Page 31 of Mine to Hold
“Nothing,” Rebecca said. “But this has gotten personal for you and I know how you get. Go home, Emmerson. Get some sleep. We will regroup tomorrow.”
“Later, Ma.” He tapped the screen and yanked the gear shift. “Thank you for being quiet.”
“You’re welcome, but I wish I hadn’t heard any of that.”
“Family politics.” He chuckled. “My mother thinks I’m soft. She always has. And part of her is right. Even if I ever wanted to be chief, I’d suck at it. Nathan is the best man for the job. He’s got my mother’s balls.”
Rumor covered her mouth.
“No. Go ahead and laugh. Even my dad says that Mom has a bigger set. She had to in order to make it in her profession. But sometimes it’s frustrating as hell to be her son. I didn’t take this job to be an asshole. To push my badge in people’s faces. I want to do good. To help and protect people. Not go around arresting every idiot who makes a mistake, and that included Heather. I just wish she hadn’t come back and made the same stupid decisions.”
Never in her life had she met a man as passionate as Emmerson. Or as caring. She reached out and placed her hand on his knee. It was a bold statement. But something told her that he needed someone—anyone—to have his back. “Being soft doesn’t make a man weak. It just means you can see both sides of a coin. That’s a gift that most people aren’t capable of.”
“Believe it or not, my mom has it too. She really can have a big heart. She just can’t show it.”
“I rest my case.”
He took her hand and kissed it. “You’re good for my soul.”
Rumor wasn’t so sure about that, mostly because she was going to haul ass out of town the second she got her get out of jail free card.
She would become another one of those women he hadn’t been able to read properly and that broke her heart.
6
There was nothing better than a good thin crust pizza with extra cheese and meat. Top that off with an ice-cold beer and a beautiful sky as the sun disappeared behind the bridge, creating a combination of blue, red, and orange colors, out on the pool deck, and well, Emmerson couldn’t think of a better way to spend his evening.
Except now he got to share that experience with Rumor.
He twisted open one of the beers and set it on the table in front of her before pulling out one of the chairs. “While we don’t actually get the sunset, you still can’t beat the view.”
“No, you can’t,” she said softly, lifting the cold beverage and taking a swig. “This is a completely inappropriate question and I’d understand if you didn’t answer. But how on earth do you afford this place on a cop’s salary?”
“That’s a valid question.” He opened the pizza box and served her a slice before digging in for himself. It wasn’t the first time someone questioned him on his purchase. Most believed his mother and Steve either gave him a loan or even bought it for him. Same with Jameson. Especially Jameson, since most people in town didn’t take into consideration that Jameson’swife had a thriving business and Jameson was the town handyman.
Neither man corrected anyone. They didn’t give a shit what anyone thought.
“I’ve lived a humble life. Outside of a home I owned for two years with a woman I lived with ten years ago, I’ve always had small apartments that didn’t cost much. My brothers accused me of being a minimalist. I suppose I couldn’t deny that, but I’m too old to live in a garage apartment anymore.”
“The upkeep on this place has to cost a small fortune.” She waved her hand toward the waterfront. “And that boat. I can’t imagine the price tag for that.”
He laughed. “Miles and I own that sucker together. And as far as the rest of it. Well, it’s not so bad. I don’t go out much and I’ve saved over the years.” He stuffed his mouth full of the best pizza in town. Maybe the state. After he was done with his meal, he would have to call it a night. His mind was barely functioning from lack of sleep. Every muscle was sore and weak. As much as he wanted to sit and chat with Rumor for hours, even his bones demanded rest. “I imagine it’s been hard for you to save, moving from one town to the next. One job to the next.”
“It has, but I still wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world.” She lifted her beer to her rosy, plump, kissable lips. She was like no other woman he’d ever met. She was an onion. Her layers needed to be peeled back one at a time. And like an onion, she had a strong and powerful presence, but she wasn’t for everyone.
That’s what he liked.
But the cloud hanging over her head that he knew was filled with a dark secret both intrigued him and made him take a step back. It wasn’t that he believed she could be involved negatively in this case.
Quite the contrary.
But it triggered something and he needed to peel those layers until he found it.
“I’m curious. Do you think you would ever find a place that would tame the wanderer in you? Have you ever given it a consideration?”
“When I first left California, my plan was to travel for a few years. See the country until I found the right spot,” she said, wiping her fingers on a napkin. Her nails were cut short, and even though she wore no nail polish, they were well manicured. This evening, she wore her long hair in a ponytail at the nape of her neck and he wanted to free the strands. “But the more I move around, the more I think there isn’t that perfect place for me, or I haven’t found it yet.”
“Lighthouse Cove is a nice place. I hope you’ll stay awhile.”
