It was true. A good night of sleep could cure almost anything. Ree stretched her arms out wide and yawned. Quint’s bed was made back into a couch. His pillow was on hers. He must still be next door at Greenlight.
She threw off her covers, pushed out of bed and headed toward the coffeepot. It was already brewed. All she could think was that she could get used to this treatment.
At thirty-six, was it time to think about settling down? Ree had no idea where these thoughts were coming from. She’d never been the type to depend on someone else. And yet, sharing this cabin was making her realize there might be more to life than her job.
Gasp.
Was that true? Could she begin to consider a life that didn’t involve thinking about work 24/7? She’d worked so hard to get where she was and still had a lot of track left in front of her. The thought of trying to balance both had never really held much appeal. But she could admit that lately she’d felt a certain sense of loneliness about her life. She’d been attributing it to burnout, figuring a good vacation would do the trick and get her back in the game.
She pulled up her fake social media account as she nursed her cup of coffee. The images of her and Quint from the night before last, looking so happy but also knowing it was so fake, hit her square in the chest. A hot tear rolled down her cheek and a hollow feeling ripped through her chest.
The reaction couldn’t be about Quint. She’d only known him less than a week. Although, to be fair, it felt much longer.
Ree wasn’t ready to unpack the real reason. Instead, she flattened out the slip of paper from Zoey, careful to straighten out the edges. Ree couldn’t always bring justice or right wrongs in her job. More often than not, she was able to lock a bad guy away. But there were times to take a stand, go above and beyond. For the next hour, she researched services for women in abusive relationships.
There was something very right about how this path made her feel. As cliché as it might sound, she’d gotten into law enforcement to make a difference.
Ree made breakfast, finished a second cup of coffee and dressed. Greenlight closed at three o’clock on Sundays after what she’d been told at one point on her shift yesterday would be a legendary brunch.
She clocked in early, passing Quint in the parking lot on the way over.
He hauled her against his chest before whispering, “We have another break in the case. Tell you all about it later.”
He pulled his head back, gazed into her eyes and then pressed a kiss to her lips. She brought her hands up to his face, deepening the kiss. He tasted like French roast coffee and bacon. Her new favorite combination.
“See you at home later,” he stated with a look that made her think she’d caught him off guard.
“Can’t wait to finish this shift,” she said. Before heading to the restaurant, she added, “I missed you this morning.”
Her comment clearly caught him off guard. He recovered quickly. “Me, too.”
“One more thing,” she said before she let him go. “I left Zoey’s list on the table. Would you mind running to the store and bringing the items with you when you come to walk me home later?”
“I’d be more than happy to,” he stated with conviction.
“Thank you.” She smiled at him. Really smiled. Not the fake wife smile but one that came from the heart.
Sunday brunch had a different setup than the rest of the week. The whole shebang was arranged as a buffet with various stations, one of which was a Belgian waffle station. The cooks were out, ready to man their stations. Cars started filling the parking lot in anticipation of opening.
“What’s going on today?” she asked Adrian.
“The good news is that we’re done by three o’clock,” Adrian said. “The bad news is if you think we were busy before, you haven’t met Sunday brunch.”
“Sounds scary.” Ree could hardly imagine being busier.
“Basically,” Adrian went on, “you won’t need to exercise for a week. It’s constant running to clear plates, attend to drinks. Charley wants coffee mugs refilled at all times. Word of warning. He doesn’t like it when customers have to ask for service.”
Ree searched her memory to see if she’d been attentive enough to her customers. She couldn’t recall any needing to flag her down, so that had to be a good sign. “Okay. Good to know. Anything else?”
Adrian motioned toward the line already forming at the door. “Strap on your seat belt. You’re in for one wild ride.”
Within minutes, the room filled with customers, the running started and didn’t stop until half past three, when the last of the customers cashed out. Ree took one look at Adrian, who was sitting down, propping up her head with her hands.
“Told you so,” was all Adrian said as Ree texted Quint.
“I’m not sure that was adequate warning for what just happened,” Ree joked.
“Money’s good, though.” Adrian rubbed the tips of her fingers together with her thumb.
Fender cut through the dining room and Adrian’s smile dropped so hard it could have hit the floor.
“Everything all right between the two of you?” Ree asked.
“Of course. Why do you ask?” Adrian seemed caught off guard by the question.
“I’ve got eyes,” Ree shot back. “And I’m not stupid.”
Adrian shot a warning look. “Well, you better keep those eyes closed and your mouth shut if you want to get along.”
With that, Adrian stormed off and made it more than clear she was done talking to Ree.
By the time Ree closed out her station, Quint stood at the door. She walked to him and he hauled her to his chest. She was going to miss the intensity of his touch and the way her heart danced every time she saw him. He discreetly handed her a bag of groceries, which she held out behind her as Zoey left the building.
“Thanks,” Zoey murmured, taking the offering before heading down the road on foot. She did a great job of hiding the bag in front of her as she disappeared.
Ree remembered what Quint had told her the last time he hugged her in the parking lot. There was a development in the case. In a couple of minutes, she was going to find out if it was the break they needed.
QUINT CLOSED AND locked the door behind them back at the cabin.
