Love a Little Sideways

by Shannon Stacey

  “I’m not here. I went home sick.”

  “That might work on the phone if you do the fake cough thing, but it doesn’t work when I’m standing right in front of you.”

  He sighed and looked at the calendar hanging on the wall to his left, which Barbara filled out for him. “You know my schedule. Tell the fire department to pick three dates and then you pick the one with the least amount of things scheduled around it.”

  “We’re trying to coordinate with the state, too, so...”

  He looked her in the eye and used his stern police officer voice. “Pass this to the fire chief. Tell him to contact the state and pick three possible dates and then you pick the one that works best for me.”

  “Yes, sir.” She tilted her head, giving him a good looking over. “You know, you really need a haircut before the parade. Maybe you should go do that now. And by the time you’re done with that, it’ll be late enough so there won’t be any sense in coming back.”

  He got that message loud and clear. And she didn’t need to tell him twice. “I think you’re right, Barbara.”

  “And while you’re already being snippy with me, there’s going to be a request for time off in your inbox tomorrow. Harry and I want to have a four-day weekend in Atlantic City for our anniversary next month.”

  “I will absolutely make sure that happens. And thank you, Barbara.”

  As soon as he walked out of the station, he felt a thousand times better. Most days he loved his job, but something about Old Home Day made everybody involved a neurotic mess. It was the same damn parade they’d been having every year for many decades, but every year the phone calls started rolling in with the stupid questions and the demands for information. Like he cared whether the horses were in front of or behind the tractors. Let the horse people decide.

  Feeling the tension build up in his shoulders again, he pushed work and the parade out of his mind and took his time walking to the barbershop. It was hot and humid and they’d have a doozy of a thunderstorm later, but it was still better than being in the office.

  Katie was sweeping when he walked in, but she set the broom aside when she saw him. “Hi, Drew. You have perfect timing. No line, no waiting.”

  “I don’t have time for the works,” he said, though he wished he did. Her hot foam shaves were amazing. “But Barbara says I need a trim before Old Home Day.”

  She snapped open a fresh cape. “Have a seat and I’ll be quick.”

  Once he’d sat down and his uniform was protected by the cape, she set to work with the scissors. She was efficient and he liked that she took her cues from her customers. If they wanted to chat, she’d chat. If they were quiet, maybe lost in thought, she was quiet. Until he heard a buzzing in her pocket.

  She pulled out her cell phone and looked at the screen. Then she growled, hit a button and slid it back in her pocket. “Freakin’ stalker.”

  Drew looked in the mirror, trying to catch her eye. She put her hand on the top of his head, forced it straight and started snipping again. “Problem?”

  “Yeah, you keep moving your head around and you’re going to look like Vanilla Ice for the Old Home Day parade.”

  He snorted, imagining what that would look like on him. Not good. “You may have forgotten I’m the chief of police and one of the qualifications is caring less about looking like a rapper from the nineties than a woman snarling at a text from a ‘freakin’ stalker’.”

  She laughed and tilted his head to the left before picking up the electric trimmer. “While your powers of observation are indeed chief of police—worthy, that was Josh.”

  “Ah. I usually handle domestic issues,” he said, keeping his tone light so she’d know he was kidding, “but since my dad lives in the house, I’ll have to recuse myself and pass your case off to Officer Durgin.”

  She paused to give him a glare in the mirror. “You do that and he’d be in the state prison by morning. Sheesh.”

  The phone buzzed again, but she ignored it. “Is he having separation anxiety or what?”

  “He’s sexting me.”

  Thankfully for the hairline at the back of his neck, Katie had years of experience and lifted the trimmer before she said it because that surprised a barking laugh out of him. “Sexting? Seriously?”

  “He must be bored today. Probably thinks I’ll close the shop and go running home.”

  “Are there pictures?”

  She laughed. “No. He’s not that far gone.”

  “That’s too bad. I’m sure I could have found some kind of legal reason to confiscate your phone and share the evidence with the other guys.”

  “Hey, you’re supposed to keep things confidential.”

  “That’s lawyers.”

  She yanked his head the other direction to trim over the other ear. “I haven’t seen Liz in a couple of days. You guys go on a real date yet?”

  That made him wonder if Liz had complained the last time Katie had seen her. “Not yet. It’s hard with our work schedules because if I take her to a nice restaurant, that’s a drive. And I don’t think we’d get back before her bedtime. I’m hoping to be caught up by next week so I’m not working late. And if we go out on a night she doesn’t work the next day, she might stay awake past nine.”

  “But you’re still seeing each other, right?”

  He smiled at her reflection in the mirror. “As often as possible.”

  “You should try sexting her.”

  “Yeah, because I want those messages being passed around the family. People post pictures of my car in somebody else’s driveway on Facebook. No part of my sex life will ever be in transmittable data form.”

  “I hear you. You know, you don’t have to drive to a fancy restaurant or anything. Pack a picnic lunch or something. Drive out to the lake with a quilt and some supper.”

  “Picnic, huh?”

