ONE
Zac
Looking down at the tiny schnauzer sprawled across my feet, I shake my head. I’m not sure how many police stations in the state of North Carolina have fans, but ours seem to come as the four-legged kind. This particular fella appeared at the station for the first time about a week after I started working here, at the Sweetkiss Creek Police department. He’s cute, and really lovable, but he’s not supposed to be here.
Bending down, I scratch Thor’s sweet spot, that little patch of fur between his ears. I’m mesmerized when he closes his eyes, completely relaxing into my hand. So trusting.
“He’s back?” Sergeant Lane asks as he pauses in front of me, taking the time to peer over my desk and get a look at Thor. “I swear if he comes in one more time, he’s coming with me for my kids. They’ll love him.”
Glancing down at my feet, I find my friend with one eye open, watching me. Thor’s big brown eyes are not that dissimilar to a baby deer’s, and their depth is infinite. He’s not just a dog when he looks at me…it’s like he sees through me.
It takes me less than a millisecond to scoop the little guy up from the floor and into my arms so I can snuggle him close. “He’s obviously smitten, so if anyone gets to take him home at any point, it’s gonna be me.”
“Well, we both know who the owner is,” Lane says out of the side of his mouth, chewing back a grin. “Are you gonna tell her he’s here again, or do I have the distinct pleasure?”
Sighing, I run my fingers through Thor’s fur, combing it down on the crown of his head at the same time he slams his body against mine and fully melts into my chest. As much as I want to keep him, I know what I have to do. Flipping the bone-shaped tag over that dangles from his collar, I see the digits I need to dial to tell his owner he’s here. I quickly punch in the numbers, but I’m sent to voicemail immediately, leaving me to wonder if the universe is trying to tell me to keep the dog. When I try calling again and get the same result, I cover my bases this time: I leave a message before hanging up and sending a quick text to Thor’s owner.
My job is now done, so I commence with cuddles. There’s nothing wrong with a grown man in his police uniform cuddling a small schnauzer against his chest, is there?
However, the sound of someone clearing their throat behind me takes me out my sugary-sweet schnauzer-trance.
“Is this your newest girlfriend? Mom and Dad are gonna be surprised.”
I turn around, finding my younger brother, Tuck, standing in front of me, dressed to the nines. “That’s a serious suit you’re wearing.”
“I’m a serious guy,” he says with a wink before pulling me into a big hug, albeit an awkward one since Thor won’t move from my arms. “Can a guy stop in to say hi to his big brother?”
“As long as you’re not speeding on your way to do it, sure.” Looking Tuck up and down, I have to admit he does look like he’s a proper businessman, an executive even. I know my mom would be so proud that at least one member of our family decided to follow in her footsteps and work as a lawyer. “So what are you up to today? Chasing ambulances?”
“Ha.” Tuck punches me in the arm, eliciting a growl from Thor. He holds his hands up in the air, eyes wide. “Ayyy. Sorry, little guy.” Tuck’s green eyes flash when he looks at me. “Who is this and where does it belong?”
“This would be Thor, and he belongs to one of our sweet, local residents here in Sweetkiss Creek.” My lips torque at the end of that sentence instead of spreading into a smile, thanks to a rogue memory picking this very moment in time to pop up.
Thor belongs to Etta, and Etta and I were kind of set up to go on a double date, to an Escape Room of all things, by our friends Reid and Dylan. It’s worth noting that after this double date—not that I would call it that by any means—Reid and Dylan realized they had feelings for each other, and now they’re on their road to happily ever after. But me and Etta? Let’s just say a line was drawn in the sand that night, and now we try to stay out of each other’s way. At least I know I do my best to get out of hers.
The look on Tuck’s face tells me that my words have flowed out of my mouth about as sarcastically as I hoped they would. “Well, good thing you’re not trying to sell me something because, wow. That was the most insincere description of a person I’ve ever heard.”
“If only you knew.” Shrugging my shoulders, I turn my attention back to my lap dog. “If you hang out long enough, you may get to meet Thor’s mom. Etta’s a treat,” I say with an exaggerated chuckle.
“You build her up so well, and while I’d love to hang out and meet little miss sunshine, I need to get on the road so I make my meeting on time. I had to see you since I was literally driving right by here.”
“Will you come back this way after your meeting?”
Tuck gives me a clipped nod. “Yep. I’ll be back this way tomorrow, probably late afternoon. I was hoping I could stay the night? Bethany is in full renovation mode at the house and our master bedroom has been taken over.”
Knowing how much Tuck loves his quiet time, I can only grin. “Is it making you crazy?”
Indifference bounces his shoulder. “Eh. She’s worth it. I trust Bethany not to stick us with lace, pinks, or other pastel colors that might make me crazy.” Tuck exhales, rolling his eyes. “Laney has been helping us, too, and that’s been awesome. We both really enjoy having her around.”
My thoughts flash to our sister, Laney, who’s back in Beaufort working at the fire department there. She followed in my dad’s footsteps and decided to be a career firefighter. Tuck, as mentioned, is a lawyer, and me…well, I decided I wanted to be a police officer just to round out the whole public-servant-family thing.
“Well, see, there’s a positive. Renovations bring families together.” Winking, I slug his arm. “Should put that on a coffee mug.”
“I’d like to hit you with that coffee mug.” Tuck, with a glint in his eye, indicates toward the front of the station. “Race me to my car?”
There’s only a two-year age difference between us, so saying we’re competitive is kind of a joke. We’re over-the-top in an at each other’s throats kind of competitive, yet loving, way that only brothers can be.
Which means, for us, we take every moment we can and make it a competition.
