by Amy O'Neill
The five-minute ride was silent except for the dispatches over the radio. Trent turned onto Ivanhoe Avenue and then into the motel parking lot. He was surprised to see the U-Haul wasn’t there. He wondered if maybe she decided this wasn’t the place for her. After telling Fitzer to stay put, he headed for the front office.
The chime over the door barely sounded before the bleach-blonde behind the counter was grinning at him. “I thought I’d see you back here. What took you so long?”
Trent shook his head. “You know me so well Delphine.”
She smiled and nodded. “A pretty girl with no ring on her finger seems like she’s right up your alley.”
Trent pursed his lips together. Delphine would know his M.O.; he’d been renting rooms at her place since he was old enough to do so. It was always a late check-in and never more than one night. Hell, there had been times he’d stayed only an hour.
“I’m not even trying to get into her pants like that, Del. I think it’s about time I turn over a new leaf.”
She scoffed at him. “Yeah, right. If it has two legs, boobs, and nods ‘yes’ you don’t even think twice.”
Trent arched a brow and glared at her. “Geez, Delphine. Do you have to make it sound so terrible? There’s nothing wrong with a single man enjoying the company of a single woman.”
She nodded sarcastically. “Sure, Trent. Whatever you say. If that’s the case, then what are you doing here?”
He thought about coming up with a bogus excuse, but he knew there was no point in bullshitting a bullshitter. “I was just coming to make sure she was alright. But I see she isn’t here.”
The door chimed again, and figuring it was Fitzer, Trent turned around. “Go get the hell back in the car.”
He stopped there because the person crossing the threshold stole his breath in the light of day. The other night he could tell she was attractive, but in the sunlight her red hair reminded him of fire and large brown eyes of dark chocolate stared back at him. They drew him in enough that he barely bothered to check out the rest of her curves.
She arched her brow and put her hands on her narrow hips. “Excuse me?”
Trent was glad for his tan skin, it helped hide the embarrassment he could feel creep over his face. It had been a long time since he’d felt so unsure in front of a woman. “I’m sorry. I thought you were my partner.”
She laughed and hitched her thumb toward the parking lot. “Kindergarten cop?”
Trent laughed. “Yeah. You remember. And you’re Noelle. Or should I say ‘Just’ Noelle?”
The humor in her smile faded quickly. “Noelle is fine.”
Trent watched suspiciously as she walked past without another word and headed to the office.
A moment later she reappeared and bee-lined it for the door. She called out to Delphine over her shoulder, “I’m done for the day. I’ll be back after dark. Have a good day.”
Delphine nodded to her and Trent waved goodbye, but she lifted her nose higher in the air and walked out.
“What’s her deal?”
Delphine took a seat at the desk behind the counter and propped her feet up before grabbing the remote for the television in the corner of the room.
She shrugged. “No clue. Now if you’ll excuse me, my soaps are on.”
Trent opened his mouth to ask another question, but Delphine turned up the volume and gave him a look that told him to get lost.
He turned and left the office, wondering what Delphine wasn’t saying. Then again, Delphine was the queen of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ when it came to who frequented her place.
Once he was back outside, Trent scanned the balcony to see if Noelle was going back to her room. He spotted her walking down the sidewalk, heading west toward the beach. At least that’s where he figured she was heading given the big towel she had slung over her shoulder.
Todd rolled down the car window and lowered his sunglasses. “Are you almost done here? There’s an accident on Prospect and they need a few patrol cars to block traffic.”
Trent rolled his eyes and nodded. Duty called, but he wasn’t done with Noelle just yet. He motioned with his hand at Todd, “Why don’t you drive?”
Fitzer got out of the car and turned to see what Trent was looking at. “Does she have anything to do with it?”
“Maybe.”
Fitzer shrugged and walked around to open the driver’s door. “That’s fine, but it’s gonna cost you.”
Trent got in the passenger side. “Geez Fitzer, I just want you to pull over for a minute so I can talk to her. Two minutes tops, I swear.”
“You buy lunch and I’ll do it. But you better think of a better reason to tell the chief why we took so long to get to the call. I’m pretty sure ‘picking up chicks’ doesn’t fly with him.”
Trent stared out the window and cursed to himself. God, he really hated rookies.
Noelle put in her ear buds and turned up the music as she walked toward the beach. She told herself the pulsing inside her was from the beat of the song, but that was a lie. Seeing that police officer was the reason.
She also told herself it was because he was a cop and she had her hackles up at anyone in a uniform, but that was a lie too. He was definitely good looking, more so than she allowed herself to remember.
Midday traffic moved along, but she got a strange tingle up her spine, as if she were being watched. Immediately her heart was in her throat, but she tried to calm herself, reminding herself there was no way for Lenny to find her.
Noelle dared a quick glance over her left shoulder at the traffic heading west. Just as she got to the crosswalk, the patrol car turned in front of her and came to a stop.
Silently, she counted to ten, trying to slow her racing heart. Squaring her shoulders, she planted her hands on her hips and stared at the officer.
Lord how she would love to wipe that cheesy grin off his face. “Is there something I can help you with?”
