Hot Pursuit

by Jennifer Bernard

  She downloaded the photo onto her laptop, then tapped out a reply. "I appreciate this. Your next Roosterburger is on me. How's your tire?"

  A few seconds later, he replied to her email. "I'd rather eat my tire than another one of those burgers. But thanks."

  She smiled and jiggled back and forth in her chair. When Will relaxed, he was kind of cute. He was attractive no matter what, of course. But when he let his sense of humor come out, he was positively endearing. And she really couldn't believe she was saying that—even silently, to herself, in the privacy of her own apartment. She sent off one more email. "Since sharing is caring, I'll remember this. Good night."

  Once again, it took mere seconds for him to respond. Will was a lot quicker with the comebacks than she'd realized. "Saving this email for posterity. Good night."

  She smiled again, all of her previous anger with him dissipating in a flood of warmth. He was a good guy. Better not to be at odds with him. Much better to have Will as a friend than an enemy.

  As for something beyond friends…

  Well, she had StarLord for that.

  She went back to the app and tapped out her acceptance before she could think better of it. She added, One catch: I get to make the arrangements. I'll message you tomorrow with the details.

  Amazingly enough, StarLord also answered right away. Jeez, was everyone online late on a Sunday night?

  I leave it completely in your hands. Standing by for instructions.

  See? That was the kind of respectful approach every man ought to have. If only she could show Will. He could learn a thing or two from StarLord. Although—he was probably too stubborn to change. Once a cop, always a cop.

  Before she went to bed, she fired off a quick text to Suzanne. Mystery man meeting is on. You're in charge! Just make sure it's a public place in case my instincts are way the hell off. Xoxoxo.

  She logged off her computer and, finally exhausted, flopped into bed.

  9

  The next morning, she got a minor shock at the Mercury News-Gazette. A bouquet of tiger lilies sat on her desk in a curved glass vase. Tiger lilies! Who could possibly know that she liked tiger lilies? Unless Chase had somehow figured it out and was trying to work his way …

  She grabbed the vase and marched down the hallway toward the break room, where the interns and copy assistants hung out. Chase was there alone, feet propped on a metal folding chair, elbow resting on the table as he scanned his phone.

  She placed the vase of flowers on the table next to him, jarring his elbow from its position. "I reject your flowers," she told him. "That sort of thing is not going to work on me, and how did you know about tiger lilies anyway?"

  He straightened up and pulled his feet off the chair with a metallic clatter. "What are you talking about? Those aren't from me."

  "They aren't?" She frowned at them, completely confused now. StarLord knew she liked tiger lilies, but he didn't know where she worked or even who she was…did he?

  "How would I know what kind of flowers you like?" Chase was saying in a wry tone. " I know hardly anything about you. So far, all I know is that you work a lot."

  "That's right. I'm a workaholic and proud of it. Some people have to work for a living, though that might come as a shock to you."

  He snorted. "Dad works all the time. Maybe that's where you got it from."

  She flinched backwards. She'd never considered that her work dedication might come from her non-father. "I doubt that," she said stiffly. But oddly, she felt an unexpected urge to know more about Gordon Merriweather. She knew the publicly available facts about her missing parent, but nothing else. Nothing intimate. "Does he, uh, like his work?"

  "I don't know. I guess. He likes making money and he kind of has to keep the family business going. Hey, look." He poked his finger between the stalks of the lilies. "There's a tag."

  She snatched it from him and scanned it quickly. "Thank you for the very well-written story. You're welcome back anytime. (If you dare!) Tobias and Ben Knight, Knight and Day Flight Tours."

  Huh. She stared at the tag, completely puzzled. How on earth would either Tobias or Ben have any clue that she loved tiger lilies? Maybe she'd mentioned something during the tour? Possibly when she'd been on the edge of vomiting in the plane? Maybe she'd blacked out and babbled something about tiger lilies. Maybe one of them had psychic powers. Maybe they also liked tiger lilies and bought them as a matter of routine.

  Or maybe it was just a strange coincidence.

  That explanation seemed as good as any.

