Page 22 of The Sunny Side (Rojo 2nd Generation: Rojo Police Department #3)
Clancy laughed before she said, “There was nothing that extreme, but words can hurt almost as much as physical abuse.”
“That’s true. I’m lucky that I’ve never had to deal with that, but I can see how hard it would be to forgive if it happened repeatedly.”
“I can’t remember a conversation with her that didn’t include a handful of insults. They were veiled on the better days, but she would often just berate us outright.”
“Wow. She sounds like a bitch. You seem wonderful as does your sister that I met once we cleared up the confusion. I just can’t imagine what she would even find to say as an insult.”
“She would make offhand comments about my looks, weight, height, choice of profession, lack of dates in high school and then college, and my lack of a husband now. All the things.”
“Holy shit. Someone should throw her off a bridge.”
Clancy burst out laughing and asked, “Do you know someone I could hire for that?” She slapped her hand over her mouth and said, “Forget I asked that!”
“It sounded perfectly reasonable to me.”
“But you’re a police officer!”
“I didn’t offer up anyone’s name, and I’m not going to do it myself or let you do it, so I think we’re in the clear.”
“I’ve watched enough crime shows to know a conspiracy charge when I hear one.” It was my turn to laugh, and Clancy smiled when she said, “But I won’t tell if you won’t.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
Our conversation flowed so easily, that I didn’t even notice when the band stopped playing and people started leaving. When I looked around and saw that we were all alone in the park, I smiled at Clancy and said, “It seems like we really are in our own little bubble now.”
“I ate so much this evening that I’m a little envious of Max and Cupcake,” Clancy said as she looked over at the dogs who were curled up together.
“I wouldn’t be opposed to that myself.”
“If you’re tired, you can take me home.”
“I wasn’t just talking about napping, Clancy.”
“Oh!” Clancy pushed her glasses up and then looked around before she said, “I’m not sure that lying on the grass is the best idea right now. So far, we’ve managed to avoid most of the bugs but . . .”
When her voice trailed off, I motioned toward my knee brace and said, “I’m not sure I’d be able to get up if I did that anyway.”
“I guess that takes cuddling off the agenda.” Her eyes got wide, and she blushed before she looked away and said, “I’m not sure why I feel comfortable enough with you to say things like that out loud.
Somehow it feels like we’ve known each other forever, but this is really the first time we’ve ever gotten to have an actual conversation. ”
“Snuggling up together isn’t completely off the table, but I’ll understand if you want to wait until date number three or maybe even four.” When she didn’t respond, I went out on a limb and said, “Or we could start now, we’d just have to improvise.”
She seemed bolder than she had been just a minute ago when she looked me in the eyes and asked, “What do you suggest?”
“You could come sit in my lap.”
Clancy looked at the chair I was sitting in and shook her head before she said, “It won’t hold us, and believe me, you don’t want me sitting on your lap.”
I smiled softly and replied, “I think you’d fit perfectly, and I’ve seen much bigger men than me sit in this chair with no problem, so I know it will hold both of us.”
“Well, I’m not . . . I’d hate for . . . ”
She was right. I didn’t know her very well, but her facial expressions and rambling quirk made her easy to read. I patted my thigh and her eyes lit up as I said, “There’s a spot right here for you.”
She stood there, hesitating, so I asked, “Are you a chicken?”
“I’m not a chicken.”
“So you don’t want me to hold you,” I said, knowing that was bullshit because the pink blooms on her cheeks told a different story.
“We can shelve it for now, Clancy, but at some point in our relationship, I’m going to convince you to sit on my lap, and when you do, we’re both going to enjoy the hell out of it. ”
Clancy’s blush was even deeper now, but she somehow found her sass and retorted, “If you say so, Officer D .” When I narrowed my eyes at her, she giggled and said, “I don’t know how you convinced everyone to call you that, but . . .”
“I did not ask anyone to call me that, but the teachers apparently started using that nickname behind my back. It caught on before I could stop it. I’m sure they didn’t realize that it could be taken a different way.”
“Um, I would bet they do,” Clancy chortled.
“Either way, I’m stuck with it now because even the kids have started to call me that.”
“After everything you’ve told me about your family and friends, I would imagine they’ve had a field day teasing you about it.”
“None of them know.”
Clancy’s eyes twinkled mischievously when she said, “Yet.”
“You wouldn’t!”
She shrugged and shot me a wicked grin before she said, “I’m not saying I would, but in the right circumstances, I might feel the urge to let that information slip.”
“The right circumstances? Are you blackmailing me, Ms. Middleton?”
“Do I really seem like the kind of woman who would do something as heinous as to blackmail someone? Especially an officer of the law?”
“I don’t know anymore. I’m coming to the realization that everything I thought I knew about you was wrong.”
Clancy winked before she said, “I’m a woman of many diverse and varied talents, Officer D. It would be in your best interests to remember that.”
I smiled when I said, “You’ve been unforgettable since the first time we met, Clancy. I assure you I’ll remember.”