Page 9 of Love Me Gently

“Update on the call we got about the Humphrey boy?”

A call came in from a teacher at the middle school for possible child abuse. “I’ve put Nix on it. She’s meeting with Thomas at the school first.”

“Good call,” Chief said and nodded.

I didn’t quite need the approval. I’d been in this town my whole life, in the police department as soon as I graduated the academy, entering after my second year of college and decided doing the four-year thing wasn’t for me. At twenty, I went to the academy and several months later I was back here in Deer Creek, driving a patrol car and writing traffic violations. I’d worked hard since then, though, and I knew the chief respected me. But Sarah Nix was the best officer for cases like this, mostly because she was one of the few female detectives we had and the school resource officer, Bill Thomas, tended to overwhelm the middle school kids with his booming personality.

The kids loved him, and he was great with them, but he was employed through the county sheriff’s office, not the local police.

“Thanks.”

“Good. Now if you don’t have questions for me, you’re excused.”

“None at this time, sir.” I shoved to my feet, crumpling the pamphlet in my hand, and headed back to my desk.

Eddy was tossing a stress ball in the air, feet kicked up on the desk when I reached mine. “You fired?”

“Worse.” I tossed the pamphlet in his direction. “I have to go to Atlanta.”

His brows popped high on his forehead, and he kicked his feet to the floor. “There’s a half a million people in that city.”

“Yup.”

When Trina Mills decided to get rid of our baby, break my heart, and skip out of town with a smile on her face twelve years ago, saying I struggled was putting it mildly. It was half the reason I dropped out of college. I couldn’t focus. Could never stop thinking of her. She made it worse by occasionally sending me letters, hoping things were going well for me. She rarely apologized, at least not after the first couple of times.

I should have burned them all, but I didn’t.

It didn’t matter where she’d been or what magazine cover she eventually starred on, I couldn’t get rid of her.

And now I was going to Atlanta… where her husband was the General Manager of the Georgia Gators, their professional football team, and former CEO of one of the largest, and most well-known technology companies.

“There’s not a chance you’ll see her.”

“Probably true, too.”

It didn’t matter that I wouldn’t see her.

She’d still be everywhere.

“You still don’t want to go.”

“Not a chance.”

“Yeah. I get that.” Eddy moved to Deer Creek eight years ago, a couple years after I started on the force. We were partnered together because he had more experience, but I knew the town and people. Chief figured the locals would trust him faster if he was seen with me, and I could learn from him.

It hadn’t taken him much time at all to learn the historical gossip of my high school crash-and-burn relationship with Trina. Over time, I’d filled him in on the rest, which meant he was one of three people in my life I’d ever told.

“That really sucks for you.”

“Thank you,” I deadpanned. “So very compassionate.”

“What can I say?” He smirked. “I’m a compassionate man.”

“Right.”

“Now about Heather Samson…”

I flung a pen at him.

---