The smile widened. “Calm down, Noelle, I was just checking to see if you had any more trouble with Charlie.”
She tried not to notice the accent he added when saying her name, but it was like a warm caress. She blinked the thought away and asked with a clipped tone, “Couldn’t you have called the office and asked Delphine that?”
He shrugged, “I have a more hands-on approach.”
She steeled her mind against the image of his hands on her, not because it was negative, but because she found herself wanting to purr at the thought. Instead she cocked her head and gave him her best ‘get over yourself’ look.
The grin only got wider. “I wanted to see that you were okay.”
Noelle spread her arms out wide. “I’m fine.”
He nodded and she felt almost like a succulent feast about to be devoured. “I see that.”
There was a moment of silence as he gave her another once over. She could tell he was a ladies’ man the way he oozed charm, but she hated to admit that between the hint of a Hispanic accent and the way his eyes nearly set her on fire, it was easy to see how little he had to try to make a woman want to swoon. It sent a tingle down her spine and set off butterflies in her stomach.
She pulled the towel tighter around her throat to cover the blush across her neck and chest. He was smooth, she’d give him that, but that was all he was getting.
She reinforced the proverbial wall around her. “Are we done here? Or are you going to ogle some more?”
His grin faded a little. The corner of her mouth twitched, but she stopped the smirk before he could see it. She’d hurt his ego, and something about bringing him down a peg did her own ego good.
Officer Torres pursed his lips together and nodded. He pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to her. “Here’s my number. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”
She had to wonder how often he gave women his number under the guise of it being part of his job. She slipped the card into the back pocket of her cut off shorts. “I think I’ll manage just fine
, but thanks anyway. Have a nice day.”
Without waiting for a response, she walked around the back of the car and across the store parking lot. The sound of tires screeching filled the air and the siren on the car screamed as it sped past her.
For some reason, the slip of paper in her pocket felt like a lead weight. Noelle told herself he wasn’t really hitting on her; guys didn’t usually see her that way.
After a few moments of thinking about it, she realized that for so long she’d been ‘Lenny’s woman’ and therefore any man who valued not getting his ass kicked had stayed away. In all the years she’d been with Lenny, only twice had someone dared to check her out and walk away with less than a broken nose and stitches.
Noelle had stopped having any kind of social life after that, not that she really had much of one to begin with. But cutting outside influences out of the equation had helped sooth Lenny’s temper, even if only temporarily.
Noelle smiled sadly at a young mom and her three children as they walked down the sidewalk past her. She’d given up so much because of Lenny – her few friends, her momma, and any hope of having a happily-ever-after family.
But, she told herself, that was before. This was today and for the first time in years she’d not only managed to genuinely laugh with Delphine, she’d also received the interested attention of a man and not feared for his safety.
Noelle walked down to the sandy beach and found a spot to lay out her towel. As she lathered up with SPF 50, she wondered if someone like Officer Torres was truly sincere. Or rather, if the interest for her was real or just a game.
Even if all he saw her as was a conquest, it made for some interesting daydreams as she enjoyed the day and imagined hot kisses substituting the warming sun across her skin. She wasn’t surprised to find she was more than a little burnt by time the fantasies ended.
CHAPTER FOUR
By the time Friday night rolled around, Trent had lost count of the amount of times he’d gone out of his way to drive by the motel. And so Noelle or Delphine wouldn’t think he was a stalker, he’d managed not to actually stop in more than once a day.
He absently played with the corner on his beer label and wondered what Noelle was doing for the night. Mitch nudged him in the arm and stopped the steamy scenario running through his head.
“What is going on with you lately?”
Trent looked at him and shrugged. “Just some stuff on my mind.”
Mitch laughed. “Ha, I know that look. Who is she?”
Trent kept a straight face and shook his head. “It’s not like that.”
He took a drink of his beer. The look Mitch gave him clearly showed he didn’t believe what Trent was saying.
“Whatever. You’ve been extra moody this week. Is everything okay with your family?”
Trent grinned. “Yeah, they‘re good. My grandmother called me the other day about coming for a visit tomorrow. Do you want to come along?”
Mitch shook his head. “I would love to, but I have an early tee time with some clients and then a wedding for the boss’s daughter. I’ve gotta go and make an appearance since I’m vying for partner.”
Trent nodded. “That’s okay. You know you’re welcome at her house any time. I think she’s up to something though. I won’t be surprised if she has some random woman over to meet me.”
Mitch laughed again. “Your grandma is something else. Feisty for sure. But you know she loves you and wants you happy.”
Trent tore at the bottle label some more. “I know, but she has a very specific type of woman she wants me with and it’s not what I want.”
Mitch propped his feet up on the deck railing on Trent’s patio and asked, “What type of woman does she want you with?”
Trent shrugged. “A Hispanic woman. One who will clean for me, cook for me, and have me a football team of kids. “
“And you don’t want that?”
Trent let out a loud sigh. “Hell, I don’t know. I mean before I didn’t.”
“But now?”
Trent stared off to the east, toward the motel. “Now I don’t know. I see Damien and Avery and something in me wants that.”