  "Thanks," she told Chase, still mulling over the mystery.

  "Don't you mean, 'thanks, little brother?'" He gave her an impish grin.

  "Don't push it."

  She caught sight of the photos on his phone. "Are those from Knight and Day?"

  "Yeah. I heard this crazy rumor about a stash of money hidden somewhere on that airstrip. Kind of like a treasure hunt." His face lit up with enthusiasm. "I'm great at finding things. Every time Mom loses her glasses or her wedding ring or—" He broke off at the look on Merry's face. "Sorry. All I mean is, it's a skill. Look how I found you."

  She ignored that remark. "It's just a crazy rumor. Nothing's ever been found. And it's none of your business."

  "I know, but wouldn't it be cool to be the one who finds it?"

  "Please just…don't get into trouble, please? This is my town, I'm still not sure about you being here, but I definitely don't want you poking around someone's property."

  He gave her a sunny smile. "Sure thing, sis. Hey, do you want to have lunch?"

  "I'll think about it. Maybe sometime this week."

  "Sometime this week is great! Anytime!"

  Sighing, she tucked the vase back under her arm and headed out of the break room. For sure, she couldn't keep saying 'no' to Chase. He was too likable, and she had too many questions.

  In the hallway, she collided with Douglas, spilling some of the water from the vase onto his shirt.

  "Merry, I'm glad I ran into you." He didn't look glad as he dabbed at his shirt. "We need something for the new Sunday edition, something big."

  Of course. "Big." She wished she could ban the word from his vocabulary.

  "The metro desk says you've been working on a story about opioids."

  Crap. You couldn't hide anything from the damn metro desk. Will still hadn't given her the go-ahead on the story, so she deflected. "That story's not ready. It's complicated, and I want to get it right. Maybe I'll have it for you soon. I'm working as hard as I can."

  He narrowed his eyes at her. Today he wore a plaid bow-tie and a vest—as if he went out of the way to look like a jerk. "You know, I'd heard you were a real go-getter. Future star and so forth. I have to say, so far I'm not seeing it, Merry."

  Her stomach dropped in a sickening plunge. Ice swept through her veins. Never in her life had she disappointed a boss, or even a teacher. They always loved her because she worked so hard for them. But Douglas had never once seemed impressed with her.

  "I'll just…you'll see. It'll be a good story. I promise."

  "Not good. Big."

  "Right. Big." She hurried away from him and shut herself in her office.

  Maybe she should call Will and get the go-ahead on the opioids story. He'd sent her that photo last night, after all. It was worth a shot.

  And honestly, secretly, she kind of wanted to talk to him.

  She dialed his number, feeling her pulse pick up as she did so. "It's Merry Warren from the Mercury News-Gazette."

  "I know who you are, Merry," came his dry response. "I'm an officer of the law. Can't get much past me."

  She smiled. For some reason, hearing his voice chased away the anxiety from her conversation with Douglas. "You know, there's something wrong when you have to reinforce the fact that you're an officer every few minutes. Are you starting to doubt it? Because if you are, just call me up and I'll confirm it. Like, three days later, in my own sweet time."

  "Was there a reason you
were calling, or is this just your regularly scheduled 'give Will a ration of shit' call?"

  She laughed. Okay, so he won that exchange. "I need a story. My boss is on my ass and I know you still want to hold back on the opioids … right?"

  "Right," he said firmly. "But I can probably throw you a bone."

  "That's all I want. A bone." As soon as she said that, her face flamed. "That didn't sound right."

  "Sounded just fine to me," he said innocently.

  She bit her lip. These conversations with Will Knight were getting much too flirtatious. "So can we meet? What do you have for me?"

  "Today's pretty booked, and I have a thing tonight. Can it wait until tomorrow?"

  "Sure, that's great." She had a "thing" tonight too. A StarLord thing. Every time she thought about their date, she shivered with anticipation. "Let me know when you have time tomorrow."

  "Will do."

  "Ha ha, that's funny."

  "Excuse me?"

