Still the Best Woman for the Job

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “She reminds me of her grandmother. When I first met Katherine, she gave me all kind of hell.” He shook his head and smiled as if remembering some special moments. “But I can’t imagine my life without her. She used to get into all types of trouble. She has spunk and is ridiculously independent, and she is one of the most loving people I have ever met in my life. Toni is so much like her.”

  Craig listened as Toni’s grandfather shared tales of when he and his beloved Katherine dated, as well as some of the challenges they faced early in their marriage.

  “Mr. Jenkins, how did you do it – stay happily married for over fifty years?”

  He chuckled and scratched his head. “Son, I often ask myself the same question. But I think Katherine would agree that one of the most important things we do is work at our marriage every day. We spend as much time together as we can, kissing, hugging or whatever it takes to keep the love we have for each other alive. And most importantly, we’re quick to forgive and quick to say I’m sorry.”

  Craig bobbed his head in understanding, appreciating the wisdom of Toni’s grandfather and taking in his words.

  “So does this mean you’re thinking about marriage?”

  “I’ve been thinking about marriage since the day I met Toni. I’m very much in love with your granddaughter, and I plan to ask her to marry me … again.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “What’s up, man?” Derek said in a rush when he opened the door for Craig and Toni, the cordless phone against his chest. “You guys come on in. I need to finish up this call real quick.” He hurried back down the hall toward his office not giving Craig a chance to respond.

  “Hey, Uncle Craig!” Jason, Craig’s three-year-old nephew, stormed down the hallway and leaped into his arms. “Did you come over to watch a movie with me? How about Toy Story 2, your favorite?”

  A hearty laugh spilled from Craig’s gut and he immediately felt some of the day’s tension fall away. “What’s up li’l man? I actually came over to talk with your dad, but I guess we can watch a movie. Hold up, haven’t we watched Toy Story 2 like a thousand times?”

  “Yes,” he said, his head moving up and down like a bobble-head toy. “But it’s your favorite.”

  That got another chuckle out of Craig before his brother walked up and gave him a fist bump. “Sorry about that. I’ve been waiting all day to hear from the project manager of this new assignment and of course she calls right when the doorbell rings.” Derek picked up two pairs of Jason’s shoes that were sitting in the middle of the foyer. “Where’s Toni?”

  “She’s standing outside finishing up a call.”

  “Auntie Toni’s here?” Jason asked, his eyes round with surprise. “I’ll go get her.” He squirmed in Craig’s arms, but Craig didn’t let him down.

  “Hold on li’l man. She’ll be in shortly.”

  “Jason, I told you hours ago to take these shoes to your room. Instead of you trying to get outside, I want you to put them up, now.” Craig sat Jason on his feet and watched as his nephew shoved the little race car he was holding into his pocket before he grabbed his shoes.

  “I’ll be back Uncle Craig.”

  “Li’l man, when you’re finished putting your shoes away, why don’t you go ahead and set up the movie. Auntie Toni and I will be in there in a few minutes. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Jason took off running down the hall.

  “Sometimes I wonder if he knows how to walk since he runs everywhere,” Derek said shaking his head. “I better go make sure he doesn’t just toss the shoes in the middle of the floor of his bedroom. Come on back to the family room when Toni finishes up.”

  Craig glanced out the door. Toni paced the concrete stoop, and when her eyes met his, she lifted a finger and mouthed one minute. Craig nodded. The past few weeks with her were like old times: they ate together, re-incorporated their Friday date nights and did practically everything together outside of working hours. A flutter of excitement swelled in his stomach. They were officially a couple. She was his and he was hers. Finally.

  Seconds later, Toni entered. “I’m so sorry, that was Peyton. On Friday, we’re having a girls night out to celebrate Jada finishing her apprenticeship. She wanted to get my vote on where we should meet.”

  “No problem.” He grabbed hold of her hand and locked the door. “I didn’t want to leave you by yourself.”

  She shook her head. “You’re doing it again.”

