So This Is Love

chapter Fourteen

Max stepped into his boss's office and shut the door. Hank Crowley was on the phone but waved him toward the seat in front of his desk.

In his late fifties, Hank was a short, stocky man with a receding hairline and since he'd been promoted to Captain and spent a lot of time at his desk, he'd also acquired a few extra pounds around the middle.

Hank was coming up on his twenty-fifth anniversary as a police officer, and had had a career that Max admired greatly. But then he'd been a fan of Hank Crowley since he was a lonely, unhappy ten-year-old, whose father had taken off. Hank had been his Little League coach and during that season Max had also become close friends with Hank's oldest son, Tom.

Over the next few years, Hank had become a surrogate father to him, and it was from growing up in Hank's house, listening to his stories, that had made Max want to become a police officer. It was ironic that he'd chosen that path whereas Hank's son, Tom, and his other son, Joel, had wanted nothing to do with the profession.

Hank hung up the phone and gave him a nod. "Thanks for coming in. I wanted to check in on how the investigation is going."

"It's going," Max said, without much enthusiasm. He'd spent the entire day spinning his wheels. "I've gone down a few roads that turned out to be dead ends."

"I understand there's a possible Tahoe connection."

"Based on the forensic evidence, there's a possibility Sister Margaret was in the Lake Tahoe area, but I haven't yet found any corroborating eyewitnesses or any other evidence besides the dirt and plant matter left on her clothes to put her at that location." He paused. "Half of the St. Andrew's school population spends time in Lake Tahoe as do many people in the Bay Area. Sister Margaret was there in August with her roommate, Ruth Harbough. And you know Mrs. Harbough is an upstanding citizen, never even had a parking ticket."

"She's a rule follower," Hank agreed. "A stern woman. When she first came to me to tell me Margaret was missing, it was the first time I saw vulnerability in her. She was terrified, and she doesn't get scared easily. That's why I asked you to get involved instead of letting Missing Persons handle it."

"I wish I could say my involvement has been helpful, but I'm a long way from having a suspect. My gut tells me Margaret knew her kidnapper. But she knew a lot of people, so that doesn't get me too far."

"What about the arson investigation? No clues?"

"Not yet. Emma is working that angle, but arsonists can be difficult to find, especially when they know what they're doing."

Hank gave him a speculative look. "How are you working with Emma Callaway?"

"All right. She'd prefer to handle the case on her own."

"As would you," Hank said with a knowing smile.

"That's true, but I recognize the value of our departments working together."

"Good. Emma is a smart woman, and she doesn't quit. I've known her father, Jack, for years, and even though she's not his kid by blood, she has a lot of his intensity and competitiveness."

"I've noticed," he said dryly.

Hank grinned. "She's gotten under your skin."

"I think she gets under everyone's skin. Emma likes to be in the middle of everything, but I can handle her."

"Can you?"

"Yes, I can. You don't need to worry. I've got everything under control. Is that it?"

"Not so fast. Before you go, tell me what's happening with Spencer."

Max was relieved to have the conversation redirected toward his brother. He didn't want to discuss Emma with Hank.

"When Spencer first got out, he was really angry, but we've had a few conversations, and he's mellowed a bit. He still has a lot of bitter resentment festering inside. I hope he can find a way to let it go. On the positive side, he got a part-time job at the Second Street Deli, so he has something to do during the day besides think about his screwed-up life."

"That's great. I know Gus. He'll be good for Spencer. He'll be able to show him that he can turn his life around."

"I hope so."

"And how is your mom?"

"She's over the moon that Spencer's home, but it's not quite the happy reunion she pictured. She wants to hover and take care of him, and he doesn't want that at all."

"It's good you're here. I know you never saw yourself as an important member of the family, but Spencer and Susan are too much alike. They make each other crazy. You're the buffer."

"I don't know about that, but I'm glad I took up your suggestion and came home. My mother has no idea that you were the one who influenced my decision. She might like you better if she did."

Hank laughed. "I always knew why Susan didn't like me. She was jealous. She hated that you wanted to be at our house instead of hers."

"Only when she noticed I wasn't at home, which wasn't all that often," he said dryly. "Her life was really all about Spencer after my dad left."

"I'm sure she noticed more than you realized. Being a parent, I know how difficult it is to make everyone feel like they're loved in exactly the same amount. Speaking of that, Tommy is coming home for Christmas. I get to see my grandson for the first time."