  "You said 'Will do.' You're Will. And then there's 'do.'" She cringed, realizing just how ridiculous that sounded. A long pause followed her embarrassing non-joke. He probably thought she was the biggest dork in the world. Lately she kept making a fool of herself with Will. Grabbing his thigh during that plane flight. Kicking his tire. Wearing tail feathers in front of him. What was going on?

  Let this be a lesson. She had to keep that professional distance. No more slipping into "he's not so bad," or "he's so hot," or "I can trust him." Reporters and deputies should stay in their corners, on opposite sides of the ring.

  "Are you making merry at my expense?" he finally said. "Making merry. Get it? You're Merry."

  She laughed. "You know something, Will? Sometimes you really surprise me. Maybe you aren't the big stick-up-your-ass I thought you were."

  "And maybe someday you'll surprise me and manage to carry on an entire conversation without insulting me."

  "Dream big, Deputy. Dream big."

  Will had a hard time focusing on his work, knowing that tonight he'd finally be meeting AnonyMs. She'd sent the plan halfway through the day. He was supposed to meet her at the Jupiter Point Observatory at sunset. He was supposed to bring a bottle of champagne—that would be the tell that she'd recognize him by.

  So he was right. She did live near Jupiter Point.

  It occurred to him that maybe he'd met her before but hadn't realized it. Maybe she worked at one of the businesses in town. Maybe they'd both been drinking at Barstow's at the same time. Maybe they'd reached for the same peach at the supermarket or passed each other jogging on Stargazer Beach.

  Or what if he knew her even better? What if she worked at the hardware store or did his taxes or cut his hair?

  Whoever AnonyMs was, she knew a lot about him. She knew him on an intimate level that he didn't share with many people. If anyone. In fact, she might know him better than anyone else did, other than his brothers. Possibly including his brothers.

  After all, his brothers had no idea that he liked to fool around with poetry. No one in the world knew that, except for AnonyMs.

  At the end of the day, he drove home and changed into his nicest jeans and a sweater. It was always colder at the observatory and there was often a wind blowing. He happened to have some champagne in the cupboard, ready for the grand opening party of Knight and Day, whenever that eventually happened.

  He'd almost made it out of the house when his brothers drove up in Tobias's Land Rover. Ben gave a whistle as he hopped out, swinging from the roll bar.

  "We're going to Barstow's, but it looks like you're way ahead of us. Hot date?"

  Will kept walking toward his truck. "Business meeting."

  Tobias slammed the door of the Land Rover and tucked his thumbs in his pockets. "What kind of sheriff's deputy business meeting calls for champagne?"

  "A 'none of your business' meeting."

  "Nice!" Tobias reached out a hand for a high five. "I like it." He turned to Ben. "Translation: a date so hot he can't even talk about it."

  "Right?" Ben looked Will up and down and shook his head, looking very unimpressed. "Dude, if you're going on hot dates, you might want to level up your wardrobe. What's on your feet?"

  "Boots. Steel-toed."

  "Translation: the better to kick your ass with," Tobias told Ben. "Leave Will alone. He deserves some fun. And if Grandpa's found a girl in this town who wants to put up with him, I like her already."

  "Fine." Ben made way for Will. He opened the door of his truck and slid inside. "What's her name? Maybe I've met her. It's a small town, and I've met a lot of single girls over the past two months."

  "Eaten a lot of casseroles, too," said Tobias.

  Will's grin broadened. "I might have spread the word about the two lonely bachelors needing some attention."

  "Son of a bitch," said Tobias good-naturedly. Then he reflected on it for a minute. "Good thinking."

  Ben rapped on the hood of the truck as Will shifted into reverse. "Good luck, man. Hope it works out. It's past time for one of the Knight brothers to settle down, and I nominate you."

  "I second that motion," said Tobias.

  Will flipped them both the bird and pressed his foot to the accelerator to zoom down the driveway. He could have had a nice, peaceful post-child-raising life right now. But no, he'd had to invite his two wild brothers to live with him.