  “Doing what?” He hunched his shoulders, his brows furrowed.

  “Being over protective. You didn’t have to wait for me. I would’ve come in once I was done.”

  Craig ran his hand over his head and down the back of his neck. This was an ongoing discussion between them and she claimed that he’d gotten worse since her accident. He glanced down at her and his heart swelled with all the love he had for her. Sure, he might be a little overprotective but it was because he was crazy about her.

  “I know you can take care of yourself, but I felt waiting on you would be the gentleman thing to do.” After the day he’d had, he definitely didn’t feel like arguing.

  “You’re such a sweetheart. You always know the right thing to say.” She wrapped her arms around him and stood on her tiptoes for a kiss. “I’m sorry for making a big deal over nothing.”

  “And I promise to chill a bit. It’s hard though. You mean everything to me, so forgive me for being a little overprotective.”

  He claimed Toni’s mouth and crushed her to him, her lips soft and tender. He didn’t think he would ever get accustomed to having her in his arms, being able to hold and love on her. It was as if he could breathe again.

  “All right you two. There’s a minor in the house,” Derek said from the end of the hall carrying a bowl of popcorn. “Either grab one of the guest rooms upstairs or chill with that stuff.”

  Craig chuckled and wrapped his arm around Toni’s shoulder. “Yes sir, we’ll be good. Then again, maybe we should test out one of your beds upstairs.”

  Toni swatted his arm. “Stop.” She giggled and leaned into Craig. “Derek, we’ll be good.”

  ***

  Toni stood near the opening to Derek’s family room watching Jason as he sang and danced along to the movie he was watching. He was the cutest kid ever, but he was also a reminder of what she would never have.

  “Auntie Toni!” Jason screamed when he saw her. His tiny legs shot across the family room and charged toward Toni at full speed.

  “Whoa, li’l man!” Craig scooped him up before he reached her. “Slow down, dude. Auntie Toni was released from the hospital a few days ago. You can give her a hug, but you can’t jump on her. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Jason slapped his uncle a big boy high five.”

  “Craig?” Toni lifted her arms and let them fall back down. “What are you doing? It’s been almost a week. I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not. Your balance is still off.” He challenged, his gaze boring into hers with the intensity of the sun blazing over a blacktop roof. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

  Toni cocked her head and her mouth gaped open, surprised by his words. Yes, she still had daily headaches and some days the light-headedness made her feel as if she’d throw up if she moved too fast. What shocked her, though, was that Craig had noticed.

  With Jason in his arms, Craig stepped closer to her. “I notice everything about you,” he whispered next to her ear, sending a delicious tingle up her spine. He allowed Jason to lean in and give her a hug.

  Toni didn’t speak. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Jason and kissed him on the cheek, but her eyes stayed locked on Craig. She didn’t think she could ever love him as much as she did at that moment. Her protector. That’s what he was, always taking care of her even when she wasn’t aware.

  “I love you,” she mouthed the words over Jason’s head. He winked and blew her a kiss.

  “Auntie Toni.” Jason leaned back to look at her, his small arm barely making it around her neck. “You’re my girl
friend too.” He kissed her on the cheek. His soft lips brought tears to her eyes, and she knew that even the younger Logan man was going to be a heartbreaker.

  “Aww,” Toni cooed and turned to plant a kiss on his forehead.

  “Aww, nothing,” Craig yanked Jason away before her lips made contact. “Man, what you doin’?” He jokingly chastised his nephew. “She’s my girlfriend, and you need to go and find your own girlfriend.”

  “No, she’s my girlfriend,” Jason giggled as Craig tickled him, turned him upside down and held him by his legs. “Daddy! Help me! Daddy!”

  “Craig, be careful. You’re going to hurt him. You’re being too rough,” Toni said but couldn’t help but laugh along with them. Jason was the type of kid you couldn’t help but fall in love with. Smart, funny and an absolute cutie-pie just like his uncle.

