by T. J. Kline
He sighed. She wasn’t about to make this easy on him. “Come on, Bailey. I came over this morning to apologize. That wasn’t what I meant.”
“No? Because you seemed pretty confident when you said it.”
She began walking again, refusing to even give him the chance to explain himself. He opened the door for Gracie, who hopped into the seat and let her tongue hang out happily as he ran to the driver’s seat and started the car. “Bailey, wait.”
She didn’t even turn his way again, simply flung her hand up and flipped her middle finger up at him. Damn her stubborn pride and damn his addled brain. If he’d just kept his mouth shut, he wouldn’t be slowly cruising alongside her, watching her perfect ass swaying in denim that fit her like a second skin. He rolled down the passenger window and pulled alongside her, wondering how many people might be watching from inside their houses. It was a small town, after all, and gossip ran rampant, especially where she was concerned.
“Look, it was a poor word choice on my part.”
“You think?”
“Will you stop acting like a child and get in the car?”
“I’m the one acting like a child?” She didn’t look at him but even from this distance, he could see her brow rise in irritation.
He glanced at the empty street around them and couldn’t help but grin at the ridiculousness of this situation. “You know, evading an officer could get you into trouble,” he teased.
“So could harassment,” she countered.
He sighed, exasperated with her stubbornness. “Will you please get your ass in the car so I don’t look like some sort of stalker?”
She turned and glared at him before looking around. His gaze followed hers and he noticed several of the older neighbors peeking from behind their curtains to see what the commotion was about. One old woman shook her head disapprovingly from behind a glass pane. While there were a lot of people in town who adored Bailey and her antics, he knew she had her critics, and this wasn’t helping alleviate their misgivings.
“Look, I’ll drive you wherever you’re heading if you just hear me out.”
She rolled her eyes and reached for the door handle. “Fine, take me to the hospital.” His gaze skimmed over her curiously, wondering if something might be wrong. She seemed to read his mind. “I’m fine. I’m singing in the children’s ward today.”
That wasn’t what he’d expected from her and for a moment, he wasn’t sure what to say. Bailey worked so hard maintaining her hard-ass rocker persona that he couldn’t imagine her hanging out with a bunch of sick kids. Gracie voiced her opinion with a happy bark from the backseat as Bailey settled her guitar and tote between her knees in the front, glancing back at the dog.
“I don’t think K-9 dogs are supposed to be that cheerful. They’re supposed to scare criminals. I think the most she’d do is lick one into submission.”
“She’s Search and Rescue, not really K-9. At least, not yet,” he clarified before returning to her comment. “Singing to kids, huh? What made you want to do that?”
She cocked an impish brow as she met his gaze. “A hot doctor convinced me.”
This was the Bailey he knew so well. Jealousy swept through him but Chase jerked the reins of it quickly, bringing his envy into submission. The last thing he needed was for her to think he was feeling possessive when he was trying to convince her he didn’t have any feelings other than friendship for her.
“Fresh meat, huh?”
Her full lips curved into a feline smile. “Something like that.”
Chase tried to temper the burning resentment building in him as he thought of her with another man, and what one might do to convince Bailey to do something so sweet. At least she was talking to him again, although a recent date was the last subject he wanted to discuss. “That poor bastard won’t know what hit him. You’re probably going to break his heart.”
The smile slipped and she frowned, her nails picking at the zipper on her guitar bag. “What makes you say that?”
Chase turned into the driveway of the medical center, pulling the cruiser to the covered alcove at the front of the hospital, wishing the ride had been longer. “Come on, Bailey, you have to know you’ve broken most of the male hearts in this town.”
A stray lock of her honeyed hair had fallen loose and hung by her cheek as she ducked her head, looking suddenly vulnerable. His fingers itched to tuck it behind her ear. It still surprised him how she could go from looking like she could take on the world to frail in a matter of seconds. “He’ll fall for you and then you’ll leave town.”