  He drove the long series of switchbacks that took him up the hill—almost a mountain—where the observatory was located. The Jupiter Point Observatory had a medium-sized infrared telescope and a small staff of astrophysicists. They offered tours and rented the spectacular grounds for parties and other occasions. The closer he got, the more his stomach tightened and a sense of nausea wanted to take over. This was essentially a blind date. Who the hell subjected themselves to a blind date anymore? Everyone knew they were doomed to failure.

  This one in particular had a lot riding on it. He and AnonyMs had gotten so close since they'd been writing. The chance of failure, of shattered expectations…fuck, it was huge.

  10

  He parked in the big visitor lot and headed for the gazebo. Fancy fundraisers and weddings and other events were held at the gazebo because the view from the terraced grounds was so spectacular. Right now, at sunset, the ocean looked like liquid gold shimmering at the feet of the mighty sun god.

  Smiling at that whimsical image, his vision still blown out by gazing into the setting sun, he bumped into someone hurrying across the grass. With his free hand, he reached out to steady his victim.

  "Sorry about that," he murmured. "Wasn't watching where I was going."

  "Will?"

  He blinked down at Merry Warren's still-blurry face. "Merry, hey."

  Oh, for Chrissake, couldn't he catch a break? Of all the people he didn't want busting him at a moment like this, Merry would be at the top of the list. She would mock him, she'd dig all the embarrassing details out of him, she'd manage to squeeze it into a story. He could imagine the exact wording she'd use. Deputy Will Knight, last seen showing up for a blind date in steel-toed boots and his best jeans, declined to comment.

  "Hi. Sorry, the sun was in my eyes," she said, looking nearly as embarrassed as he felt. "I didn't mean to crash into you like that."

  "Don't worry about it. It's a beautiful sunset. Worth getting gut-checked over."

  She smiled, but without her usual sass. He detected hesitation, maybe even nerves.

  They both stood there for a moment, as if waiting for the other to make their move. Finally, he went for it. "Well, nice running into you." He took a step toward the gazebo.

  So did she.

  He stopped. With a strange look on her face, she glanced at the brown bag tucked in the crook of his elbow.

  "What's in the bag?" she asked slowly, as if she didn't really want to hear the answer.

  He stared at her. He looked ahead at the gazebo. The pretty Japanese-style structure was empty. No one else was anywhere nearby.

  Holy hell.

 
Slowly, one inch at a time, he drew the bottle of champagne from the brown paper bag, revealing the gold crinkled wrapper at the top.

  "What? No. You're StarLord?" Merry covered her face with her hands, so only her appalled eyes peeked over her fingers at him. "No. No no no!"

  He cringed, wishing the entire terrace hillside of the observatory would just crumble away, taking him with it. "AnonyMs?"

  He was half-hoping she wouldn't recognize the name, proving this was all a mistake. But that didn't happen.

  "Oh God. Oh God! This is a disaster." Merry turned away, then did a complete rotation, ending up facing him again. "No. You can't be StarLord!"

  He felt as if he'd taken a step into the twilight zone. "I can't?"

  "You're nothing like StarLord! StarLord is sensitive, he's soulful, he writes beautiful poetry. And you're…you're a cop!"

  She said the word as if it were an insult. He bristled in response. "And you're nothing like AnonyMs. You're impossible to get along with and I can actually converse with AnonyMs without being called Deputy Slow-mo. Or worse."

  She covered her face again. "You're supposed to be a professor! A single-father professor!"

  "You're supposed to be a shy novelist." All the intimate things they'd talked about raced through his mind. Poems. Dreams. Sex. "Oh shit. This is bad."

  "Why are you so worried? I told you about my vibrator!"

  He stared at her, then gave a snort of laughter.

  So did she, even though her face was still crimson under her hands. And suddenly they were both laughing so hard they could barely stand. He bent over, resting his hands on his knees, the champagne bottle slipping to the ground. She dropped into the grass, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  "Oh my God. I never, ever, ever would have imagined this," she gasped. "I'm a reporter. How could I not figure it out?"

  "Hell, I'm the cop. If anyone should have put it together, it's me. Nope. Not a clue."