by Sofia Belle
The Chief shook his head. Then he pursed his lips and truly looked at me for the first time tonight. “You look really nice.”
“Thanks.” I self-consciously adjusted the straps to my tank top and fiddled with the zipper on my leather jacket. “Layla helped.”
“I meant you. Not your clothes. Your hair is different.”
I shook it a little back and forth, then remembered I wasn’t in a shampoo commercial and stopped immediately. “Layla helped with that, too.”
“And your eyes, they’re shining. You… you’re very pretty.”
“Thanks,” I said, looking down the road. “So, you haven’t seen anyone else show up yet?”
“You meeting them at eight?” The Chief looked down at his watch. “You still got a couple of minutes.”
I nodded, leaning against a tree on the opposite side of the path as the Chief. “What about you?”
He hesitated, as if unsure whether or not to tell me the truth. “I’m meeting an informant here at eight. She picked the place; said she didn’t want to be seen in public.”
“Is this about Hank?” I kept my voice low. “Someone has information?”
“She didn’t say.” The Chief shrugged. “But that’s the impression I got. It was all very discreet… very ‘meet me here because you need to talk.’”
“Wait a second. ‘You’ need to talk?” I tilted my head sideways. “Did she say you needed to talk, or ‘we’ needed to talk?”
The Chief’s shoulders stiffened. “I knew something was off. But I came anyways just in case. If it was something important and I missed the meeting, I would’ve felt terrible.”
“Did you get a name?”
His face turned contemplative for a second. “Hold on, she left a voicemail. I was in a meeting when the phone rang, and I never called her back because she gave me all the information in her message. When and where to meet.”
I stepped forward as the Chief pulled out his phone, and that same spicy, fresh smell was back, attacking my hormones and making my stomach do all sorts of flip flops. I didn’t have a good feeling about things as the Chief turned his phone on speaker, held it out, and pressed play.
A nasally voice rang out in the night air. “Good evening, Chief,” the recording spoke. “Meet at the Forest of Fairies tonight. I’ll text you a time and a place, but don’t bother checking the number—it’s a burner phone. You need to talk.”
“You need to talk.” I shook my head. “You know who that was, right?”
The Chief looked at the phone in his hand. “Was that Layla?”
I nodded.
“How did I not hear that the first time?” He gave a slow, sad shake of his head back and forth. “And I call myself a detective.”
“It was very secretive, and it doesn’t sound exactly like her,” I said. “Plus, you had no reason to think you were being set up on a date. There are weird things going on in this town, so it’s natural you assumed it was an informant.”
“She set me up on a blind date,” he murmured, glancing up at the last second. “With you.”
I crossed my arms. “Is that so bad?”
“It’s our second date today.”
I stuck out a hand and wagged my finger back and forth. “I don’t think so. I have to get home and start brainstorming new ideas for an article to save the company, since it appears that this dating thing is not going to work out. I’m zero for two, which means if I don’t start finding dates that don’t die on me or turn out to be…”
“To be what?”
“You!” I stepped forward, nose to nose with the Chief. “Then I will be out of a job and I’ll have to beg Layla for part time work at the store.”
“Is there a uniform?”
I frowned.
“It looked like you were trying on a uniform before for your new work project.”
“No. That was supposed to be for my date tonight.”
“So are you wearing that…” His eyes scanned my black skirt as it swirled around my thighs, then slid up past my jacket and finally met my face. “Right now?”
I huddled lower in my jacket. “Maybe, maybe not.”
The Chief stepped closer. “If I ask you to stay and have this date with me, will I get to find out?”
We were so close, our breath tangling in the night air, our lips close enough to touch, that my mind went blank. I forgot the question; I forgot the situation; I forgot everything except those eyes staring into mine filled with warmth and hope.
“No,” I said when I found my voice. “That’s a terrible idea.”
“Why is it so terrible?” His hand reached out and latched around my wrist.
We stood there, frozen, and not for the first time did I wonder when things between us had become so messy, so confusing and difficult. Was it back when we hit puberty? Back when the Chief stopped thinking girls had cooties? Or was it after we’d become adults? I didn’t remember anymore.
“I have to go to work,” I said softly. I loosened my wrist from his grasp and turned away. Walking evenly back to my car, I tried my best to keep my chin up and my shoulders back.
“Rosie,” he called. “Hang on a second.”
I turned around, raising one shoulder in question. “What?”
“I’ve had a long day. So have you. We’re both stressed and wound tight, and on edge. Look what Layla left us.” He nodded towards the ground, where a picnic basket sat brimming with meats, cheeses, and a bottle of “twist-top” red wine. “Stay and eat with me. As friends.”
I almost said no again. By now, it was an instinct. However, something stopped me. The look in his eyes maybe, or the sadness weighing on my shoulders. Or maybe it was the smell of fresh prosciutto wafting over the warm pasture between us. “Did she pack dessert?”
He smiled. “How about we take a peek and see?”
Chapter 20
Twenty minutes later, both of us sat with our backs against a log just on the outskirts of the forest. I had one hand on my stomach as I looked out across the fields, the waving grasses dancing under the moonlight.
