Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Jackson

Penny Johnson had clearly upset Allison. She had been fine until I left to dance with Mrs. Steinbeck, but she was back to being embarrassed and awkward when I returned. She shook it off quickly though and insisted she didn’t want to talk about it. She just wanted to dance, and I couldn’t say no.

But when the dance started, part of me wished I could have.

Allison stepped forward and put one hand in mine and the other on my shoulder. I slipped my arm around her waist as we started to move in time with the music, a soulful ballad about finding love that would last a lifetime. In some ways, it felt familiar—we’d been dance partners at plenty of town dances before. But that was Allison the kid.

This was Allison the woman.

I’d done a great job of keeping things light and friendly all night. But with her in my arms, gazing up into my eyes, I couldn’t keep an easy smile on my face. Couldn’t hide the fact that everything within me was at war.

I couldn’t pretend not to notice how incredible she smelled or how amazing it felt to be this close to her. How I wanted to pull her even closer and feel her body pressed up against mine. How I wanted my hands in her hair, to press my lips to her pretty mouth.

How I wanted this song to be about us.

All things I could never have.

My no-relationship rule wasn’t going to change, and Allison was way too important to ruin everything by crossing the boundaries of friendship for a fling. So I’d have to squash those feelings down tight and keep things safe and platonic for both of us.

But that was hard to do while holding her this close. It felt wrong to avoid her eyes, but when I looked down at her, everything I was feeling threatened to spill out of me in a mess of words I knew I shouldn’t say. So I closed my eyes and gave myself the rest of the song to pretend that things could be different.

As soon as the song ended, I made a lame excuse about needing to leave so I could get to work early the next day.

“Really?” she asked, disappointment clear on her face. “It’s still so early.”

“Yeah,” I said, tugging at the collar of my uniform. “Sorry. I’ve been in this all day and I’m ready for a shower and some sweats.” Though in reality, it wasn’t the uniform making me uncomfortable—it was the way she looked in that blue sundress. An innocent, classy sundress that had me thinking all sorts of thoughts that weren’t classy at all.

“Hey, I get it,” she said. “Thanks so much for introducing me to everyone and helping me get established here. I’m glad you made me come.”

“I’m glad, too,” I said, staring down into those gorgeous blue eyes. They looked up at me with so much trust, so much affection. Things I knew I could lose in a heartbeat if I didn’t get out of here before I acted upon the feelings she was bringing up in me.

“See you soon?” she asked hopefully.

“Soon,” I promised.

I walked outside and nearly ran straight into Russell. “What are you doing here?” I demanded, not at all in the mood to deal with him.

“I’m a citizen, same as you.” He smirked. “Don’t I have the right to come to town events?”

“No, you don’t.” It wasn’t true, of course. I just didn't want him anywhere near Allison.

A challenge rose in his eyes. “I do,” he said. “Unless you’re about to cross the line and try to deny me my rights?” He threw his glance toward the open door like he was searching for someone inside. But then he looked back at me with a sly grin on his face. “I feel like I’m in the mood for a dance, young Jackson. Might want to go inside and find me a pretty young thing to dance with tonight. Take her home, show her a real good time.”

My pulse skyrocketed. “You need to go home. Now.” I crossed my arms and stood my ground.

He studied my eyes. Maybe he saw I was edgier than normal, because in a move that was totally unlike him, he backed down.

“Fine, I’ll go,” he said, scowling. He spit in the grass beside my feet. “No one worth talking to in there anyway.” He stalked off, away from the entrance.

I sat alone inside my truck, keeping guard, until the party started breaking up and I saw Allison leave. It wasn’t until I saw her safely pull her car out and head toward home, unfollowed, that I breathed a sigh of relief and went to get the rest—and space—I desperately needed.

Seeing Russell again had me shaken up enough that I didn’t get that rest after all. My night was marked by nightmares, and I woke the next day feeling even more exhausted than before. I kept to my routine but felt like I was constantly looking over my shoulder, just waiting for him to pop out of the bushes somewhere.

It wasn’t like him to walk away without a fight. That meant he was saving the fight for later.

But nearly an entire week passed uneventfully, without trouble or even a sighting of Russell. And despite my intention to put some space between us, Allison and I wound up meeting every night for dinner. It felt okay though because we had to keep them short. She was having a busy week meeting with hospital administrators, trying to get the clinic set up the way she wanted, and setting up her house at night. The quick dinners felt casual and had established a routine of easy friendship.

