Page 17 of Sleigh My Heart

He motioned with a swipe of his arm. “Lead the way.”

She pulled out her key fob as they entered the parking lot. Nick smirked. “Do I have to ride in the back?”

“Only if I cuff you.” She smirked.

Well, now. He could think of a few scenarios where cuffs came into play, and none of them involved him being arrested.

***

It’s just lunch. A couple of coworkers eating food. We all need sustenance, right? Sure… except Nick wasn’t her coworker, not in the slightest. Yes, he insinuated himself into her case, but he wasn’t a cop. Even if he did have one of the best intimidating stares and a presence that had people talking. True, he was big and scary when he wanted to be, but when he turned on that boyish smile… mmm, people melted.

Okay, it might have only been her.

Just then, the waitress flipped her hair and ran a hand over her hip as she passed by their table again.

Nope. It wasn’t just her.

“We can take five minutes to eat here. You didn’t have to tell her we were taking it to go.” Michelle leaned back in her chair.

“I need the sleigh back.”

“I get this is a tradition, but what’s got your undies in a bunch? The police can handle it.” Didn’t he have any faith in her abilities? He hadn’t wanted her to go into law enforcement. Well, too bad. She had and was dang good at it.

Nick stared up at the ceiling tiles. She could see the gears in his head working. Probably working on an answer that wouldn’t piss her off.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you or Jim. Heck, or the rest of the force. My mom was an officer, remember?”

Her head dropped—a single nod. How could she forget? Officer Jolley died in the line of duty when Nick and Michelle were sixteen. After that, he tried for over a year to talk her out of becoming an officer. Michelle gave an internal snort. Like going into the military was any safer.

He sighed, as if he was about to expose something soul-deep. “I have to get it back for the festival, or… all the kids will be let down.”

“Why do I get the feeling that isn’t the only reason?” She cocked a brow and waited for him to cave. Communication had always been tough for him, but she knew how to wear him down.

He took a drink of his water and moved his stare back to the ceiling tile, then to the door.

Michelle ignored his gaze and kept hers focused on him. She caught the way his forehead creased and his mouth turned down. His grip tightened on the glass.

There was more than the town children’s merriment at risk.

Looking over her shoulder, he finally spoke. “My boss made it clear that the mall is in danger if the festival doesn’t go off as planned. All of us could be out of a job.”

It still didn’t make sense to Michelle. He’d been here less than a year. Who made him the savior of the mall?

Maybe there was more to Nick’s job than she realized. Wouldn’t he have his pension from the military? That should give him a cushion. Didn’t his wife work? She almost asked the question, but bit her cheek before the words slipped out. It was none of her business. Just because the Nick she knew years ago had been a miser, that didn’t mean he was now. She hadn’t seen him in twenty years. A lot could have changed. She sure did.

Before she could speak, the waitress appeared with a large bag and two drinks in a carrier. When Nick pulled out his wallet, the woman waved him off. “It’s on the house.” She turned to Michelle and smiled. “Thank you for your service.”

They thanked her and headed out.

“Does that happen often?” Nick asked.

Michelle shrugged. “Most of the local restaurants have a policy to comp meals for police and military in uniform.”

“I’m not in uniform. She didn’t know I was military.”

“I’m sure it’s because you were with me. She probably assumed you were a plain-clothed officer.” Or, she wrote her number on a napkin in the bag. Michelle would put money on it, but she didn’t need to boost Nick’s ego, so she kept quiet.

He dug into the bag as she drove. Nick pulled out the napkins and handed her one, along with a burger. He looked at the one in his hand, then crumbled it up and threw it back into the bag as he pulled out the fries.