His mind made up, he went out to get some fresh air and pick up some dinner. He walked for forty-five minutes, until he decided it wasn't doing either of them any good by postponing this talk. He stopped and got some dinner for them and went back to check on Kelli.
Going back to her apartment, he used the key Phil had given him over a year ago when he watched the apartment while Phil was on vacation. He set their dinner on the counter, and went into her bedroom. He stopped at the door and couldn't keep from simply staring a few minutes. Kelli was simply beautiful in his eyes. She looked so peaceful lying there, he hated to disturb her, and decided to give her another ten minutes of rest.
He turned to leave, when she rolled over onto her back, yipping as she did so, and moving quickly back to her tummy. She opened her eyes and saw Derek standing there, smiling. "It's not that funny, you know," she said, rubbing her bottom. "That really hurts this time."
"I know. It was meant to," he said simply. He went over and sat on the bed next to her and, gently brushing hair away from her face, asked in a softer voice, "Are you okay?"
A slight smile curled at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, I guess. It's going to hurt like hell to sit down, though."
He smiled and shook his head slowly. "Keep using that language and it will hurt even more." ,us some dinner out there, honey. Let's eat, and then we're going to talk a little bit."
Chapter Nine
"Thank you for dinner, Derek, and for letting me take a nap," Kelli said sincerely. "I didn't realize how sleepy I was."
"Hey, I'm the one who caused you to be so exhausted, I should at least let you rest a little afterward." He watched as his adorable little lady blushed. He got serious then as he picked up one of her hands. "We need to talk now, Kelli."
She looked down, and he had to listen closely to hear her. "I know what I did was wrong. I honestly didn't know I was testing you at the time, but now it seems pretty clear. I promise I'll try not to do that again. Do we really need to talk about it anymore? It's not one of my prouder moments."
He smiled at her and patted her hand. He soothingly rubbed the back of it with his thumb. "That's not what I want to talk about, sweetheart."
"It's not?"
"No. I want to talk about us." The confused look on her face encouraged him to explain. He'd given this a lot of thought, and as much as he was afraid to say it, she deserved to hear the truth, even if it was going to complicate everything. "Honey, I've told you before, just like tonight, that your safety is important to me because I care about you. I hate when you do things like tonight, when you roam around town by yourself without a working phone, without telling me where you're going to be, when I'm expecting you at a certain time. That scares me. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I know, and I'm sorry. But I thought we weren't going to talk about my screw-up again."
"We're not. Kelli, what I'm trying to say is the reason it upsets me so much, and the reason I worry so much about your safety is because you've become very important to me."
"I know, and again, I'm sorry. You've become special to me, too, and I hate disappointing you like that. But—"
"Let me finish. The reason you've become so important to me, Kelli, is because I've fallen in love with you." He paused to watch her expression, but he couldn't tell what she thought. It was a look of shock. "I've tried to deny those feelings because I know I can't be your probation officer if I'm in love with you, but I can't deny them any longer."
Still he got no readable reaction from her, which was starting to worry him. "I don't know whether you have any similar feelings for me, but I can't hide my feelings any longer. I was so scared this evening when I didn't know where you were, I was beside myself." When he still got no reaction, he was confused, frustrated, and very concerned. "Kelli, can you say something, anything? I've got to know what you're thinking."
She burst out crying and put her arms around him, now shocking him. "Derek, I've loved you for the last month. I tried to hide it, though, because I didn't think you felt the same way, and it would just mess everything up if I said something."
Derek wrapped his arms around her and brought her in close for a tight hug. "I've been trying to hide it, too, honey, but I can't any longer." Pulling back enough to look into her eyes, he said, "You scared me half out of my mind tonight, young lady. You do that again and you won't be sitting comfortably for a week."
"I'm sorry," she assured him, but her smile made it hard for him to believe she felt too bad.
He tried to look stern as he warned, "I'm serious, Kelli. I'm going to be paying even more attention to your safety from now on, and I won't have you ignoring it." Seeing the big, happy smile on her face, he caved. "Oh, come here, you." He pulled her in for another hug, one which neither wanted to end. But he did end it, just enough so his lips could find hers. He kissed her with all the pent-up passion he'd felt the last several months. He was delighted that she returned his kiss with an equal passion.
He gently pulled her onto his lap, and even as she winced when her jean-clad bottom made solid contact with his hard, muscular thighs, she laid her head against his shoulder and snuggled into his chest. He noticed she seemed to fit there like she was made for that spot.
After a few minutes of quietly cuddling, each feeling free to finally be able to cuddle, he said, "Honey, as much as I hate to, we need to talk about what this means for your probation."
Her head snapped up, a look of alarm on her face. "Why does it have to mean anything?"
"Because," he began slowly, "I can't be your probation officer any more. It wouldn't be fair to either of us."
"But what will happen?"
"I'll talk to the judge and let him assign another officer to your case."
"But I don't want another one. I want you," she exclaimed, a bit desperately.