So it was no surprise when she texted me Thursday evening about getting together again.

Allison: Today has felt like the longest day ever. I know it’s a little early, but I can’t look at charts anymore. Want to grab dinner?

Jackson: I could eat. I’m still at the station, finishing up a report, but I’ll be done in about ten minutes. What sounds good?

Allison: Something light. Sandwiches or a nice salad? Is there anywhere that serves anything like that?

Jackson: Honey, you’re in the fried food capital of the world.

Allison: LOL, I’ve noticed. But I’m craving something healthier. Besides, in school they told us we should set a good example for our communities, be seen eating healthy and all that. That we have a responsibility and a standard to live up to.

Jackson: LOL. And I’m guessing you wrote that down in your notebook and took it as gospel, didn’t you?

Allison: …well, yes.

Jackson: I knew it. You’re in luck though. There’s a cafe downtown called Luna’s. Best soup, salad, and sandwiches around. Even has vegan options. Sources a lot of their stuff from local growers.

Allison: Wow. Go Rosemary Mountain. Meet you there?

Jackson: I’ll be there in twenty.

Sheriff Morrison leaned on my desk as I pocketed my phone. “What are you grinning about?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

“Just joking around with an old friend about restaurant options here in town.”

He grinned. “Would this be a female friend? Rumor has it you’ve been seen taking the same woman out every night this week.”

“Yes, but she’s just a friend,” I clarified. “It’s Allison Bell. We talked about her.”

“Ah,” he said, nodding. “The new doctor in town. You guys reconnected, huh?”

“Yeah. We’ve been catching up. She has her work cut out for her here, trying to win over everyone who still thinks Doc Rogers should be practicing.”

Greg snorted. “Good luck to her. I’ve been here for, what, three, four years now? And there’s still a handful of people who tell me how much better things were when Joe was in charge.”

“Ah, yes,” I said drily. “You mean when they had a sheriff willing to look the other way on anything they did behind closed doors as long as he could keep up the impression that this was a quiet little town where nothing bad ever happened. Speaking of which, Allison has an idea.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“She mentioned that a lot of her patients are still on too many prescription drugs. She wants to start a medication-assisted treatment program, help get them clean.”

Greg’s face beamed with approval. “That would be great. I was just doing some reading about how that’s working in another small town with a similar demographic to ours. It’s not a perfect solution, but the stats are good. If there’s anything she needs from us, or if she wants us to help with public education, let me know. We might be able to work something out where, if we arrest anyone who’s using, we could offer some sort of deal contingent upon program compliance. Might actually help people change their lives for good.”

“That’s similar to what I was thinking. Glad to know you’re on the same page.”

“I like this girl already. Any chance this ‘just friends’ thing is temporary?” He winked at me.

I knew he was rooting for me to find someone and settle down. He had recently gotten remarried and declared it to be the best decision he had ever made. He wanted the same for me. But I couldn’t bring myself to admit to him all the reasons it wouldn’t be.

I shook my head. “Nah. We’ve already talked about how we don’t want to mess up anything by having that possibility on the table.” I paused for a minute, deciding to open up just a bit. “When I was a kid,” I said, glancing around to make sure we were alone, “she meant a lot to me. Might even be the reason I’m still alive. You don’t screw that up by screwing around.”

He nodded. “I understand. Sounds like you two have your heads on your shoulders. Either way, I’m glad she’s back. I appreciate anyone who wants to make a positive difference in our community, and I’m glad you’ve got a good friend in her.”

“Me too.” It meant more than I could say.

“Hey,” he added as he turned away. “You’re coming to dinner tomorrow night, right?”

“I’ll be there,” I said, nodding confirmation. Once a month, Greg and Janet hosted a Friday night dinner for their family, and they included me in the count.

“Bring Allison,” he suggested. “If she’s having a hard time making friends, Daphne and Willa would be good for her. You know they’ll immediately make her part of the group.”

“That’s a good idea,” I admitted, even though I knew if I showed up with her people would automatically assume we were a couple, and it might lead to some awkward conversations.

Still, he was right—Daphne and Willa were both close to Allison’s age and would make her feel welcome. That would give her two good girlfriends here, and since they were both pretty popular in the community, having them as friends would give her some automatic credibility.

