Page 13 of Professional Consult
“The abrasions are minor, but you’re going to want to put some antiseptic on them a few times each day until they’ve healed.”
“Got it.”
He exhales a long breath, his shoulder falling limp. “What kind of damage are we looking at here, if I might be so bold?”
“Damage?”
“Are you going to bankrupt our town? I’ll do my time, I’ve earned it, but Pond Spring doesn’t deserve to suffer the fallout of their idiot police chief.”
I sit up on the cot, scooting back so that I’m pressed against the wall.
“I didn’t come here to sue you guys. I literally came for on-the-job training. I still don’t know what happened. Just that your brother isn’t as funny as he thinks he is.”
“That is something we can agree on.”
“What exactly did he tell you?”
“Just what I told you. That you were an eccentric method actress that wanted to experience what it was like to get taken into custody and spend the night in jail. It sounded crazy, and I wanted no part of it, but he promised the elementary school a new playground if I went along with it.”
I never thought I’d be able to feel sorry for Luke Bastwick after the hell I’d been put through, but I actually feel worse for him than I do for myself. The actions he took because of his brother could land him in real trouble when all he wanted was to help the local children.
“Should I take you to the airport? I assume you need to call someone first. I’ll give you back your purse, which should have your cell.”
Any sane woman would hightail it out of this nightmare situation, but that wouldn’t solve my problem. If anything, this fiasco has given me valuable insight.
I look at Luke and see how visibly upset he is. I won’t do anything that will compromise his position in town, because I feel just as bad for him as I do myself, but perhaps it’s possible we can keep the original arrangement that was offered to me.
“Actually, I think I’ll be staying here.”
His brow lifts. “Staying here? In Pond Spring?”
“Yeah, I need to work on my police persona, and what better way than to tag along with you?”
He snorts out a tense laugh. “So you can follow me around while I rescue cats from trees?”
“We’ll figure it out tomorrow when you pick me up for work.”
“Pick you up for work? Just where are you staying?”
“I don’t know. Your brother made arrangements for me at a local inn.”
“Jesus-fucking-Christ—there’s no place to make arrangements with. We’re so tiny, we can’t even keep a bed-and-breakfast open. The nearest hotel is an hour away and I can’t make the trip there and back each day.”
“Then where did Clint expect me to stay?”
Luke’s jaw shifts as he mulls over my question.
“Joke or not, he had to have made reservations somewhere. I need the training, and he wouldn’t jeopardize the show.”
You’d think Luke would be relieved that I’m not pressing charges, but instead, he seems to grow angrier, clenching his big hands into fists that could beat a stone wall down.
What the hell was Clint thinking?
Regardless of his intentions, maybe if I’m going to grow as an actress, it’s time I get uncomfortable.
“I won’t make you come to get me each day. I can stay in this cell as long as you leave it open for me to use the bathroom.”
“You’re not staying in a damn cell.”