Trent didn’t even care if he’d just admitted he was ready to settle down. It was the truth.
Mitch nodded. “I know what you mean. I’m thinking me and Heathcliff need some feminine attention. Though I like to think I can hear his thoughts, I know he’s just a dog and all he wants is for me to shut up and rub his belly.”
Trent laughed and slapped Mitch on the back. “You really need to get out more.”
Mitch laughed too. “Yeah I know. But since I’m not into the bar scene like you, and Damien is with Avery all the time, going out alone seems boring.”
Trent nodded. “It is. I mean it’s nice to have the freedom to socialize with a lot of different women and not worry that your buddies want to leave. But I find myself spending more time talking with the bartender than anything anymore.”
“Maybe we need to make more of an effort to find good women, like Avery said.”
Trent took a drink. “Yeah, well, I’m working on it.”
Mitch arched a brow. “I thought as much. Like I asked earlier, who is she?”
Trent shrugged. “I really don’t know much about her except that she just moved here from Arkansas and she doesn’t seem to like me much.”
Mitch laughed. “So you’ve made it your mission to change that?”
“I’ve tried, but she doesn’t seem too receptive. Every time I ask her any questions she turns into Fort Knox.”
“Do you think she just doesn’t like cops, or you specifically?”
Trent hadn’t thought about that. Once she rejected him his ego had kicked in and he assumed it was personal. “I don’t know, really. When I asked Delphine about her she shut up like a clam too. Maybe it is the cop thing.”
Trent finished his beer and set the empty bottle on the patio table. He lounged back in his deck chair and wondered if Noelle was hiding something.
Almost to himself he said, “You know, every time I’ve seen her it has been in uniform. Maybe tomorrow on the way to Abuelita’s I’ll stop in to say hi in my street clothes.”
Mitch snorted and slapped his forehead. “Oh dear lord. This could get interesting.”
Trent smiled and opened another beer. He saluted Mitch before taking a swig. “Man, I hope so.”
Noelle closed the door on the supply closet and headed for the lobby. Delphine had gone out for fast food and picked her up something. She was starving.
No sooner had she taken the first bite of her cheeseburger than the chime over the door sounded. Delphine excused herself to attend to the new arrival. Within a moment she was back, with someone in tow.
Noelle had to admit, Trent looked even better in plain clothes. It only made things worse since she was already gaining a small crush on him. The last thing she need was a full blown infatuation.
“Hi, Noelle.”
She swallowed the last bit of the food in her mouth. “Hey.”
Silence fell between them. Noelle tried to nonchalantly pat down the mop of erratic curls that had come out of her pony-tail, but stopped when she looked at Trent and his smile widened. She dropped her hands into her lap and fidgeted with the frayed edging on her cut-off shorts.
Delphine kept looking between the two of them until finally she threw her arms in the sky.
“Oh for the love of Pete. Would you two say something already? This isn’t high school you know.”
All Noelle could do was stare at Delphine with her mouth wide open. Trent laughed and put his hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts.
Delphine excused herself when the bell chimed again, leaving them alone in the small break room.
Trent motioned to her food. “Do they have In-N-Out back in Arkansas?”
Noelle still didn’t want to tell him anything more than he needed to know, but didn’t see the harm in idle chit chat. She shook her head. “Not that I know of. I don’t ea
t out much.”
He took Delphine’s vacant seat and propped his elbow on the table. “Do you like it?”
Noelle shrugged. “Considering I’ve only had one bite, I’d say it’s good.”
“So you like being here so far? I mean apart from that first night?”
Noelle nodded. “Yeah. It’s nice here. Are you originally from here?”
Trent smiled again. “Born and raised. It’s a great place to live, but then again I’m extremely partial since I’ve never been anywhere else.”
Noelle eyed him. “Really? You don’t travel much?”
He shook his head. “Nope. When I was younger I was scared to get too far from my family in case something bad happened. Now that I’m older I’m just too lazy to go out of my comfort zone.”
Noelle couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t look lazy. Lenny -with his beer belly and permanent butt-imprinted recliner - now that was lazy.
Her stomach growled loudly and she blushed with embarrassment. Trent held up his hands. “I’m so sorry. I’ll let you get back to your lunch.”
She shook her head. “No, you’re fine. Was there something in particular you stopped by for today? I mean, I know yesterday you thought there was a suspicious car, and the day before it was a stray dog. But you aren’t in uniform so you’re either undercover or just nosy.”
He playfully swatted the side of her knee. “Hey, be nice!”
Noelle tried to hide the flinch but failed. She wasn’t used to a man physically touching her in a joking manner.
Trent returned his hand to her knee, but this time in a caress. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Noelle didn’t know which touch was worse, the playful one or the caress that set her heart racing. She gently pushed his hand away. “No worries.”
He sat back and cleared his throat. “I’m really sorry. I should have known better. I don’t know you, you don’t know me, so we haven’t figured out those boundaries yet.”
Noelle arched her brow. “Yet? What makes you think I’m interested in getting to know your boundaries?”