  “Or something like that. I’m just saying, going on a date doesn’t have to mean dressing up and going into the city. All it has to do is make her feel special, like you’re not taking her for granted.”

  She brushed off his neck and ears, and then removed the cape so he could get up. Then her phone buzzed again and she rolled her eyes at the ceiling. “I swear, I’m going to flush this phone down the toilet.”

  “I know the feeling. But, on the bright side, he’s not leaving sex sticky notes on mirrors in public bathrooms.”

  Katie laughed as he handed her the money for the cut. “What is it with those Kowalskis?”

  He’d known them long enough to know that was a question with no answer.

  * * *

  Liz loved the feel of the Mustang cruising the twisty, shaded roads that ran along the lake. It was more of a large pond, really, but it had always been called the lake. They wouldn’t stop because Drew had snuck a few hours off and he wanted to enjoy them. According to him, every time he’d ever stopped at one of the beaches or boat launches on his time off, he’d ended up finding kids up to no good or somebody breaking a law.

  It was enough feeling the cool breeze through the windows and watching him relax as he drove his baby. His hands were sure on the wheel and it was obvious he took a lot of joy in the vehicle.

  “How come you don’t drive this more?” she asked. “Even when you have time off, you drive your SUV.”

  He shrugged. “For a while it seemed like every time I’d take her out, I’d end up being called in for some reason or another and have to go home to switch vehicles. I was planning to sell her at one point, too, so I think I’d tried to convince myself I didn’t like driving her anymore.”

  “You were lying to yourself. I can tell you love her.” When he grinned and gave a little shrug, she knew she was right. “Why were you going to sell her?”

  “One of the many obstacles against having a baby Mallory threw out t
here was money. I thought if I sold it, we’d start a family.”

  “What changed your mind?”

  “The economy. Not many people can afford this car and, before I got around to listing her nationally, I found out it wasn’t about the money and, no matter what I did, it wasn’t going to happen.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say to that. While it didn’t bother her too much on the rare occasion Drew mentioned his ex-wife, because everybody had a history, she didn’t like when the conversation veered toward the fact they’d divorced because she didn’t want kids.

  They’d been on a pretty even keel since the conversation about the key a week ago, and she was perfectly happy to cut a wide berth around the subject of children. She’d been thinking about that a lot lately and, though she knew she wanted to have them someday and she knew she wanted to have them with him, she was afraid if she told him that, he’d start putting on the pressure for sooner rather than later.

  “We don’t really have enough time to drive into the city for dinner,” he said, thankfully changing the subject. “I have some frozen burgers I can throw on the grill if you’re not feeling too picky. Unless you want to go to the diner.”

  “No diner, thanks.” She laughed. “I have tomorrow off, so I’ll be eating frozen burgers tonight and oversleeping in the morning.”

  A classic rock song came on the radio and Drew cranked up the volume. Liz put her hand out the window, catching the wind as she sang along. It was almost a perfect night.

  “I know my yard’s looking a little ragged,” he said as he pulled into his driveway. “I’ve been spending all my free time with this hot woman who wants to have sex with me a lot.”

  “You must be a lucky guy.” She got out of the car and looked at his house. It was a simple Cape style, neat and well tended, except for the landscaping. The cream siding and cranberry shutters gave it a homey feeling. Then she followed him through the open garage and through the side door into the kitchen. “Too bad you don’t live closer. The kid who mows my lawn does a nice job.”

  “It’s all the stupid flowers that are really a problem. I either have to start taking care of them or rip the beds out and make those spaces lawn again.”

  “It would be a shame. Maybe the hot woman who wants to have sex with you should help you out on the weekends sometimes.”

  He laughed. “In exchange for sex?”

  “Or frozen burgers.”

  Because she had to use the bathroom, she gave herself a quick tour of the downstairs. The house had the look of a divorced man’s house, with most of the touches that made it feel like a home gone. There was a couch, but no pillows or pictures hanging on the walls. There was a fireplace with no knick-knacks on the mantel. It was a family home with no family, and she could understand how he’d feel a desire to fill it with kids. A house like this should have little handprints on the wall and Legos on the floor.

  Since Mallory had obviously taken the dining room set, Liz sat on one of the bar stools while Drew rummaged in his freezer.

  He tossed the box of frozen burgers on the counter, then stood there scowling at it for a few seconds before looking up at her. “Do you think I take you for granted?”

  She worried a lot about the pressure she felt to want children, but him taking her for granted had never crossed her mind. “No, I don’t. Where did that come from?”

  “I don’t know. Katie asked if we’d gone on a real date yet and, when I said no, she said I should take you on a picnic or something to make you feel special, so you don’t think I’m taking you for granted.”

  “I spent a lot of years with a guy who did take me for granted. Trust me, if I ever think you are, you won’t have to ask. You’ll know.”

  “I’m making you cheap frozen burgers on my grill instead of taking you someplace decent.”

  “I just want to spend time with you, Drew, and not in a car, even if it is the Mustang. I’d rather sit here and eat burgers. Besides, this is kind of a landmark date. It’s the first time you’ve had me over to your place.”

