammer, it got even brighter. “I don’t . . . Well, if you . . . I’m sure that . . . You don’t have to . . . I mean . . .”

“Can I take you to dinner?” When she started stammering again, I interrupted and said, “A simple yes or no would work, babe.”

It was her turn to laugh, and she pushed her glasses up her nose before she softly answered, “I’d like that.”

“So would I.”