"Ssshhh, honey," he soothed. "I can't be a good probation officer for the woman I love. I'm still going to be seeing you just as much, but in a different capacity. Now when I see you I'll be able to hold you in my arms, drop a kiss on those luscious lips I've wanted to kiss for so long now."
"I like that," she conceded, "but I don't want another probation officer. He won't encourage me like you do."
Derek chuckled a little. "He certainly better not encourage you the way I do. If he lays a hand on you, he and I will be having problems." He became serious then, knowing how worried she was. "Kelli, you'll do fine with another officer. You haven't had one violation with me, and I have no reason to think you will for any other officer." He paused for a moment. "As a matter of fact, you better not have any violations for any other officer, or you'll be sitting with great difficulty."
Seeing she was still very unsure, he tried again. "I'm still going to be with you just as much, probably more often than before. You won't have time to get into too much trouble. Remember, my rules are still in place, and they will remain in place. My rules are stricter than probation rules, so if you stick with my rules, you'll be fine. And I intend to see that you do stick to my rules, even if you decide to test me again," he added with a touch of warning.
He could tell she was considering this, so he gave her some time to digest all he'd said. "Yeah, I guess maybe you're right. But what if I don't like this new officer, or he doesn't like me, like my last probation officer? He hated me."
"Relax, honey. I'm certainly not going to abandon you. I'll see if I can persuade the judge to assign one I'm sure you'll like. I get along really well with all of them there, and I can't picture you having any problems with whoever you get. We're all friends, and I can't see anyone giving you a hard time at all, but if you do have a problem with someone, I'll talk to him." He felt her relax a bit finally, and after holding her a few more minutes he asked, "Feel better now?"
"I guess."
"Good. Kelli, your other probation officer didn't hate you. He actually did you a favor."
"How did he do me a favor?"
"I did some checking, and he and the judge did
you a favor with your license. It is suspended, but not by the state. It's suspended by the court. I called that court and checked, and they're holding your license there. The way the suspension reads, it's suspended for two years, unless the judge decides you can have it back sooner. Since your case was transferred here, your license should have been, too, but they forgot."
"So when do I get it back?"
"They're sending it to the court here, and it's up to the judge. If he thinks you should have it back sooner than the two years, he has the authority. I'm going to talk to him about that, too, when I talk to him about assigning you a new PO."
She looked confused, but guardedly happy. "So I might get it back in less than two years?"
"Maybe, yes. My guess is that if you keep up the good work and have no probation violations, he'll give it back sooner, maybe in one year instead of two."
"When are you going to talk to the judge?"
"A week from Monday. He's on vacation this week, but I have a meeting with him next Monday morning on another case, so I'm going to talk to him then. I'm going to put it in writing, a formal transfer request, and I'll give it to his secretary this week, but I won't talk to him for a week yet. Since you're down to just coming in every other week anyway, we'll be fine until then. You aren't scheduled until next Wednesday, so I'll talk to him before that." Seeing the apprehension still on her face, he said, "Don't worry, honey, everything will be fine. Remember, we're a team now. We'll get through your probation together, and you'll do fine."
"I like the sound of that, of doing things together, that I'm not alone."
"No, you're not alone, Kelli. I love you." He kissed her again, as if to prove his statement. "This week you've got more important things to worry about, anyway. How's your studying coming for finals?"
"Not bad. The only class I'm really worried about is psychology. I have two A's and a B going in the other classes, and I'm hoping I can bring the B up to a low A with the final. I've studied a lot for that and I feel pretty confident about it."
"You've got a B going in psych, too, don't you?"
"Yeah, but just barely. It's a really low B, and I wouldn't be doing near that good if it weren't for your help. I just don't get psych."
He gave her a quick, encouraging hug. "Hey, if you end up with a B I'll be extremely pleased. I know how much you've worked, all the time and effort you've put into it. When's your final in that? I'll help you study for it, and you'll do fine. Did you get your last paper back yet?"
"No, I didn't. That's part of what worries me. I had a low, real low B going, and that's not counting that last paper or the final. What if it goes down to a C? Or worse?"
"Hey, that's enough negative thinking. Haven't we discussed that already?" She shyly nodded her head, and he said, "I thought that last paper you wrote was excellent."
"Thanks to your help."
"I didn't help that much. I didn't need to. It was a very good, well-researched, well-written paper. I can't think it could possibly hurt your grade any."
"I hope not. Psych is my last final; it's not until Friday. I'll be so glad when it's over."
"We'll go out for dinner to celebrate. I'll make reservations and we'll go someplace nice."
"We don't have to go anywhere special, that gets expensive."
"I want us to go out and celebrate. Not only will you be done with your classes, but we need to celebrate us. It took us awhile, but I can finally hold you in my arms and kiss you like I've wanted to for so long now. I think that's worth celebrating."
Kelli put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer for a kiss, which was fine with him.
That's how Phil and Lisa found them when they walked in. Phil was shocked. "What the shit?"
Kelli tried to look serious as she scolded, "Watch your language, big brother."
Derek fought hard to keep from laughing.
"But what the hell's going on here?"
Kelli sternly said, "Language, Phillip Allen Matthews. My goodness. Do you eat with that mouth, too?"