  “I didn’t know if it would bother you being here. You know, because it was Mallory’s house.” He pulled a knife out of a drawer and sliced the plastic wrapper on the beef. “I bought her out, though, so it’s all my house now, but still...I didn’t know if you’d be uncomfortable.”

  “It’s just a house. And it’s your house, so I’m comfortable.” When he rewarded her with a warm smile, she grinned. “It needs some fun, though. I could lend you some of my pool chairs.”

  He grimaced. “They’re a little bright for my taste. And inflatable. When it gets cold enough to have a fire in the fireplace, they could melt. Come outside while I fire up the grill.”

  Liz followed him out the back door, to a small patio area. There were a couple of chairs and she curled up in one to watch him work.

  * * *

  It did something to Drew, listening to Liz chatter about her day at the diner while he grilled the burgers. They had dinner together a lot, but it was different tonight because she was in his house.

  They’d had their share of domestic bliss recently, making dinner and cleaning up together before settling in to talk or watch television. But this was the first time here, where he spent so much time imagining the future he wanted them to have. Even as he recognized it might be a small step in that direction, he had to tamp down on the desire to rush it—and her—toward making that dream come true.

  When the burgers were done, they went inside to eat because the mosquitoes had realized there were humans outside and called in reinforcements. After pulling a bag of potato chips out of the cabinet to round out the romantic meal, they sat at the bar and ate.

  “We should do this more often,” Liz said after she’d pushed her empty plate away. “You made a good burger.”

  “Now my secret’s out. I should have pretended helplessness to keep your expectations low.”

  Her laugh was low and sexy, echoing through his barren house and somehow seeming to fill it. “I’m not that easy to fool.”

  Since he was done, he shoved the paper plates in the trash and the chips back in the cabinet. Cleanup complete. “You want to see the rest of the house?”

  A smile played at the corners of her mouth, and he knew he wasn’t as subtle as he thought. “Sure.”

  After leading her up the stairs, he realized his come-on line wasn’t the best idea. He didn’t want to show her the smaller two bedrooms at the top of the stairs—the ones that were supposed to be for the family he didn’t have. One had been made into a home office he almost never used. The other Mallory had used as a craft room and now it sat totally empty.

  Instead he led her straight to the master bedroom, but she didn’t seem to mind. He watched her look around the room, with the solid maple dresser and the king-size bed covered in plain blue linens. He wasn’t much for decorating and had simply grabbed the first bed-in-a-bag set in a man’s color. But at least he was good about picking up after himself and the room was neat.

  “Bed looks comfy,” she said, backing toward it with a come-hither look.

  “Feel free to try it out. The sheets are really soft, too, so you might want to ditch the clothes to get the full experience.”

  Laughing, she yanked her shirt over her head and then grabbed his hand to pull him close. “Now we know why you went into law enforcement instead of real estate.”

  They got naked in a hurry, but he made love to her slowly, every touch and every kiss lingering as he explored her body. Having her in his bed triggered some primal desire in him and he wanted it to last as long as possible.

  “You’re killing me,” she said, panting after the second orgasm he coaxed out of her.

  He kissed her, his hand sliding between her thighs to see if he could get a third, but she had other ideas. She pushed at his shoulders, rolling him to hi
s back and going with him. Once she was straddling him, she grinned.

  “Enough playing around.”

  He reached under his pillow for the condom he’d snuck there while they were undressing, and put it on. “You in a hurry?”

  “Yes. I want you inside of me.” She lifted her hips so he could guide himself into her.

  Drew groaned as she slid over his erection, her slight rocking motions taking him deeper with every stroke. Reaching up, he cupped her breasts and watched her face as she closed her eyes and lost herself in the sensation.

  He loved her.

  The sweet physical sensations making his body tremble were intensified by that admission and he dug his fingers into her hips. The words fought to get out, but he bit them back. Maybe it was this house—having her in his bed—and he wouldn’t risk losing this moment.

  She cried his name when she came, her head thrown back and her eyes closed. He drove up into her, his own release racking his body until he couldn’t think straight. The intensity threw him and, when she collapsed on top of him, he held her tight and pressed his face into her hair.

  As they caught their breath, he reached between them and carefully pulled himself free. Then he kissed her hair and gave a low chuckle. “I bet I could have sold a few houses.”

  “I’d buy an entire housing development from you.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind if the whole police chief thing goes south on me.”

  She lifted her head so she could see him. “It’s too late, you know. Since you can’t sell houses to anybody but me, you’d be broke in no time.”

  “I can’t, huh?”

  “No. I’d have to burn them down.”

  He laughed as she rolled onto her back. After disposing of the condom in the basket next to his bed, he reached to pull the blankets up, but she was already sitting up.

  They could have this forever, he thought. Instead he watched her get dressed because she couldn’t stay. He had to work in the morning and his SUV was in her driveway. If he took the Mustang in, she’d be stuck at his house with no vehicle, and she’d made it clear she wanted to sleep in on her day off.