Page 4 of Espresso Your Love
“I just arrived last night. I’m temporarily staying at the Cozy Nook Inn until I find a place. My original accommodations fell through.”
“Oh, sorry to hear that. Well, we’ll put the word out, and I’m sure we can rally and help you find a place to stay.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I wanted you to come in today to see the place and meet everyone. It’s more than a job here. It’s a community. And with us being a smaller town, well, community is important here. And everyone can’t wait to meettheRyan Hayes either.”
“I’m honored to be here, sir.”
“Let’s go meet the team.” He pats me on the shoulder then we leave his office.
We walk through the bullpen, and the chief introduces me to a few officers and a firefighter.
“Ryan Hayes, this is Officer Gabe Lawson and Firefighter James Bennett.” I shake their hands. “And this is your partner, Ethan Mitchell.”
Mitchell looks about forty, a few gray hairs popping through. “Chief Dobbs has been bragging about you for weeks. Nice to finally meet you.”
We shake hands. “You too, Mitchell.”
“Ryan’s original housing fell through so if any of y’all hear of a place, let him know. I’ll leave you to it. Mitchell will show you around.”
“Thank you, Chief Dobbs.” I nod.
“Oh, was it Old Man Tiller’s place?” Mitchell asks.
“Uh, yeah, actually. How did you know?”
“There’s always something repopulating near Old Tiller’s. Last year, the rabbits took over.” Lawson chuckles. “What is it this time?”
I clear my throat. “Well, he said it was goats.”
“Sounds about right,” Bennett chimes in. “He might as well stop trying to rent it and just turn it into a petting zoo.”
So the goats are real…Not that I really thought he’d be lying but also…goats? And apparently rabbits too. I might have dodged a bullet with that rental.
I really must be in for a treat with the kinds of calls we’ll be getting out here. Probably less stalkerish and more “rabbits are invading my home” type calls.
Ethan taps me on the arm, breaking away from the conversation. “Hey, I actually might know a place. Let me make a call and see if it’s still available.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.”
He gives me a nod and offers to show me around the station. We walk through the rest of the precinct. He shows me the locker room, interrogation rooms, training room, and the kitchen. We walk through an overview of what my first day might look like.
Everyone is nice, easygoing, and welcoming. The chief is more down-to-earth than I expected. He was always nice on the phone, but my last chief was a man of few words. He wasn’t cruel by any means; he just did what was needed to get the job done.
Max and I head back to the Cozy Nook Inn to call it a day. Hopefully, the place Ethan mentioned is available so I can get settled in. Even though I didn’t bring much, it would still be nice to not be cooped up in a bed-and-breakfast. It’s not all bad, though. The breakfast this morning was phenomenal. And the coffee at Coffee Loft was better than any coffee shop in the city. I’ll definitely be going back, and maybe Max can distract the pretend-I’m-typing blonde again.
I park outside the inn and head inside. It’s an old farmhouse in need of some TLC, but the old woman who runs it has been sweet, just like everyone else in this town. I walk through the front door which lets out a little chime. And the elderly woman comes out from the living room.
“Back so soon, dear? You’re young and hip. I thought you’d be out on the town, exploring.” She walks over to the front desk and starts cleaning it up.
It’s an antique desk with little trinkets all around. A check-in book and a bell sit at the front. She moves the trinkets and wipes them down with a towel.
“Well, I’d say we had a successful day. Didn’t we, Max?” I look down at him and pet his head. “We went to Coffee Loft down the road, and I had to stop by the precinct.”
“Did you walk down Main Street?” she asks as she continues to wipe the desk off.
“No, not yet.”