“I am so full,” I said with a light groan. “Layla really knows how to pack a feast.”
“Did you save some room?”
“For what?” I turned to look at the Chief, but instead of answering, he extended a wine glass in my direction. He’d sliced a strawberry and perched it on the edge of the glass all fancy-like. “Oh, impressive. Are you sure you weren’t a bartender in another life?”
“I had to pay the bills somehow while going to cop school.” He winked and poured himself a glass of wine.
“What, no strawberry for you?” I tilted my head towards his unadorned glass. “Too girly?”
“Manly men don’t have drinks with strawberries.”
I laughed. We fell into silence and sipped the rich, red liquid. Layla had this whole “falling in love” thing down pat. Not that I was even close to falling in love with the Chief—that would be ludicrous—but I could see how it might work for two people who were attracted to one another. Two people who got along and wanted to be in each other’s company. The wine, the strawberries… the meats and cheeses and finger foods that would’ve been perfect to feed to one another.
“That strawberry looks good,” the Chief said, his eyes following my fingers as I plucked the berry from the rim of my glass. “Screw manliness.”
I laughed again as he sliced four strawberries and rimmed his whole glass with the fruit. “Hey now, you’ve gotta share. Those are the last ones in the box.”
“Come get it.” He gave a devilish wink and held his glass on the other side of his body so that I’d have to lean all the way across his chest to get one.
I considered it, since they were some of the best berries I’d had all season, but I didn’t trust myself. If I leaned over him and he felt as good as he smelled, I’d be asking for trouble. Plus, I was in an emotional state right now, and the last thing I needed was to be confused by the enigma next to me. “What are we doing he
re, Chief?”
“We’re eating dinner?” His voice lilted in question as he gestured towards the basket in front of him. “You and I stumbled upon a basket of food at the edge of the forest at the exact same time. It was only fair to split the findings.”
A half-smile tilted up my mouth, but I couldn’t quite make it a full one. “Why’d you ask me to stay? I would’ve let you take the whole basket home. I’m sure Layla has backup in the fridge.”
The Chief’s mischievous smile faded. “I thought it would be more enjoyable to share it with someone. At home… well, it’s quiet. I’m sorry if I kept you from something, but I won’t apologize for asking you to stay. I had a really nice time.”
I swallowed, though it was harder than I expected. The thought of the Chief sitting at home with the picnic basket by himself tugged on my heartstrings in all of the wrong ways. “I didn’t mean that. I enjoyed it, too.”
Turning his head to look at the sky, a note of sorrow passed across his face, and I couldn’t help but swallow hard again. I reached over, my limbs not working with my brain, and I clasped his hand in mine. Together we sat like that and watched the wispy clouds dance across the stars.
Something about the way we were seated eased some of the stress from deep inside my bones. Maybe it was the strength of his grip on my hands or the way our breathing synced up like one being. I scooted a little closer and my head rested on his shoulder.
At first he stiffened at my touch, and then after a long beat, he leaned his cheek on the top of my head. “So, is this a date?”
“I’m beginning to think I don’t know anything at all, anymore,” I said. “I don’t know what this is.”
“Then I’m going to say it’s a date. But before you argue with me, listen.” He squeezed my hand before continuing. “You need an article. I’ve been asking you to go out with me. I see a business partnership here.”
“A business partnership?”
“I’m not done explaining.” The Chief’s heartbeat was strong. “You proposed an article about falling in love, yes?”
“I suppose so, although it wasn’t my idea. I don’t know a whole bunch about love as everyone has seen, lately.”
“I’ve been on a few dates—”
“You date?” I didn’t mean for my tone to sound so incredulous, but that’s just the way it happened. A part of me stirred inside, and my stomach didn’t like imagining the Chief with other girls, even though it was ridiculous I should care whether he got married tomorrow or not. “I just meant that you seem very focused on your job.”
“I am,” he said quietly. “I love my job. But like I said before, going home is quiet. I’m beginning to wonder if there’s more to life than my job. I haven’t figured it out yet in case you’re curious.”
“So what happened on these dates you wanted to tell me?”
“I’ve been on three first dates in the last year, and I went out with one woman for three consecutive dates. What I learned is that a first date is an interview; rarely, if ever, will you know whether or not it’s true love on a first date.”
I bobbed my head back and forth. “Your point?”
“Go on seven dates with me.”
“Excuse me?” I tried to sit up, but I was frozen. Instead, I sat stock still, his cheek on my head, my head on his shoulder.
“The woman I went out on three dates with I got to know so much better than the women I went on just one date with,” he said. “And when we broke it off, it was because we realized it wouldn’t work.”
“Why didn’t you go out on second dates with the other women?”
“That’s the thing. No particular reason,” he said. “I just got busy, and I imagine they did too. There was no immediate spark so we texted a few times after, but every time we tried to plan something, it just didn’t work out. When I broke up with the woman after three dates, however, it was because we had a difference that would prevent us from being together.”