Although part of me wasn’t quite ready to share her.

“It’s settled then,” he said. “I’ll tell Janet to add another place setting to the table. Now go on and get out of here. That paperwork will wait until morning and you know it.”

“Yes, sir,” I said, giving him a salute.

He just laughed and headed out the door.

And with a smile on my face, I grabbed my stuff and followed him.

“This place is adorable,” Allison said, her face lighting up as she took in all the details of the historic home-turned-café. “You said Luna owns it?”

“Yeah. She bought this place and turned it into a restaurant about a year ago.”

Allison shook her head. “It’s so fun to see how people we were in school with turned out. I remember how Luna loved to play with the miniature kitchen at the children’s library. Now she owns a restaurant of her own.”

“Yeah.” I grinned. “And I can remember you walking around with the toy stethoscope.”

Allison’s face broke into a smile. “I did! You’re right. I don’t remember what you used to play with though. Do you?”

“Nah,” I said, shaking my head and keeping my grin on, even though a flicker of pain hit my heart. “I don’t think I was ever much into toys.”

Allison looked like she could see right through me. “Yeah, probably not,” she said, but the sadness in her voice told me she had remembered the same thing I did—how I had learned early on that if Russell picked me up and saw me playing with anything at all, he’d find a way to humiliate me for it in front of all the other kids.

The toy kitchen was women’s work. The doctor set was ridiculous because I was too stupid to ever become one. Books? I was a sissy, wasting precious time reading dumb fairytales.

The only thing he would have been happy to have me play with were the toy guns, but only if I was the bad guy. And that was the one thing I had been determined to never be. If he had caught me playing the role of a cop? He’d probably have called me a traitor and killed me that night.

“Anyway,” I said, deliberately changing the subject. “Luna did a great job with the project. She really kept the character of the old house. You can rent out the top floor for meetings or events. The bottom is open for lunch and dinner as a café. It’s been pretty popular, especially with the tourists.”

“I can see why.” She peered at the counter. “Lobster bisque? Fresh mozzarella with toasted hazelnuts, balsamic glaze, and truffle oil?” She clapped her hands like a little girl. “Everything sounds incredible.”

“Thank you,” Luna herself said, walking in just in time to catch Allison’s excitement.

I watched the surprise on Allison’s face as she took in the sight. Luna had grown up into a stunning woman who liked to dress like she was heading to dinner at a castle or something instead of running a restaurant in Rosemary Mountain. She always knew how to make an entrance, that was for sure.

“Hey, Jackson,” Luna said, giving me a smile.

“Hey, Luna. Remember Allison from school?”

Luna turned to Allison, keeping her face cool, though I noticed the quick flicker of surprise in her eyes. “Allison Bell, right?”

“That’s right,” Allison replied with a warm smile. “It’s great to see you after all these years. Congratulations on the restaurant! I can’t wait to try it.”

Luna shrugged and held up a graceful hand as if it was nothing. The red jewels on her bracelet sparkled in the light. “Thank you,” she said. “I hope you enjoy it. Welcome back to the mountain. I’ve heard you’re taking over the family practice on the square?”

“I am,” Allison confirmed.

“Good luck. You’ll need it,” Luna said, raising her eyebrows. She turned her body away from us to address the girl behind the register as we moved up to the front of the line. “The detective eats on the house tonight. Come see me sometime, Jackson.” She squeezed my arm, then gave me a wink as she turned and headed up the stairs to the top floor.

“Ohhh,” Allison whispered. “Someone has a crush on you.”

I just laughed and gave my order to the girl at the counter. “And whatever she wants,” I said, gesturing to Allison.

The girl hesitated. “I think I can only give you yours for free.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “But I’m paying for hers.”

“You don’t have to do that, Jackson,” Allison protested.

I shook my head, feeling annoyed that Luna had comped mine but not Allison’s. I’d rather it have been the other way around or not get comped at all. Luna had always been nice, but her behavior tonight confused me. “I get to eat for free more often than you’d think, and sometimes I’d rather pass it on to someone else.”

Allison hesitated. “Okay. If you’re sure. But I’m getting yours next time.”

“Not necessary.” I passed my card to the girl checking us out. “Order whatever you want,” I said, turning back to Allison. “I just saw my favorite table open up, and I’m going to grab it before someone else does.”

Allison laughed. “Okay. Be there in a sec.”