"It's hard to believe that Tom is a husband and a father."

"That tends to happen to all of us at some point."

"Maybe not all of us," he put in.

Hank gave him a knowing look. "That's what I used to say, until I met Vicky. Before her I was all about being a single guy. Couldn't imagine why I'd want to settle down with one woman when I could meet someone new every other weekend. Then Vicky came along, and boy did she see right through all my bullshit. I was done. I wanted her more than I wanted to be single, and it was the best decision I ever made. Look what I got out of it—a gorgeous wife, and three fantastic kids." He paused. "I'm glad you came home, Max. I know in your mind that this is only a temporary move. But I hope you'll consider making it permanent. Everyone here is impressed with your work. You're an excellent addition to the department."

"Thanks. I don't know what my plans are yet. I thought I was done with this city, and to be honest I thought I was done with my family. We'll see how things go."

"Just promise me you'll think about staying."

"Right now I'm thinking mostly about solving a murder."

* * *

Later that day, Max wasn't thinking about murder, but about making a three-point shot from the outside corner. After a long day of work, he'd joined his fellow cops for a Wednesday night basketball game against one of the firefighting teams that included two of Emma's brothers, Burke and Aiden. He hadn't met Aiden before, but Aiden turned out to be just as good an athlete as Burke. He didn't play with as much finesse, but he had a great drive down the court and Max had been pressed to keep up with him.

One thing both Burke and Aiden had in common was a desire to win. Apparently Emma wasn't the only Callaway with a competitive spirit.

As Emma's face flashed through his brain, he stumbled and his opponent stole the ball from him. Damn!

Bad time to think about Emma.

He ran down the court again, hoping to rebound after his mistake. He was usually good at compartmentalizing his life. He'd learned to do that early in life, keep the emotions away from work. But lately everything and everyone in his life seemed to be mixing together bringing chaos, and he didn't like chaos. He liked organization and control.

He grabbed the ball back and headed down the court again. He faked a pass, and then drove toward the basket. The ball hit the backboard and swooshed through the net. One of his fellow cops gave him a high five. He ran back down on the court. He had his game face back on. Nothing but basketball, he told himself.

Then she walked through the door of the gym.

What the hell was Emma doing here?

He tried not to look at her, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see her stepping on to the bleachers. She greeted a couple of women and then moved down the bench to give another woman a hug. Of course, she'd know everyone in the stands. She knew everyone in this town. And everywhere he went, she seemed to turn up.

He blew out a breath and ran down the court again. He received a pass and poised to throw. Then he heard Emma's laugh, and his shot went wide. His teammate sent him a surprised look. There was nothing he could say to apologize for how badly he was suddenly playing. Fortunately, it was the fourth quarter. He needed to keep it together for ten more minutes.

* * *

"I didn't expect to see you here, Sara," Emma said. Then she glanced at the court and realized Aiden was playing on the fire team.

"Burke recruited Aiden," Sara said.

"That's interesting." Her brothers were suddenly getting along better than they ever had, or else Burke had been desperate for a player and hadn't wanted to forfeit.

"Aiden was surprised to be asked," Sara said. "He didn't say so, but I think he was touched that Burke asked him to play. They haven't been close in a very long time, but that seems to be changing."

"I hope so. The two of them have had some legendary fights."

"What are you doing here, Emma, or do I even need to ask?" Sara tipped her head toward the court. "Isn't that the hot cop?"

Emma watched Max sprint across the court, dribbling the ball around his opponents, then making a quick fake to the right followed by a drive to the left. His shot swooshed through the net. "That's him," she said, mesmerized by his athleticism.

It was silly. She felt like a teenager wanting the high school star athlete to look over and notice her. Max didn't look in her direction at all. He was completely focused on the game.

She'd seen that intent look on his face before, and she idly wondered what it would feel like to have him gaze at her with that same level of intensity. Just the idea made her more than a little uncomfortable, reminding her again of the conversation with her mom when she had said—I knew he could take over my world if I let him…

Emma wasn't interested in letting Max take over any part of her world. Well, maybe one part, she secretly admitted. She wouldn't mind letting him take her to bed. She had a feeling the earth would move more than a few times.

That thought brought with it a wave of heat. "It's hot in here." She ran her hand through her hair, lifting the sweaty strands off the back of her neck.

