Page 20 of The Art of Falling in Love with Your Enemy
“I was just asking the good officer why I’m not allowed out on my own,” Etta snarls.
“And I was about to let jailbait here know that it doesn't matter if she is the gentlest teddy bear in the world, we have to follow protocol. You get arrested, you get bailed out, and you go to court. The end.”
Dragging my eyes away from Etta to Riley, I see real quick she’s trying her hardest not to laugh. Riley hands me a slip of paper. “Here, her bond. It was only one hundred dollars, you really couldn’t let her…”
I snap a hand in the air. “Zip it.” Glancing at the bond, I wave it like a flag. “Let me put this in its file and grab my keys. You’ll be out of here in a few minutes.”
I walk back out into the main area, leaving them alone. I hear them speaking in low voices as I take care of my own paper trail for work. As soon as I have the paperwork processed, I walk to my desk to snag my keyring and head back to the cell block.
As I get to the door, Riley’s voice suddenly drops. Sensing something, I stop at the door. Not meaning to eavesdrop, but doing it anyway, I listen to Etta’s strained voice.
“Nothing is going right for me, Riley. Steve’s texting more threats. Now I have to look at getting a lawyer to try to prove I paid a fine here a few years ago. And to top it all off, I never made it to King’s.”
“We can worry about painting your place another time, sweetie. Let’s just get you home. I think you need a hot bath and your bed,” Riley purrs, making me feel sluggish with the guilt I now carry for having arrested Etta McCoy.
I don’t want them to think I’ve been standing here, even though I have, so I sneak away quietly, back toward my desk. Once I’m there, I start jingling the keys in my clutches loudly. “Found them!”
By the time I walk back over, the women are silent, waiting for me. I pick out a key and put it in the lock only to have it not work. Shaking my head, I fumble around and grab another one, glancing confidently at Etta as I try again. No joy.
Etta rolls her eyes. “Seriously? Now boy wonder can’t even get me out of the cell he put me in?”
“Har, har,” I manage, struggling to insert another key. Only this time, it works, a satisfying click echoing in the chamber as the door to her cell flies open, releasing Etta back into the world. Riley envelopes her in a hug before she can cross the threshold.
“Well, now you don’t have to come over and help me paint tomorrow.” Etta pulls away from Riley long enough to stare me down. “Hey, Zac, I’ll be home all weekend wishing I could work on my house if you need me or have further need to embarrass me more.”
I thought we were on our way to doing better, but it looks like she’s got a case of amnesia. “I am really sorry that the timing wasn’t right.”
“Mmm, do you know anyone who has ever been arrested saying, ‘let’s do it today, the timing is right?’ Because I don’t.” Etta spins on her heel, linking her arm through Riley’s. “Can we go now?”
“Your chariot awaits, m’lady.” Riley giggles before turning around to stick her tongue out at me. “Santa is for sure bringing you coal this year.”
Etta makes her way across the room with her friend, and my mind spins and swirls. She makes me absolutely insane, but I also feel happy when I see her, like I’m a little boy with butterflies in his stomach on the first day of summer vacation…when you’ve got the whole summer ahead of you.
But, tossing the little boy’s thoughts aside, she also makes my heart slam in my chest at inappropriate times. She makes me smile even though she’s a grump—and the fact that she is so grumpy is driving me to want to make her happy.
Only she goes hot, and cold, then hot again…then we’re back in the freezer. Who is she and what is this witchcraft she’s doing to my heart? She’s honestly like a wild horse that needs to be tamed, only that sounds like such a cliché. How about, she’s a rabid raccoon? Feral cat?
No, none of that sounds right. She’s simply untamed and it’s kinda beautiful…in my mind, this could be where my dog training experience could come in handy. Not that she’s a dog, but they’re cute anyway…
Wow, even my thoughts get panicked when it comes to this woman.
As soon as the front door closes and the pair is gone, I walk back to my desk and sit down, grabbing my phone. I’ve got two calls to make, but one of them I need to handle now.
I punch in the numbers, and wait for the familiar voice to say hello. When he does, I’m ready.
“Tuck, that bet you talked about, that if I can get Etta to go out with me on a date, you’ll give me that baseball card? You’re on.”
NINE
Etta
Sitting around my living room on this misty Saturday morning was not in the cards. Holding a piping hot cup of coffee, I drop myself into my overstuffed chair, staring out the window and watching droplets slide down the bay window looking out to my front yard.
Glancing around the room, I try to find something I can work on to keep myself busy, only to end up staring at the floor. I really had my heart set on getting this room done today, just to get in a flow with painting this house. It’s not like King’s Paints is the only business around. There is another big box kind of store about forty-five minutes away I could go to, but by the time I’d get there and come back, I’d lose the time I had set aside this afternoon to work on the final plans and menu for next week’s retreat. Conundrum.
An image of Zac Wright sitting in his chair outside of my actual jail cell yesterday is still burned into my mind. I’d come home last night swearing to never speak to him again. Thankfully, my dogs were with the dog walker yesterday, so that was one less thing I didn’t have to worry about.
As if they know I’m thinking about them, both boys come barreling into the room, knocking each other over as they race for the couch. Thor hops up on a pillow that looks out the window, turning in a circle until settling on the perfect position, and Hercules gives up trying to cuddle next to his brother, launching himself off the couch and onto the floor. I watch him burrow a space for himself in his dog bed by the fireplace, closing my eyes as he does.