He saw her expression harden, switching back to hard-ass mode, as she climbed out of the car, swinging the tote over her shoulder and holding her guitar before leaning back into the window of the cruiser, fixing him with those deep blue eyes of hers. “You know, it was only a harmless kiss, Chase. Unlike you, some guys in this town know how to have a good time without insulting a girl. Get over it already.”
Chase watched her square her shoulders as she stood up and headed into the building without another glance in his direction. His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he fought the urge to follow her, to prove to her that there had been nothing harmless about that kiss. Or the second one. From the moment his lips had touched hers, tasted her, he’d been doomed to repeat that mistake—maybe it wasn’t a Freudian slip—regardless of the threat she posed to his emotional well-being. The problem was, he knew while Justin might break his legs if he found out, falling for Bailey was certain to break his heart.
Chapter Eight
BAILEY WOULDN’T LET herself look backward. She knew Chase was still parked in front of the hospital. Even if Gracie’s happy yips hadn’t given it away, her racing pulse would have. Her body always betrayed her when he was near. Her heart pounded against her rib cage at the mere sight of him. Two kisses and a car ride only made her reactions to him that much more violent.
She hurried past the front desk to the second floor where she knew the kids were assembling, waiting for her arrival, and tried not to think about the surprise she’d seen on Chase’s face when she told him where she was going. Just like everyone else, he saw her only as capable of causing trouble.
“Hey, beautiful. One of these days, I’m going to convince you to run away with me.”
“Blake, you sweet talker, who are you trying to kid? You refuse every time I ask you to take me away from here.” Bailey slipped her arm around the trim waist of the newest doctor in town. Several nurses eyed her and she wondered if any of them suspected that she and Blake were nothing more than good friends.
He laughed and gave her a return squeeze. “That’s because I like it here, where I get to actually listen to my patients instead of hustling them out the door.”
“Oh!” Bailey jumped back from their hug and he eyed her suspiciously, closing the folder he’d been writing in and handing it to the nurse at the desk.
Blake turned, giving Bailey his full attention. “What was that?”
She avoided his intent gaze. “Nothing.”
Blake looked unconvinced. “You’re early and the kids are still getting settled. Come grab a cup of coffee with me.”
“Sure.” She tucked her guitar and bag behind the desk for safekeeping and slipped her hand into Blake’s as they headed into the doctors’ lounge, trying not to notice the evil eye some of the younger nurses shot her. Bailey slid onto the vinyl sofa along a back wall and shook her head. “I don’t mind being your fake girlfriend, but eventually you’re going to have to face these nurses when they figure out we’re not dating.”
Blake shot her a sideways glance as he poured two cups of coffee. “You’re one to judge. When are you planning on dropping this ‘rebel without a cause’ act you’ve got going on? I’ve only been here a year and I can see through it. How is it you’re still able to fool most of the people in this town?”
“We both know people only see what they want to see. People here see me as a pain in the ass they can’t wait to get rid
of.” She shrugged a single shoulder. “You only see it because we practically share a brain,” she teased.
Blake poured one creamer and two sugar packets into her coffee, just the way she liked it. “Speaking of which, let me see it.”
“What?” She gave him a look of pure innocence.
“Bullshit. You went and got that tattoo without me. You promised to wait until I could check the place out.”
“You took too long.” She pulled her T-shirt up, exposing the back of her shoulder, now accented with swirling red, yellow, and orange ink lining a feminine rendition of a phoenix, its tail feathers licks of flames.
Blake inspected the tattoo, his fingers gently moving over the still-tender flesh carefully. “I like it.” He gave her upper arm a quick, reassuring squeeze. “Very you.”
Bailey cursed the foul luck that had produced a man perfect for her but who gave her absolutely no sparks of attraction and instead made her ultra-attracted to the one man who would never notice her. She glanced at him over her shoulder.
“Does it pass your inspection, Doc?”
“I suppose so,” he said with a frown, “but if the redness doesn’t fade in the next couple days or it doesn’t start healing, let me take another look.”