"It is," Sara muttered, waving a hand in front of her face.

Emma laughed as Sara's fascinated gaze followed Aiden up and down the court. "Well, aren't we fifteen again?"

Sara sent her a startled look. "What?"

"We used to lust after the basketball players in high school, remember?"

"The only one I ever lusted after was Aiden," Sara said.

"I love you like a sister, but I really can't hear any more about your lust for my brother."

Sara laughed. "Fine. Let's talk about you then. What are you going to do about him?"

"I don't know. He does get to me," she said quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear, but she and Sara were separated from the other women by several feet. "We've been trying to keep things professional, but every time we see each other there's a tension between us."

"Maybe you should stop fighting your feelings and just enjoy," Sara suggested.

"I'm tempted," she admitted. If Max could rock her world with a look, what could he do with the rest of his body? "But it's complicated."

"Which is exactly the way you like it. You always push the envelope, test the boundaries, so why are you holding back with Max?"

It was a good question, and one she couldn't really answer.

"Are you afraid of getting hurt?" Sara asked. "Because aren't you the girl who always told me no pain, no gain?"

"That was when I wanted you to run another mile with me."

"Okay, bad example. But you've always been about risk. You run into burning buildings. You challenge yourself every day. I've always admired that about you, Emma."

"This is different. When I run into a burning building, I know what to do. I've been trained."

"That's true. There's no training for love."

"We're not talking about love—just lust. I don't know. Let's not talk about it anymore. Tell me what's new with you?"

"Not much. Dad is coming home on Monday. Kitchen remodel is moving along."

"And you and Aiden?"

"Having a really good time," Sara said with a wide smile. "We're going to the wine country this weekend."

"That sounds like fun."

"Apparently, one of Aiden's friends bought into a winery."

"Anyone I know?"

"I don't think so. His name is Travis Montgomery. I think he was a smokejumper."

"Maybe Aiden will want to become a winemaker in his next career."

"Right now he's only interested in drinking some good wine," Sara said. "We're putting off the career decisions for a few weeks. We've both been working so hard that it's nice to have some time to relax, be with family, friends."

"And each other."

"That, too. In some ways, I feel like I've known Aiden forever, and in other ways I'm continually discovering new things about him."

"Like the fact that he can be a slob?" Emma put in.

Sara laughed. "Spoken like a true sister."

Emma paused. "Looks like the game is over. I need to speak to Max."

"So you did come to see him."

"For professional reasons," she said, even though that was only half-true. She did want to touch base on the investigation, but she also just wanted to talk to him.

They walked across the court together.

"Very impressive," Sara said, giving Aiden a kiss.

"You were my good luck charm," Aiden said.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You guys are sickening."

"I agree," Burke said, shaking his head in disgust.

Aiden just laughed. "You two are jealous."

Emma glanced at Max. "You've met Aiden, I see."

"Yeah, he introduced himself with an elbow to my gut," Max said dryly.

"You were in my lane," Aiden said.

"My lane," Max corrected.

"It was, until you tripped," Burke put in. "You were way off your game tonight, Harrison."

"I was distracted," Max said, scowling in her direction.

"Well, isn't there a lot of testosterone in this gym," she said, feeling a little charge of pleasure that she might have been the reason for Max's distraction. Not that she wanted to say anything in front of her brothers.

"We're going to take off," Aiden said. "Nice to meet you, Harrison."

"You, too," Max said.

"I'll walk out with you," Burke added.

As they left Max turned to Emma. "What do you need?"

His tone was not particularly inviting, but she was getting used to his changing moods. "A conversation. We're supposed to be sharing notes. You didn't return my call."

"I had nothing to report, and if you did, you would have left me a message."

"I'd still like to run down my notes with you. Can we talk?"

"All right, but not here. I need to take a shower."

"How far away is your apartment?"

He hesitated, obviously not thrilled about her seeing his place, which only made her want to see it more.

"It's about five minutes away," he said.

"We'll go there. You can change, and then we'll talk."

"I could meet you somewhere in a half hour."

"I'm fine with waiting for you to shower. Besides, I want to see your apartment."

"Why?"

"Because I do. Because I'm curious."

He smiled. "And as soon as I'm in the shower, you're going to snoop around. I have to warn you, you'll be disappointed."

"I'll take that risk."