  Toni jumped and her hand flew to her chest when Craig dipped Jason so low that it seemed he would hit his head on the floor. “Craig, be careful!” She lunged toward them planning to pull Jason out of his arms, but Craig turned his body.

  “Hey, hey, hey, what you doin’ to my son?” Derek playfully punched Craig in the arm, and Jason threw his head back and laughed harder.

  “He’s trying to steal my girlfriend, and you know I can’t have that.” Craig pretended to punch Jason in the stomach over and over again, throwing out grunts to add to the playful moment.

  Toni watched the three of them tussle around on the sofa and then the floor. As a single dad, Derek was awesome, and there was no doubt he loved his son. He was a great father and Toni knew Craig would be too.

  A sudden bout of sadness swept through her when she thought about not being able to give Craig what he wanted the most, a family. For weeks, she had put off talking to him. Instead she was living for the moment, loving the attention and the love he gave freely, when what she needed to do was tell him her main reason for walking away from him months ago. She needed to tell him she couldn’t have children.

  ***

  “I feel like I’m obsessed with her,” Craig said and paced in front of Derek’s desk. Since Jason insisted on watching the second movie with just Toni, it gave Craig and Derek a chance to visit. “This feeling of always wanting to be in Toni’s presence, always wanting to hear her laugh or see her smile. Am I crazy?”

  “Probably,” Derek joked but sobered when Craig narrowed his eyes at him. “Hey, I’m no psychiatrist. Do you feel like you’re crazy?”

  Craig thought for a moment. “No, I seriously feel as if I’m obsessed. Some days are worse than others. One minute I’m afraid to let her walk out the door alone because I know the craziness that walks the streets of Cincinnati and then the next minute I just want to be near her, to hold her close and never let her go again.”

  His brother leaned back in his office chair and studied Craig before saying, “Yeah you do sound a little obsessive, but you also sound like a man who is very much in love with his woman. I think part of the obsessiveness has to do with your job and your need to free the world of abusive men.”

  Craig couldn’t argue with Derek’s assessment, but he didn’t know how to fix the problem. It was easy to say that he would back off and try not to suffocate Toni with the love he felt for her, but it was another thing to actually back off.

  Silence fell between them and Craig heard his nephew in the other room singing along with the Disney movie he and Toni were watching. He’d kill to be young and carefree again. Instead, he was working at a job that stressed him out, while trying to save the city from scumbags. And if that were not enough, he couldn’t stop thinking about the woman he was crazy in love with.

  Craig stood near Derek’s desk and picked up one of Jason’s racing cars, spinning the tiny button-size wheels. “You’re definitely right about my obsession with ridding the world of people like that idiot I told you about last week. When I found out he beat his ex so bad that she ended up hospitalized, I wanted to turn in my badge and gun. I wanted to hunt him down like the dirty dog he is,” he spat out. His gut churned with the same nauseous bitterness he felt right after Floyd told him about Joyce Sander’s attack. “The woman could have helped if she hadn’t recanted her story, but that’s beside the point. We need tougher laws to keep these guys locked up.” He set the car back on the desk and rubbed his forehead with both hands before dropping them to his side. “These types of cases always get to me, but this one in particular has me losing sleep.”

  “So what has you more upset, being pulled off the case or that this man has gone free?”

  “Does it matter? Both situations are messed up.”

  “Craig, maybe you need to take some time off.” His brother rose from his seat and placed his hands, palms down, on the desk. “I know how deep you get into cases of domestic violence, and you said yourself that lately most of the crimes you’ve been investigating are crimes against women.” He walked around the desk and stood next to Craig, his hands shoved into his pants pockets. “Your captain knows what you’ve been through, first Cynthia’s death and then Julien’s. I know you’re trying to save the world, or at least women, but even you, Detective Extraordinaire, need a break sometime.”

  “I know. You’re right.” He hadn’t had a vacation all year and was way overdue for some down time.

  “And what about the other situation?”

