Page 16 of The Good Luck Cafe
Five o’clock!
“I’ve got to go, Mrs. Denny. This is an emergency line only. Are you aware that it’s a crime to call under false pretenses?”
“Oh!” Mrs. Denny gasped. “No, I didn’t realize that. I am so sorry. I do apologize. Have a nice evening.”
“You as well.” Moira disconnected the call and exhaled. Then nerves wound their way around Moira’s chest as she stood. Her legs suddenly felt wobbly. As frustrating as working dispatch could sometimes be, she loved her job, and she wanted to keep it. What if Sheriff Ronnie fired her this evening?
Before removing her headset, Moira made sure the evening dispatcher took over. Then she slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse and car keys, and headed out the door. Once she was inside her tiny car, she cranked the engine and sent up a silent prayer that the good sheriff would go easy on her. She’d had a very good reason for leaving her dispatch. She was sure that the sheriff’s department would have eventually made their way to Gil’s home, but by then Doug could have had a serious issue with his blood sugar.
Moira’s mind spun out various possibilities for Ronnie’s request all the way to the sheriff’s department. Her mind didn’t stop spinning possibilities until she parked and walked inside.
“Hey, Moira,” Bonnie Weston said, looking up from the front desk. “Sheriff Ronnie is waiting for you. It’s been a busy day for him.”
“Oh? He’s had others stop by?” Moira asked, hoping maybe she was wrong about the reason she’d been called here. Maybe there was some other reason she hadn’t thought of.
“A few,” Bonnie confirmed. “His door is open. Good luck,” she said in a lyrical tone.
What did she mean by that? Did she know something?
Moira nearly stumbled over her feet as she made her way down the hall. Then she lingered in Sheriff Ronnie’s doorway until he looked up from the file he was reading. Sheriff Ronnie was a large man who took up most of the space behind his desk. He was intimidating until he smiled. Then he looked like a big teddy bear, if you asked Moira. He wasn’t smiling right now.
He closed the file and pushed it off to the side. “Moira. You made it,” he said. “Come on in and shut the door.”
She swallowed past a tight throat. Then she began to talk immediately. “Sheriff, I am so sorry about yesterday. When Doug called for help, it sounded urgent, and in my opinion, it truly was. I knew the department was busy with the pileup, and I didn’t want him to have to wait.” Moira was talking so fast that she forgot to breathe, which consequently made her head feel dizzy. “It will never happen again, Sheriff. I promise.”
Ronnie leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingertips together. “Are you going to give me a chance to speak or would you like to pass out from a lack of oxygen first?”
Moira blinked and inhaled deeply. “Sir?”
He gestured at the chair across from his desk. “Have a seat, Moira.”
Her body felt weak and shaky as she walked closer. Maybe sitting was a good idea. She’d never been fired before. She’d never even gotten a warning from a superior. She plopped down in the seat and fidgeted with her hands as she forced her breaths to come in and out more evenly. It would be okay. She could always work at her mom’s bakery. Since Darla had added the café seating last year, business had only increased. Moira didn’t enjoy working in food service, but if she didn’t have a choice, she’d do what she had to.
The sheriff reached across his desk and offered his hand.
Moira stared at it for a moment.
“I’d like to shake the hand of the woman who took action in an emergency and quite possibly saved someone’s life.”
Saving a life was a stretch. Doug hadn’t been in that bad a shape, but hyper- or hypoglycemia could get dangerous. “You would?” Her mouth dropped.
Sheriff Ronnie looked at his hand, which was still extended, and back up at her.
“Oh, sorry.” She shook his hand, wondering if her palms were sweaty. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this nervous.
“It’s not your job to risk your life for others,” he said, drawing his hand back to his side. “Don’t misunderstand. You shouldn’t have left your dispatch to go to Doug’s aid. There could have been another emergency that needed tending to.”
“Yes, sir,” Moira said, lowering her face. If Sheriff Ronnie wanted to chew her out, she would sit here and take it. She’d broken a rule after all. Not to say she wouldn’t do it again. At the time, she’d felt like she had no choice. She’d used her judgment.
“And if there had been another emergency that had gone unattended, you would be facing serious consequences right now,” the sheriff said, his eyes narrowed at her from across the desk.
“Yes, sir.”
Ronnie waited a long second before continuing his lecture. “Fortunately, there wasn’t another emergency, and if there was, Riley was on shift to respond.” He cleared his throat, gaining her attention. “You didn’t know what you were walking into by going to Doug’s aid, Moira. My emergency responders are trained for all kinds of situations. You could have been hurt.”
“Or licked to death by a large dog,” she said, hoping to ease the tension.
Ronnie smiled, which she took as a good sign. “If you want to know the truth, I’m proud of you, Moira. The town seems to be impressed by your actions as well.”
