Page 56 of The Sweet Spot
The car comes to a stop near the front walk. The doors open, and two men step out. One is Braggart, with a shit-eating grin on his face. The other is a pretentious dude in an expensive suit. I guess I was right on both accounts.
Braggart heads right for me on unsteady legs, his arms open wide. “Look who it is, Jeff!” Dave must have stopped at a bar on his way home. Clearly, he’s drunk. “It’s my good buddy Sheriff Nelson, here to welcome me home.” He gives me a smarmy smile—one I’m tempted to knock off his face. “Are you here to congratulate me on my release? I told you they wouldn’t hold me long.”
“I hate to disappoint you, Dave, but no. I’m here to give you this.” I hold out the notice.
He takes it from me. “What’s this?”
“You’ve been served, Braggart, very conveniently in front of a witness, no less.” I eye his attorney for emphasis. “This afternoon, a judge approved a temporary restraining order against you. You’re not to step foot within five hundred feet of Jennie, her home, or her place of business. And there’s a no-contact provision. If you violate this order, I’ll gladly arrest your ass. The official hearing is scheduled for two weeks from today. Don’t miss it.”
Braggart laughs. “You think a piece of paper is going to keep me away from my wife?”
My blood burns like acid. “She’s not your wife, Dave.”
“Shewas. That’s a helluva lot more thanyoucan say.” God, he loves throwing that in my face. “Hell, you couldn’t even get her to go out with you.”
“Stay away from her, Braggart. This is your last warning.”
His expression goes ice cold. “I’d like to see you stop me.”
“All right, that’s enough,” the attorney says as he steps between the two of us. The man looks me in the eye. “You’ve served the notice, Sheriff. I think it’s best that you leave now. Please stop antagonizing my client. He’s had a rough twenty-four hours.”
“Hehas?” God, I want to wring both their necks. Instead, I smile, doff my hat, and say, “Have a nice evening, gentlemen.”
I have no desire to be around Braggart a second longer than I have to, so I walk away, Jace following. When we get back into the cruiser, I text Jennie to let her know Braggart has been served. I tell her I’m on my way back to the courthouse to hand in my sworn statement that I served the notice to Braggart.
It’ll be official this afternoon. Jennie has a restraining order.
* * *
When I finally get home—to Jennie’s house, I mean—she’s waiting for me at the door. She lets me in and wraps me in her arms.
I could definitely get used to being greeted like this.
She pulls a key out of her pocket and drops it in my hand.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“A key to my house. Since you’ll be staying here a while, you’ll need a key.”
I pull out my keychain and add hers. “Thank you. Does this mean we’re going steady?” It was supposed to be a joke, but as soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize I mean it.
She seems to realize it, too. Her eyes widen as the weight of my words sink in.
“Sorry,” I say, chuckling, hoping to let her off the hook. “I didn’t mean that literally. It’s way too soon, right?”
But she’s not laughing. “Chris, we’ve been dancing around each other foryears.”
“Yeah, but—” God, I don’t want her to think I’m rushing her for a commitment or anything. We’ve hardly started dating. “It was—”
“Please don’t say it was just a joke.”
I grow serious. “No, it’s not a joke. It’s just probably too soon for you, right?”
She glances away a moment, as if to collect herself, then she turns her gaze back to me. “I don’t think it’s too soon. I’ve waited years for you.”
I cup one side of her face with my good hand. “I don’t want to rush you. You need time to think about it.”
She laughs nervously. “I think we’re well past the thinking stage, don’t you?”