  “What other situation?”

  “The situation that has you smothering your woman. You know as well as I do Toni is not going to stand for you hovering over her all the time.” He held up his hand when Craig began to protest. “Hear me out. She’s a tough, independent woman who took care of herself just fine before you came along.”

  Craig moved to the window and stared out into the night, looking at nothing in particular. He heard his brother’s words, but his brother didn’t have all the facts. He didn’t know Toni had been raped while in college, brutalized by someone who might still be walking the streets. Craig never wanted her to experience that type of emotional or physical pain again. No woman should go through that type of violation.

  “There’s something else you need to think about,” Derek said from across the room.

  Craig glanced over his shoulder. “And what’s that?”

  “If you keep smothering her, you’re going to risk losing her again. You’re going to have to give her some space.”

  Craig turned back to the window. “I know, I know … and I will,” he said in annoyance. He rubbed his forehead again to relieve the dull ache that was slowly building. He definitely didn’t want to lose Toni.

  “One more thing, now that you and Toni are back together, what are you going to do about Patricia?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Craig pulled up to the Kingsgate Marriott hotel and handed his keys to the valet. Up until a couple of months ago, he’d been spending at least one weekend a month here and was glad to say that he wouldn’t miss the visits, but he would miss Patricia Edison.

  He met Patricia years ago while vacationing in Vegas. They hit it off immediately and tried a long distance relationship for months, him living in Cincinnati and her living in Chicago, but soon realized long distance romance was too much. Though they cared for each other, neither was ready or willing to make the sacrifice of leaving their cities or careers. But when Patricia called him, a month after he and Toni split, they picked up where they left off, she visited Cincinnati as often as she could visit, and he made several trips to Chicago.

  He stood in the hallway outside of Patricia’s hotel room door. Regret crawled up his spine as he stared at the room number plate embossed in gold, sick about the conversation that he was getting ready to have. One last glance down the brightly lit hall and then he knocked. Within seconds, the door swung open, and he wasn’t surprised to see her in the skimpy lingerie. He gave her tight, curvy body an appreciative once over, before returning his gaze to her face. There was a time when his body would respond immediately, but not this time. Since Toni had walked back into his life, no other woman made his b
ody come alive the way Toni did.

  “Hey, boo, what took you so long to get here?” Her Chicago accent was more prominent than he remembered.

  Craig stepped across the threshold and knew this conversation was going to be harder than he originally thought. He cared about Patricia, but he was in love with Toni.

  “What? No kiss, no hug, no squeeze?” Patricia closed the door and turned to Craig. “What’s going on?” Her hands cocked on her hip, the thin lace material stretched across her ample breasts tempted him with her taut nipples.

  Craig blew out a breath. The longer she stood in front of him with her skimpy outfit, the more his pulse picked up speed. He glanced around the room before looking back at her. “We need to talk.”

  Her eyes narrowed and the welcoming smile she had when she first opened the door slipped from her lips. Shoulders suddenly drooped, she clamped her arms across her perky breasts and held herself in a tight grip.

  “What do you want to talk about?” A nervous tremble rattled her words.

  Craig ran a hand slowly over his head and down the back of his neck before dropping his arm to his side. He stared at her without speaking. Her bronze toned skin glistened, and those large expressive eyes stared back at him waiting for him to say something, anything. What could he say? She was a beautiful woman on the outside whose personality made her just as beautiful inside. Intelligent, but serious, she was submissive, agreeable, and a neat freak … everything Toni wasn’t.

  “We need to talk about us,” he finally said. “But first why don’t you go and get dressed.”

  “Craig.” She shifted her weight to one hip, her eyes pleading.

  “Please.” He nodded his head toward her bedroom door and wondered what he’d gotten himself into.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Craig didn’t miss the battle waging inside her. Part of her probably wanted to argue, but he knew she wouldn’t. Arguing wasn’t her style. She studied him for a few moments longer and then slunk off to the bedroom of the suite.