“It’ll be fine. I watched Elaina take a new needle out of a package. It’s not like she’s sharing them with every druggie on the street.”
Blake held the cup out to her. “Speaking of sharing, have you informed your cousins of your plans yet?”
“I did, last night.”
His brows shot up in surprise.
“And by your response, I’m sure you can guess how well that went over.”
“Ah. That well, huh?” He sipped his drink as he sank onto the vinyl couch. “I heard Julia finally had the baby, so I can’t imagine the trouble came from her. She’s probably too exhausted to put up much of a fight about anything.”
“Nope. Most of it came from Justin.” She tipped her cup up to her lips and blew into it. “Not that his protests were any surprise. Until he compared me to my mother.”
Blake’s eyes widened.
It was common knowledge around town about how her mother had abandoned her husband and daughter to head to Hollywood. People still loved to gossip about it since it was the only real juicy scandal to hit town, at least until Alyssa’s arrival. She couldn’t quite figure out why it still ranked higher than the local lawyer and his son embezzling money from her cousins, though. Bailey shrugged indifferently, but she knew Blake could see through her.
“Did you knock him out?” Blake asked with a wink.
“I considered it.” She leaned against his broad chest. She’d spent enough time with Blake for him to know her past, both the beautiful and the ugly. They’d been close friends, as well as fake-dating when the need arose, ever since his arrival in town almost a year ago. He understood the dynamic between her and her cousins, especially Justin, and had been a reliable shoulder to lean on. “But I didn’t want to end up in the slammer since Chase was there, watching everything.”
“One of these days, I’m going to have to make it a point to actually talk to this guy.” A knowing smile lit Blake’s handsome face as he slid his arm around the back of the couch, and she regretted telling him about how she’d always had a thing for Chase. “And what did our fine town deputy say?”
Bailey glowered up at Blake. “I don’t know since I stormed out. Apparently, he took my side. Of course, that was before insulting me by saying kissing me was a mistake and—”
“Whoa!” Blake sat up quickly, bumping her in the back of the head and almost spilling her coffee.
“Hey!”
“Go back a step. What’s this about a kiss?”
Bailey immediately wished she had kept her mouth shut. She ran her finger over the rim of her paper cup, unable to meet his intense brown eyes. “It was nothing. I was crying about Julia in the ER when she had Emily and he gave me a hug to comfort me and—” She shrugged. “Things just . . . escalated.”
“Uh-huh.” He looked doubtful and she knew he was waiting for a far more in-depth answer she wasn’t willing to provide. “He’s a sheriff deputy. He’s used to tense situations. Things don’t just ‘escalate’ for him.”
“Anyway . . . ”
Recognizing her avoidance tactic, Blake changed the subject. “So, it was a bust telling the family, huh?” He slid a large hand around her waist and gave her a brotherly kiss on the top of her head. “I think that calls for a night on the town to drown a few sorrows. Dinner, you and me, at the Grille after I get off shift.”
Bailey sighed. “I don’t know. I’m sure Julia could use some help.”
Blake held up a hand. “No excuses. This is your day off, and we are going to enjoy an evening out. Besides, Mary Beth has been eyeballing me all day and she’s been hinting at dinner. If you save me from that woman, then dinner and drinks are on me.”
Bailey rose with a quiet laugh and patted his cheek roughly. She adored this man in the way only best friends could. “You’re a doctor and I’m a broke singer. Dinner and drinks are always on you.”
“WOULD YOU LOOK at that? A cop in a coffee shop. No donut today?”
Chase looked up from his reports to see Justin approach his table with a to-go cup in his hand. He could barely make out the word macchiato on the side. “Into girlie drinks now, tough guy?”
Justin shifted his feet. “Would you believe me if I told you it’s Lyssa’s?”
“Nope, I’m trained to spot deception and you’re a terrible liar.” Shaking his head, Chase laughed. He pushed the chair across from him out with his foot. “Take a load off.” His friend slipped into the chair, his shoulders slumping in relief.