Derek couldn't hold in his laughter any longer.
Phil had the decency to at least a look a little sheepish. "Sorry." Then he looked from her to Derek. "Is this how you deal with all your probationers?"
"Nope. Just the ones I fall in love with," Derek answered casually.
Kelli rounded on him. "And exactly how many has that been?"
He smiled and hugged her a little tighter. "Counting you, one."
Phil looked at both of them and could easily see how happy they were. "I've gotta say, guys, I think this is great. My best friend and my sister—who wouldn't be happy? But I have to ask, I'm not witnessing a probation violation here, am I?"
Derek explained that he was going to have her reassigned so they could pursue their relationship. Phil and Lisa were happy for the couple, and the four of them spent the next hour visiting. Kelli apologized to Phil and Lisa for worrying them and interfering with their plans for the evening. She could tell by the proud look in Derek's eyes that he approved of the apology.
Derek stayed home Monday and Tuesday evening so Kelli could study for her finals. He had dinner with them Wednesday and Thursday, followed by studying for her psychology final.
Thursday at 10:00 Derek told her, "Kelli, you know this stuff. I can tell you've put a lot of time into it, so don't worry so much. Go to bed and get a good night's sleep so you're well-rested and ready. I made reservations for tomorrow night at the new steak house so we can celebrate."
"Did you really? I heard it's hard to get reservations there on the weekend."
He smiled and said, "A friend of a friend helped me there. I'll be over here about 5:30 so you can tell me how your exam went before we go." He could easily see how excited she was about their dinner plans, and smiled. He loved seeing her unbridled enthusiasm. He kissed her good-night and reminded her to get a good night's sleep.
***
Kelli texted Derek late the next morning when she left for college. He smiled, thinking about how important it was for her to continue texting him routinely. It seemed to provide security for her, and he certainly had no objection to it. He quickly texted her back, wishing her luck.
Mid-afternoon, he got another text that read, "I'm done. Yippee. Heading home now."
He smiled and returned, "How was the final?"
"Good, I think. I hope. I'll tell you about it tonight."
"I'll see you at 5:30."
"I'll be ready."
Derek loved these little texts back and forth. Somehow, it was something special between them. He turned back to his desk, determined to get his work done so he could leave by 4:15. He was just signing his last report when his phone rang. He checked the caller ID and groaned. It was the city police, and with his luck, they had probably arrested one of his probationers and was requesting his presence at the jail to sign papers to hold him.
Hoping he was wrong, he answered, and groaned when he heard, "I'm sorry, Derek, I know it's Friday, time to go home, but one of yours has just been brought in."
"What for?"
"Allegedly knocking an elderly lady down and stealing her purse. The victim's at the hospital. You want to come down and sign the papers?"
Sighing, he asked, "Who is it?"
"Kelli Matthews."
Derek turned white, and fell back into his chair. The officer asked, "Derek? Are you there?"
He finally got his senses back enough to say, "Yeah, I'm here. There's had to have been some mistake, Officer. Kelli?"
"I don't think there's any mistake, Derek. A guy saw it happen and chased her down. She still had the purse. The victim identified her before they took her away in the ambulance. There was also another gentleman who says he witnessed it. I don't think there could be much of a mistake there, not with three eye witnesses."
"Did she confess?"
"No, she didn't. She swears she didn't do it." He chuckled and said, "And when I say she swears she didn't do it, I mean she swears. The language!"
/> Derek ran his hand through his hair. He felt like he'd been hit by a Mack truck. Finally, he managed to say, "I'll be right there. Do me a favor, if you would, and put her in an interrogation room or someplace by herself so she can calm down. I'll come talk to her, and I can pretty much guarantee she'll be easier to deal with. Don't try to talk to her until she's cooled off a little, okay?"
"If time alone will help, you got it. I'll put her in a room and wait for you."
"Thanks, Officer." Derek hung up, still in shock. His little minx had a temper, sure, but this just did not sound like her at all. But how could they have three witnesses if she didn't do it? He called Phil on his way to his Jeep, and filled her brother in with as much as he knew.
It didn't take him long to get to the jail. He looked at the report, reading it carefully. It sure seemed cut and dried, but he just knew there had to be some kind of explanation. Kelli just simply would not have done this. He heard Phil asking about Kelli, and went out to the reception area to talk to him. "I'm going in to talk to her now, Phil. All I know is what I read in the report, and I've got to tell you, it doesn't look good. They have three people saying she's the thief, including the victim."
"But, Derek, you know Kelli. She wouldn't do that."
"I know, I know," Derek assured him. "I'm going to go talk to her now. I'll let you know what I find out."
He left, following the officer to an interrogation room. "Can you give me ten or fifteen minutes with her first? Then you can ask her whatever you want, but I will ask to be present with her."
"Sure," the officer replied. "What's the story here? You don't usually care about being there during questioning."
"I've worked with Kelli for five months now, and I haven't had a bit of trouble with her. She's getting her life turned around. This sounds totally out of character for her."
On Probation Page 12
