Page 7 of Arrested By the Deputy

I don't need to be told twice. I reach up and finally tuck that piece of hair behind her ear, the one that's been driving me crazy all night, and then I lean down and kiss her. She tastes like the Coke she drank at dinner, and she kisses me back like she's been waiting on this for longer than just the last twenty-four hours. My hand finds her waist, and hers fists in the front of my shirt, and for a few seconds, there's no Facebook group, no boss breathing down my neck, no history of me being the kid nobody expected much from. There's just me her, and this kiss, in the dim light at her front door.

When we finally pull apart, she's a little breathless, and so am I.

"Noon," she says again, like she's reminding herself.

"Noon," I agree. "I'll see you then."

I wait until she's inside with the door locked before I head back down to my truck, and the whole drive home, I can't stop smiling like an idiot.

And when I get home, I walk inside, whistling for my dog. When he comes trotting over, I kneel down, petting his head. “Dude, I think the date I just had is going to change our lives.”

CHAPTER 5

HAZEL

I’m still smiling when I wake up, which is unusual. Usually I wake up thinking about the day's orders, if anything needs to proof, what needs to come out of the oven first, if I’ll have to take on someone else’s emergency order. Today all I can think about is the way Cal kissed me on my front step, like he'd been wanting to do it for a really long time.

I reach for my phone out of habit, and that's my first mistake.

Immediately I see forty-three new notifications. The drop down bubble says they’re coming from Spotted in Whispering Pines, and my stomach drops the second I open the app. Someone posted a picture. Not a great one, a little blurry, taken from across the street, but it's clearly me and clearly Cal, standing close together outside The Pizzeria last night, his hand on my waist.

Lucille Wagner:Well would you look at this!! Guess Deputy Doody found a way to make it up to her after all.

Allison McGregor:I SAID he should take her to dinner and would you look at that, he listened!! So happy for you Hazel

Karen Davidson:About time somebody treated that girl right. She deserves it after everything.

There are sixty-some comments under the post by the time I finish scrolling, most of them sweet, a few of them nosy in a way that makes my skin crawl. I set the phone down on my nightstand and stare at the ceiling for a minute, trying to figure out why something that should feel nice instead feels like somebody's got their hand pressed flat against my chest.

I tell myself it's nothing. People are happy for me. That's a good thing. I get up, shower, get dressed, and by the time noon rolls around, I've almost managed to talk myself out of the strange feeling from this morning.

Cal picks me up right on time, wearing jeans and a soft gray T-shirt that fits him just as well as the uniform does, if I'm being honest. We decide on the diner a few blocks over, the one that I love with vinyl booths and a pie case up front, since neither one of us wants anything fancy.

"You look tired," he says, once we're seated, studying me a little too closely.

"Long night. Good long night," I add quickly, feeling my face heat.

He grins at that, pleased with himself, and reaches across the table to squeeze my hand before letting go so the waitress can set down our waters. We fall into easy conversation, same as last night, and for a while it's just us again.

“When I got home last night, I told Biscuit about our date. He was very impressed, very happy for us,” he laughs.

“Oh yeah? I can’t wait to meet him. I’ll do my best to impress him,” I tease.

“You won’t have to try hard. He destroyed a couch cushion while I was gone, and thought he’d really protected the house. So you can probably just pet him, and he’ll be good.”

I laugh, taking a drink of my water.

“What do you have going on?”

I’m not used to talking about my day-to-day with anyone other than Tiffany, and maybe a few customers here and there. “A huge wedding cake due at the end of the month. I have the sketches done, and my ideas, along with the colors, but I’m nervous. It’s such a big day for a couple. I don’t wanna fuck it up, ya know?”

He nods, reaching over to grab my hand. “I’m sure you’re going to do great. I’ve never met someone who cooks or decorates the way you do. I think you’ll end up surprising yourself.”

God, I hope so. “Thanks, Cal.”

“You’re welcome.” He flashes me a bright smile.

Somewhere in the middle of him telling a story about his rookie year, an older man at the next booth leans over. "You two went to Whispering Pines High together, didn't you? My daughter was in your class, Cal. Your last name is Sutton, right?"