Justin hung his head. “I’m sorry for last night, man. I hate that you got caught in the middle of that garbage, but you’re family and that means dealing with all the family disputes. Lucky you.”
“It’s not the first time I’ve seen you blow your top, but you realize it’s not me you should be apologizing to, right?”
“I’m working my way up to Bailey. Trying to apologize to her is like trying to hold a tiger by the tail.”
“Tell me about it,” Chase muttered into his coffee. “Good luck with that.”
Justin grimaced. “She’s pretty pissed. She never called so I know I’m in the doghouse. You never told me—what happened when you went out and talked to her?” Chase choked on his coffee and Justin jumped up, patting him on the back roughly. “You okay?”
Chase wasn’t about to tell Justin that he’d apologized for kissing Bailey and started his own downward slide onto Bailey’s shit list. “Yeah, it was hotter than I thought,” he lied, coughing.
“So? What did she say?”
Chase pressed his thumbnail into the side of the cup, avoiding Justin’s intent gaze. He didn’t want to be the one to force his friend to admit the truth, that Bailey was leaving no matter what.
When Justin spoke again, Chase heard the defeat in his voice. “She’s really going to do this?”
“I’m afraid it looks that way. Even if she might have had second thoughts, you kind of pushed her over the edge last night with the comment about her mother.”
“Crap.” Justin scrubbed his hand over his eyes and down his face. “Chase, she can’t leave. The farthest she’s ever been is San Francisco. She’s never been away from home. She has no idea what she’s getting herself into.”
“It’s not like she’s leaving the country, Justin. She’s not even leaving the state. Quit being so dramatic. We both left when we were younger than she is.” He tipped back his cup. “She’ll figure it out.”
“Chase, have you looked at her lately? I mean, really looked at her?”
He’d looked all right. His problem was that he couldn’t stop looking at her. But there was no way in hell Chase was going to touch Justin’s very loaded question. No matter which answer he gave, he’d regret it. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the heat from climbing his neck into
his face, and he prayed Justin didn’t notice.
“She’s a pretty woman who has no idea what it’s like to live in the city, and it’s different. You know that better than anyone. Just because she can take care of herself here . . . ” Justin shook his head. “We don’t know anything about this ‘band’ she’s going to be with. Where’s she going to be living? She’s broke without her job here, so I can’t imagine she’ll be living in Beverly Hills. You’re a cop. You know what those places are like. If you had a sister, would you want her living there?”
“Okay, first, she’s your cousin, not your sister.”
“She might as well be,” Justin interrupted, refusing to be deterred.
“And second, you can’t control her forever. She was bound to leave at some point. You did, Julia did, I did.”
“Jessie didn’t,” Justin pointed out, leaning back in his chair. “Why would she even want to leave? She has her own place, a job. What more does she want?”
“I don’t know, Justin. Maybe her dream? Or better yet, to be able to walk down the street without someone reporting back to you what she’s wearing?”
Justin looked down at the table. “No one reports back to me.”
“Bullshit,” Chase argued. “I live here, too. The gossip mill hits my door just as quickly as yours. I hear all the rumors, probably before you do. Have you ever thought about what it must be like for her here, as the youngest of your tight-knit clan?” Chase leaned forward and lowered his voice. “You know people talk about her. Maybe she wants to go somewhere where she doesn’t have to listen to all that crap.”
“Chase, do you really think she can do this and not get hurt?”
He didn’t want to answer Justin. Chase understood his friend’s concern. Regardless of how much Bailey liked to act like a badass, it was, in fact, nothing more than an act. She might be able to handle herself in Placerville, but her family, not to mention most of the town, had her back here. There were a few people who loved to gossip about Bailey, but there were far more who had watched her grow up, who knew the difficulties she’d faced. People who were quick to excuse her impulsive actions and jump to her defense. She might want to spread her wings, but he’d seen the seedy underbelly of humanity and recognized the trouble that might be lying in wait for her naïveté.
