Shelly had worries, lots of them. Uprooting their lives wasn’t the best choice for herself or for her son, but in this case, she knew the grass was greener on the other side. It had to be.
Leaning toward Abel, Shelly kissed the top of his head. Even though he had been growing like a weed, he was still her precious baby boy. The boy she would give her life for and would protect until her last breath, and she almost had.
Yes, this move would be good for them; it was going to give them the life Shelly had promised her mother that she would work hard for. Maybe it would even mean that she could slow down a bit and enjoy watching Abel grow up instead of working tirelessly.
“I love you, sweet boy,” she whispered, and her son tilted his head in her direction. “I love you too.”
Looking at his serene smile, Shelly had no doubts that she was making the right decision.
Chapter Two
Friday’s were always Preston’s favorite day of the week. Not because it was a final work day. No, as Sheriff of the town, he never really had a day off.
As he stepped out of his truck, he sniffed the air and smiled at the scent of fresh baked goods coming from Wake and Bake. His ex-girlfriend, Sydney, owned the shop after inheriting it from her mother and turned it into a bakery that drew people from all over North Carolina. Her husband, Dylan, expanded into the adjacent space of the bakery and opened a sandwich shop called The Grill. Preston had worked with Dylan for years and never knew the man had wanted to be an actual chef. Preston had assumed it was part of his undercover work.
Opening the door to the bakery, the tiny bell dinged above him, and Sydney peeked over the counter before smiling and waving in his direction.
“Is it noon already?” she asked jokingly. He knew Sydney could give Father Time a run for his money. The woman instinctively knew what time it was – all of the time.
“Sure is,” he replied, glad that he and Sydney had formed a friendship of sorts. She had married his best friend, after all.
Without a word, Sydney moved to the kitchen area behind the counter and within seconds, Preston heard the tell-tale sizzle of the homemade donuts hitting the hot oil. Fridays were Preston’s favorite day because that was the one day a week Sydney made her donuts. He didn’t indulge in sweets frequently, but these concoctions were worth the extra trip to the gym.
He didn’t know how she got the consistency perfect, but somehow Sydney made the most delicious, melt in your mouth donuts he’d ever had.
And Preston didn’t even like donuts, despite the fact that cops and donuts went together like peanut butter and jelly. They’d never been his thing.
Taking a seat at a small bistro table, he watched the woman he had planned to spend his life with add more cupcakes to her display as the donuts continued to fry. He screwed that up, just like he had everything else in his life.
Thankfully his feelings for Sydney waned and he saw her as nothing more than a friend. Otherwise, things would be very awkward as his best friend, and Sydney’s husband, took the seat across from him.
“Hey, man,” Dylan greeted, his apron with The Grill etched in the center still tied around him. Preston could barely manage to work as the town sheriff and a few missions with his old FBI team when things got slow. He had no idea how Dylan was able to manage his diner, the extra assignments he took, and his family.
“Hey,” Preston greeted.
“I asked Alexis and Cliff to join us for lunch, if that’s okay.”
“Yeah, sure.”
It would mean that no one was taking calls at the station since Jackie had taken the day off, but they’d manage. Since Alexis’ case was closed two months ago, everything had died down some.
A few minutes later, Cliff and Alexis joined them, their smiles lighting up the room as they stepped inside. Preston was happy for them both; they deserved it about as much as anyone he knew.
And by the way Alexis kept a firm grip on her husband’s backside, Preston was positive that kids wouldn’t be far behind their wedding.
Marriage and family didn’t seem to be in the cards for him, but much to his mother’s dismay, he was fine with bachelorhood.
They ordered lunch, a few sandwiches and chips, and Dylan told them that his “other” boss would like to see if they were interested in working with the local FBI as needed.
As Preston expected, Cliff and Alexis declined, but he agreed to learn more. It was not that he needed the money, but rather he was interested in finding something to occupy his time.
“So, when is the big day?” Dylan asked Alexis, though Preston already knew. He was probably one of the few.
“Well, it already passed. We eloped over the weekend.”
“What?” Sydney shouted from her seat.
“I told you,” Preston muttered under his breath to his deputy. He had explained that the Connelly family didn’t take too well to secrets.
“It was just the right time. And we wanted to get started trying to have a baby.”
“Well, what are you doing still working? Shouldn’t you be on a honeymoon?” Dylan narrowed his gaze toward Preston as if he made that decision. He raised his hands in the air in innocence.
“Don’t look at me. I tried to pay for a trip to the Caribbean; you know how stubborn she is.”
“Hey! I’m right here. And we are going to wait until the season slows so that Cliff can close his shop.”
“And what if you’re already pregnant,” Dylan asked, the same question on Preston’s lips.
“Oh,” she exclaimed, looking at her husband. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“It’s fine. We’ll stay close by,” Cliff told her, leaning in to place a soft kiss on her lips.
Preston would never lead on that watching his friends fall in love had been like a knife thrusting in his chest repeatedly. He thought one day he’d have that, but that dream was washed away by his own doing.
Finishing their lunches, his friends at the table dispersed, leaving him to catch up on the national news with the paper. Though Alexis’ case had been closed, he kept a close eye on any missing girl and drug trafficking cases. The FBI hadn’t been able to take out her father’s sector in the cartel, just put a kink in it.
“Cassidy!” Sydney shouted as the bell above the door chimed. “I thought you were on tour with Harlan?”
“I am. We’re just passing through. But guess who finally decided to pack her bags and move here?”
“Who?”
Yes, who? Preston wondered, his attention pulled away from the paper and now focused on Cassidy. As Sheriff, he made it a point to know who every person was that step foot in his town.
“Shelly. Can you believe it? I need help finding her a place to stay. She’s showing up tomorrow.”
Oh no. If there was one woman capable of unraveling him, it was that woman. She was smart, beautiful, and had a mouth like a sailor. He had been drawn to her the few times that she had visited even from the shadows. No one seemed to realize that he had kept his distance for a reason. It was a secret he hoped he would take to his grave.
Despite his reservations, he couldn’t stop the words before they rolled out of his mouth.
“I can help.”
“Really?” Cassidy cried out, her head whipping toward him. The long blonde waves smacking her in the face. Preston noticed that Sydney’s eyes were just as wide in surprise.