“Arissa! Hey, Sugar.”
Arissa’s eyes were still adjusting, but she smiled sincerely at Jo. “Hi, Jo.” Reaching Jo’s desk, she dropped her elbows on the counter. “How are you?”
“I’m good.” She gestured down at her desk. “For a small town, we sure do keep busy. What brings you here?” she asked, then stood and took in Arissa’s outfit. She whistled, earning attention from some of the officers close to her desk. “Don’t you look good. Where you off to?”
“Charleston. I have to put out some fires, but I was hoping to talk to Hank before I left.”
Jo’s smile faded a little when she revealed, “Oh, Sweetie, he’s not here. He’s been spending a lot of time in Huntsville. Helping the sheriff there with an arson.”
Arissa didn’t hide her disappointment, but she couldn’t stop the smile either because that was Hank, the man she was falling for, offering a hand when one was needed. She was tempted to call him, because she hated knowing she’d left him with doubt about them when there was none, at least not from her, but he didn’t need her calling him while he was working. Texting was out. It was a conversation that should be done in person.
“You alright, Honey? You need to talk?”
“I do, but it’s Hank I need to talk to.”
Jo reached for her phone. “Want me to call him?”
“No, I don’t want to bother him while he’s working. I’ll try calling him later.”
“You sure. It won’t take but a minute.”
Arissa almost said yes, she wanted to talk to him so badly that she’d be okay with Jo and half of his staff overhearing the conversation. But she didn’t imagine Hank would be too happy about that. “No, it’s okay but thanks.”
“All right, Honey, if you’re sure.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Thanks, Jo.” Arissa turned for the door but looked back to confirm. “We’re still on for Friday, the dart game?”
“You bet your ass.”
She couldn’t help but smile around Jo. She had an infectious personality. “See you later, Jo.”
“Later, Honey. Drive safely.”
Arissa got back in her car. She loved Charleston, the draw of the lights and sights, but there was someone in Summerville that had a stronger pull on her and when she got back, she was going to let him know it.
* * *
Hank climbed into his truck. It had been a long week. From sunup to sundown, he spent in Huntsville, coming home to shower and sleep. Only to get back in his truck and take the hour and half trek back out there. But with his help they shut the case of the rampant arsonist. When you lived in a small town, it was pretty easy to pinpoint who was doing what. Since the quarterback of the high school football team didn’t receive the scholarship he wanted, he took that anger and used it to hurt others, altering his future to one he never intended. Sheriff Muller was a down-to-earth good man, which is why Hank knew he’d give the kid hell for a few years before letting him off the hook. Brett wasn’t a bad kid, just didn’t know how to handle rejection.
Sitting across from Brett earlier that day, Hank was giving him advice on how to handle situations that handed you hardships, but he almost choked on his own words. Here he was trying to help the kid understand how to handle refusal while he wasn’t doing so good a job himself. Hank wasn’t parading around town setting shit on fire, but he also wasn’t facing the situation head on. He didn’t step up and call Arissa, asking her what went wrong.
He pulled into the station just as the sun started to dip below the horizon, casting an orange hue on Main Street. Stepping from his truck, he looked around. All was quiet, and still in one piece. Thank fuck. His eyes roamed down one end of the street then the other. He told himself he was scouting out the town, when in reality he was looking to see if he saw Arissa out and about.
He pulled the station door open and was greeted with a huge smile and a, “There’s my sexy sheriff. Good to have you back, Boss.” Jo rose from her seat and came around the counter. She pulled him into a bear hug, trapping his arms at his sides.
“What happened?”
Jo took a deep breath and started, “Well, there was an accident—”
“What kinda fucking accident,” Hank spit out, twisting his body from Jo’s grip till he got free.
“Calm down,” she expressed, pumping her hands down toward the ground, her flashy blue nails swinging as she did. “Rob bet Mike he couldn’t climb out of the small bathroom window, because you know, he’s gained a few pounds since Dehlia started selling all those new baked goods and—”
“And?” Hank spat out with his hand rolling to move her along.
“I’m getting there, Sheriff.” Jo placed her hands on her hips and leveled her eyes on him. “Why are you so grouchy?”
“The fucking accident, Jo,” he said in a loud tone. Rob was coming from the break room, saw Hank and turned back around. “Get over here!” Hank shouted at him.
“I swear I didn’t think the sink would come off the wall—”
Hank cut him off, his voice low and hard. “Come again?”
Rob nervously swung back onto the heels of his feet. “Mike climbed on it to get to the window.” He put his hands up. “I didn’t tell him to get up on the fucking sink and—”
Hank halted his words again. “And how in the fuck did you think he would reach the window?” He realized he was asking a grown man to give him details about the antics that went down while he was gone. He put a hand up. “Never mind. I don’t even
