“So you say.”
“It’s true. It’s been two years and it’s time for you to start dating again.”
“I happen to be very content with my bachelor status.”
“Leave the guy alone, Allison.” Tabitha Miller appeared out of nowhere and slid into the booth next to Allison. “All those long weekends he tells you he’s off fishing, he’s probably getting it on with a stripper in Memphis.”
Allison wrinkled her nose and looked at him. “I thought you were fishing for bass.”
“I think he’s fishing for ass, honey.” Tabitha snickered.
He rubbed a hand across his face. Allison and Tabitha had been best friends for years, and when they were together, they always managed to find themselves in crazy situations. Their last escapade had involved breaking into a country club after hours to skinny dip. When the silent alarm went off, he’d arrived, along with two other cops to find his sister and Tabitha naked. Allison insisted it wasn’t what it looked like. He’d quickly covered her up and hauled her ass back to the house. He still heard the snickers in the police department about that one.
Any hopes he had of Tabitha moving away had dwindled with each passing year. He had accepted the fact that he was stuck with Lucy and Ethel.
Sloan shook his head. “Why are you listening to her?”
“Because it’s Tabitha.”
Tabitha brightened and smiled. “Yeah, ’cause it’s me.” She wrapped her arm around his sister’s shoulder. “Actually, I was just kidding. I don’t think your saint of a brother would step foot inside a strip club. It would make his moral compass go haywire.”
“Are you implying I’m uptight?”
“As uptight as a priest during Ash Wednesday service.”
Allison grinned.
“But now that we’re on the subject of dating, I saw Sally Parker in the grocery store the other day. She asked me if you were still single.”
“Don’t even start.” He shot a warning look at Tabitha and then looked at Allison. “I still haven’t forgiven you for that one.” His sister had ambushed him at the movies by bringing Sally Parker along. After the first fifteen minutes, Allison had said she wasn’t feeling well and insisted that Sloan bring Sally home after the movie was over.
“Come on, it couldn’t have been that bad. Besides, if I had told you I was bringing Sally you wouldn’t have shown up.”
“Damn straight.” He winced. “I almost wrecked my truck trying to get her off me.”
Tabitha laughed. Sloan shot her a glare and she sobered. “Well, you know what they say, it’s always the quiet ones.”
“I was just trying to help,” Allison sighed heavily.
“I know. If you want to help, please don’t try and play matchmaker for me.” He slid out of the booth and tossed a few bills on the table and hoped there were leftover doughnuts in the break room.
***
Grace knelt in front of the white oven and attacked the inside with a soapy sponge. Although the appliances didn’t appear dirty, the years of sitting unused left a musty odor.
She sat back on her heels and glanced at the refrigerator that was now scrubbed and gleaming. She had decided to tackle the oven next, then on to the stovetop. Once she started cleaning she couldn’t seem to stop.
It was therapeutic, like she was scrubbing her past away.
She almost felt clean.
Almost.
She stood and rubbed the soreness in her thigh. The pain was getting better each day. She walked over to open the backdoor as the familiar tinkle of the bell echoed through the empty house. She eased out onto the porch and stood perfectly still.
The constant chirp of a bluebird against the backdrop of her deep green backyard sent her lips curling into a smile. She leaned over the porch railing and lifted her face to the warm rays of the midday sun. The cool air felt good against her sweaty face and the skin pebbled on her arms as a slight breeze wafted across the porch.
A feeling of peace settled into the corners of her soul. This was home. Just as quickly as the warm feeling came, a different emotion welled inside, threatening to suffocate her.
She couldn’t afford to get too comfortable here. Not yet. She wasn’t sure if it was safe to be putting down roots.
She hissed as the rough wood of the house bit into her back. She wasn’t even aware she had been easing back into the protective shadows of the porch as her thoughts ran rampant.
“Old habits die hard.”
She balled her hands into fists, angry at herself. “This has got to stop. I’m safe now.”
Choosing a house way out in the middle of nowhere had been her plan for months. She’d spent the better part of half a year, driving aimlessly across the United States and surviving on the cash her father had left her.