“Such as?” I stirred against his arm, then realized my question was incredibly personal. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”
“She didn’t want kids. I think I do want kids and a family someday.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe the right woman could convince me otherwise, but this woman was dead set on never having kids, so we parted ways on friendly terms. She’s married to a successful banker now and they travel the world together. That’s not what I wanted; I like Fairyvale. I like our town. I love my job and the people here. That’s not the life for me, and we’re both better off because of it. They sent me a Christmas card last year.”
I peeked up just in time to see a wry smile curving his lips upwards. Somehow, the thought of the Chief wanting kids and a family made my insides turn a bit slushy. I, too, loved my job, but I hadn’t ruled out kids either. With the right man, a family sounded quite nice, actually.
“So your business proposal is that you wine and dine me for seven dates, and I can write about it?” I asked. “What’s in it for you?”
The Chief turned to face me. “A chance.”
I looked at the ground, my cheeks heating under his gaze. “What happens after seven dates?”
“It’s a win-win situation, the way I see it.” Reaching out, he tilted my chin up until we saw eye to eye. “If we make it to seven dates, then we must be enjoying ourselves. At least, we’re getting along well enough for you to write your article on the experience. And if we don’t last seven dates, then you can write about the first one, or two, or three of them, and you can go on those other first dates you have lined up. In the meantime, you won’t have to worry about awkward conversations with anyone except myself.”
I considered the proposition. “And after date seven?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes.”
“You’ll let me write about it?”
“Use a fake name for me at first,” the Chief said. “But I’m under no illusions the truth will come out later, and that’s fine. I’m not ashamed to be seen with a woman who’s as pretty, as smart, as sweet as yourself.”
Again, a slight blush crept up my cheeks. “That’s a generous offer.”
“I have my own self-interests at heart, so I wouldn’t quite say I’m a martyr.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this, but—”
“You’re agreeing?” The Chief turned to face me, his hands sliding down my arms to my wrists as his eyes scanned my face. “You’ll let me take you out again?”
“Let’s keep it low key at first,” I said, laughing at his excited expression. He was like a kid who’d just discovered his mom had packed two cookies for lunch instead of one. “Dates like this where nobody else is around. That way, if things don’t work out early on, I can give you a fake name, write my articles, and your name won’t be brought into anything. You’ll just be my Mystery Man.”
“Mystery Man,” he said. “I like it.”
“Well, sir, we have ourselves a deal,” I said, extending my hand as the mood took on a light, almost giddy mood.
Instead of shaking my hand like I’d expected, the Chief leaned in and put both of his hands on the side of my head, then brought his lips crashing to mine. He held me there, kissing me for so long that timed stood still and my mind lost any ability to think on its own. Eventually, he pulled away, the stars reflecting in his eyes. “Had to seal it with a kiss.”
“Don’t get to far ahead of yourself there, grasshopper.”
Chapter 21
“Tell me the truth now, did you talk to Dan Woods today?” The Chief’s voice caught me off guard.
After another fifteen minutes of cozy, comfortable conversation with our backs to the log, the Chief and I had cleaned up all of Layla’s goodies, packed them in the basket, and got ready to head out.
I crossed my arms. “You told me to stay out of the case.”
“There you go again, not answering my questions. You can’t dodge all my questions.”
“I agreed to go
out with you.”
“I know you’re only doing it to save the newspaper and your job.” The Chief shook his head. “But don’t worry, I know that going into things up front. It’s my job to convince you that it’s worth continuing afterwards. If I can’t do that in seven dates, then maybe it’s not meant to be.”
“We’ll see,” I said, sliding into the front seat of my car. “I’ll see you tomorrow? Text me where you want to meet for our date.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven, and I hope you’ll wear one of Layla’s uniforms.”
I wrinkled my eyebrows. “Keep dreaming.”
“You didn’t answer my question. I promise you won’t get in trouble. Did you talk to Dan and tell Layla to text me?”
I sighed. “Yes. But I didn’t learn anything.”
“Stay away from him, Rosie. I met him tonight, and I don’t like the vibe I’m getting from him. Even if he’s not the murderer, you don’t want to tangle with a man who has anger issues that severe.”
“Don’t worry.” Looking the Chief in the eye, I exhaled a large breath. “I promise you I’ll stay far away from him.”
“And anything else that relates to the case.”
“I can’t promise that,” I said. “And you can’t stop me from being in public property if I’m not breaking the law.”
“Rosie—”
“I promise you this,” I said, still meeting his eyes. “I’ll be safe. I’ll keep you posted with what I’m doing and where I’m going and what I’m finding. I won’t impersonate people or otherwise break the law. In exchange, you can’t try to stop me by pulling me over and things like that. Do we have a deal?”
He crossed his arms, leaning back on his heels. “Since I have a feeling that’s the most I’ll get from you, then yes. We have a deal. I’ll see you tomorrow at seven.”
Smiling, I waved and pulled away as the Chief climbed into his own vehicle and followed close behind me. When we reached the crossroads where he went left and I went right, we waved.