“I asked Adrian about Fender,” she started.
“And?”
“It didn’t go well,” Ree said on a sigh.
“What happened here today?” Ree asked as she headed toward the closet. “Please talk away but I have to get out of this uniform.”
Did she have to go and put the mental image of her stripping off her clothes in his mind?
Quint performed a mental headshake. “There was someone at Greenlight this morning. He gave Charley a bloody nose by the bathrooms. I went over to check on the commotion and he was gone. I did think to get a license plate on the way in.”
“Sounds promising,” she shouted from down the hall.
He moved to the fridge and opened a bottle of Coke for her. He set it on the table along with the tray of meats, cheeses and fruits that he’d picked up at the grocery during his store run.
“He kept his face down for the camera, so we didn’t get a good image there like I’d hoped to,” he explained. “However, Grappell is running the plate through the database to see if he can get a hit.”
“That’s encouraging,” she said, reemerging wearing form-hugging exercise pants and a soft cotton tee. Ree could make a paper bag look sexy. “What did Charley say?”
“That it was no big deal. There certainly has been a lot of activity at Greenlight. I installed spyware on Charley’s desktop. Fingers crossed there,” he continued.
“Charley doesn’t seem like the type to put up with being hit,” she stated.
“Not to me, either. Not unless he has to,” Quint said.
Ree stopped at the table. “Holy smokes. What is all this?”
“Food. Something to drink. Your feet must be ready to fall off after a week at Greenlight,” he teased.
“I don’t know how anyone does it. How do they keep running around? I’m ready to drop.” She took a seat and started right in. “Thank you for this, by the way.”
He waved her off. She didn’t need to thank him. It was teamwork as far as he was concerned.
“It is a big deal to me,” she said, making eyes at him. “You know, for someone who never wants to get married you sure would make an amazing husband.”
He didn’t know what to do with that statement, so he let it sit there between them.
“I wasn’t suggesting you should get married or anything,” she said as if anxious to clarify. “In fact, your marital status is none of my business.” The way the words came out in a rush, practically tripping all over each other, he could tell she spoke before she thought.
“Don’t worry. I’m not offended,” he stated for the record, adding, “Marriage probably works for some people. I don’t have anything against the institution in and of itself. It’s not for everyone.”
“Can I ask you a personal question?” She didn’t bring her eyes up to meet his. Instead, she twirled a piece of cheese between her fingers.
“Go for it,” he said.
“You’re obviously very dedicated to your job. It shows. You probably already know this but you are kind of a legend at the agency,” she began.
So far, he didn’t see a question.
“Do you ever find yourself in a spot where you’re just flat-out lonely? Like, it might be nice to share your day with someone special or feel as if you can take off your gun and badge, and relax with your girl, or in my case, guy?” she asked.
There was a lot to unpack in her statement turned questions.
“Let’s see if I understand what you’re asking,” he started and she slowly brought her gaze up to meet his. “Do I ever get lonely?”
She nodded.
“I didn’t used to. Since losing my best friend and partner, the answer is yes. All the time.” He surprised himself with the admission. “Does that mean I would change being focused on my career...the answer there is no. I can’t imagine doing anything else in life.”
His last statement was partially true. After losing Tessa, he had thrown himself deeper into his career. Recently, he’d questioned if there was anything else he might want to do for a living. He’d dabbled with a few thoughts of retiring from the agency and starting a small business like a bait shop where he could live next to a lake.
But that was only recently.
“If you ever wanted to leave this career behind, you could totally start a food truck business,” she stated. “You’re very good at feeding people.”
He chuckled. “I don’t know how good I’d be at that, but I’ll take the compliment.”
“You should consider it once you’re done with undercover work,” she said with a bright smile. “Oh, actually, with those muscles you could be a trainer.”
Her cheeks flamed with the admission.
“I’m pretty sure that’s already happening,” he quipped with a wink.
“Well, yeah, there is that,” she said. “I highly doubt you’re going to be stuck with me through another assignment. I’m half surprised you didn’t already kick me back after our dicey start.”
He shot her a look.
“How many times have you thought about quitting since you started this line of work?” he asked.
“Me?” She looked him square in the eye. “None.”
“Then, you might just make it to retirement,” he stated.
“The only guy I’ve dated seriously in years thought I was too focused on work to be in a relationship,” she said. “He asked me to reevaluate my priorities.”
“What did you do?” he asked, not really wanting to hear about her relationship with another man even though he had no designs on her.
“I did as he asked,” she said. “It led me to break up with him.”
“And now?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Sometimes I question whether or not I’ve done the right thing by always putting my personal life behind my career. I wonder if I’ll end up with a bunch of accolades and no one to share the news with. You know?” She cocked an eyebrow as she tossed a piece of cheese back onto the tray.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” he admitted. “The choices I’ve made are obvious.”
“You can’t become the best at something if you only give it half your attention,” she said.
“That was always my philosophy,” he stated. “But then, I also had Tessa to fill in the gap.”
“And now?” She turned his question back on him.
“Life can be a real face punch,” he said, wishing he could go back for five minutes and tell Tessa how much she meant to him. His cell buzzed, indicating an email had come in. “Grappell might have gotten a hit. I should check this.”