When she spotted me, she grinned and waved, and I noticed her walk had a sudden bounce to it.
“Good morning, Precious,” I said, returning her wave.
“Look what I have!” she said, stepping up close. She held out a Tupperware container that was made of a clear pink. Inside, I was almost certain I could make out doughnuts. I glanced up at her as I took the container she offered.
“Are those homemade doughnuts?” My mouth began to water like a Pavlovian dog as I peered into the container.
“Yes. I made them just for you, Sheriff Romeo.”
I held out my elbow, and she took it, grinning crazily at me.
“This is amazing. Thank you so much,” I said, walking up to the door of the station and pulling out the key to unlock it. “What kind are they?”
We stepped inside, and Precious flipped on a bank of florescent lights in the ceiling, lighting up the room.
“There are two kinds…filled ones with homemade lemon curd, and cinnamon twists with a clear glaze frosting.”
“Oh my God, how did you know those are my favorites?”
“They are?” she asked, looking incredibly happy.
Chocolate anything was actually my favorite, followed by anything with rainbow sprinkles, but these would do just perfectly. The cereal I’d eaten at Vincent’s that morning had been completely forgotten.
“These are my very favorites, followed by anything chocolate,” I said, noticing how she wrinkled her nose and then sneezed at my mention of chocolate. A funny thought occurred to me, and I suddenly wondered whether my receptionist was a shifter. She had her fair share of quirks, but I’d chalked it up to Precious’s style and bubbly, energetic personality. Sometimes the way she bounced reminded me of something.
I put all those thoughts away and opened the lid of the Tupperware as I set it on the counter. The scent of delicious fried bread, cinnamon, and sugar, rose to my nostrils as I leaned down and sniffed before casting a side eyed glance at her and waggling my eyebrows.
She smiled again. “Let’s go make you some coffee and bring those to the back, so the general public don’t come on in and steal your treats,” Precious said. “That would be a crying shame.”
“I agree.” I picked up the container and followed her down the hallway to the break room where she began putting on a pot of coffee as I took out two plates and opened the container again.
“None for me. I had one at home with Mary,” Precious said.
I turned to look at her. “Is she your girlfriend?” I already knew the answer to that.
Precious nodded. “Yes, but that’s a secret. With bigots like Catalina Broadmoor, and that husband of hers, and their precious organization in town, you can’t be too careful. Mary and I have to sneak around like a couple of puppies with their tails between their legs. It’s not fair at all!”
I put my arm around her shoulders and gave her a brotherly squeeze as I looked down at her. She had tears in her eyes, and I knew that, though, she was tough, the old witch’s comments had gotten to her. I felt sorry for her, but I knew she was one of those people who could and would fight back strenuously when needed. I’d seen the way she’d come to Mary’s defense, and I’d appreciated it. Who the hell could yell at Mary? She was the epitome of gentle sweetness in every way.
“People like Catalina Broadmoor feel inadequate in their own lives, so they feel like they have to take it out on people who they perceive as weak. They’re predators and have no feelings for others, Precious. Don’t let her get to you. Promise?”
She looked up as me and forced a smile, nodding as I dropped my arm. “I can take it when it’s aimed at me but when anyone picks on Mary, I just see red. She’s not accustomed to fending off assholes.” She paused, watching me plate up a doughnut for each of us. “I bet you saw a lot of discrimination when you were at the LAPD and in the Marines, right?”
I frowned.
Does everyone know I’m gay?
“Discrimination?” I asked, acting like I didn’t understand exactly what was going on here.
She smirked at me, and then shrugged. “The fact that you date vampire guys and all that.”
I almost spat out the bite of cinnamon deliciousness I’d just taken. She grinned at me as I chewed the food in my mouth and finally managed to swallow it.
“You know I’m gay…and that I’m dating a—”
“Vincent the vampire? Yeah, most people in town know.” She said it in such a matter-of-fact way, my jaw dropped open.
“Christ. I hadn’t expected this conversation first thing in the morning.”
Precious chuckled and slapped me on the back. “It’s fine. The humans in town don’t know…about the vampire thing. They will probably figure it out if you keep spending your nights at his house, though…I mean the gay thing, not
