“Drake Harris was scheduled to be married in two weeks”, Boomer casually mentioned as they stood watching the ME load his bagged body into the back of the vehicle for transport.
“No kidding? So, you knew him well then”, Cade replied, fishing for more personal info on the victim and maybe why he was there at Red’s office after hours.
Boomer paused for a moment and then stated, “I went to school with Drake and Kresley. All of the Anderson sisters, except Birdie. I don’t or didn’t hang around Drake that much. He was kind of a tool. He thought he was the shit in high school and still did now. His fiancé is Claudia Nolan, Pete Nolan’s only daughter. His brother is Braxton Harris, Fire Captain of the MS Fire Department.”
Cade took mental notes on what Boomer just said, wincing about Harris having a fiancé and a brother who served the community, a fellow brother of MSFD. He was about to open his mouth to ask another question when Boomer’s next words stopped him cold.
“Drake also used to date Kresley.”
“Wait, what? Kresley? Red? My Kresley. How long ago?”, Cade questioned in rapid fire at Boomer, needing to know more info quickly.
“They dated back in high school. Haven’t been together since our senior year when Drake cheated on Kresley with one of the high school teachers. Kres took it pretty hard and was totally humiliated by it at the time. She never hung around him after that and didn’t even talk to him at all until recently when he and Claudia began planning their wedding. I’m guessing maybe they were using Kresley as their wedding planner or something”, Boomer talked and filled in gaps for Cade as they walked around to double check again for any clues before leaving the area.
“How do you know all of this, Boomer?”, Cade asked and found it hilarious when he could see the big, gruff cop start to blush.
“I hear things and see things out on my patrols. I usually visit Whimsy Events every day to check security there and check in on all of the females working in that place. There aren’t any male employees so I always want to make sure they are safe and secure. Just doing my job”, Boomer gruffly said. Still blushing, he looked up at Cade and narrowed his eyes. “What’s that look for, Grantham?”
“Nothing. Not a damn thing. I just find it interesting that you patrol by Kresley’s office every day. I’m betting you visit at the same time every day as well, right? Maybe lunch time. Or right after? Trying to time meeting up with someone? Maybe someone named Grace?”, Cade slyly stated, enjoying Boomer’s discomfort. He had seen how Boomer looked at Kresley’s friend when she was here. He thought he would get a punch in the arm from the big guy or another deep scowl from him, but instead he saw vulnerability.
“Man, am I that obvious? When she came through that back door tonight like a torpedo just launched, I couldn’t put two words together. Grace is something else and she wasn’t raised here, so she doesn’t know me like others do in this town. I get so totally tongue tied around her it’s not even funny. I think it’s all the blonde curls, bouncing boobs and big blue eyes. And I don’t think she knows I exist outside of being a good cop trying to protect and shit. I’m not good enough for her”, Boomer stated, ending on a quiet breath.
“Look man, I’ve only known you for a short time, but I call bullshit on that last statement. Unless you are an abuser, bully, prone to violence against anyone or a selfish jerk, then you are good enough for her. Trying to talk yourself out of happiness with a woman is just your way of fighting the inevitable. If she doesn’t know how you feel, tell her. What’s the worst that will happen? She’ll let you know she doesn’t feel the same way. But at least you can move on if you need to. I’ve learned a lot in my years. The most valuable lesson is that life isn’t always rainbows and storms can roll in on you before you realize it. But don’t let those storms keep you locked away. Sometimes the thunder and lightning that come with them are just what you need to make you live”, Cade passionately stated, wanting to help his new friend.
Boomer looked at Cade for a few moments, then nodded as if in agreement. He ruined it by stating, “I didn’t peg you for this mushy, Dear Abby, type crap, Cade. Where’s your man card hiding, dude?”, Boomer laughingly stated and broke the seriousness that hung in the air.
“It’s in the drawer along with yours apparently”, Cade sarcastically replied. “Maybe we were meant to meet and be good friends, Boomer. You’ve been pining away for one woman and I just met her best friend today. And both of us know we’re so gone for both of them that it isn’t funny. I see double dates in our future, but you’re buying the first round. I said it out loud, so it’s now in the universe. You can’t refuse”. Cade stared at Boomer’s expression and laughed. Wow, laughing felt good. He needed to do it more often. It seems he’d laughed more in the past few days than he had in the past year in Nashville. And that told him something important. He was where he was supposed to be. It felt good. “Let’s wrap this stuff up so I
