“I think I understand,” she said.

“Tell me something, and tell me the truth—were you tempted, for even a second, to follow him home and get him back on his feet?”

She looked at him pleadingly. “I invested a lot in him, in his family. All I wanted was to be appreciated. And now he does appreciate me. Too late, but...”

“Ouch,” Scott said.

“But I wouldn’t,” she said. “I wouldn’t.”

“Listen. Take some time,” he whispered. “Hold the baby, help your sister, think about what you really want. Make your next move the right one. For both our sakes.”

“I will. I’ll call you,” she said. “I’m not running away. This is pure coincidence.”

“I just want you to be safe. And happy. Take as much time as you need. Come back if you’re....” He swallowed. “Take your time. Be sure,” he said.

Fifteen

Gina watched her husband walk across the street toward the diner from his office. She admired the fine figure he cut in his deputy’s uniform. The young girls in town called him Deputy Yummy Pants.

Ever since he’d moved to town over four years ago, he had occupied that office, and from the beginning, before they’d become a couple, he’d been having his morning coffee break with Gina unless there was other pressing police business. Mac had four deputies working for him, and between them, the town was always covered. Mac had taken good care of the town.

And now this was going to change. He was moving on. Moving up.

He walked in, took his usual seat at the counter and collected his kiss. It was the public kiss—just a little matrimonial smack.

“I got the call¸” he said. “Would you like to sleep with Lieutenant McCain tonight?”

“Is he as lovely as Sergeant McCain? Or should I just put a call in to Mac, who always steps up? When is it happening?”

“Soon. A couple of weeks. My replacement is coming in about a week. He’s held a satellite office like this before, though in a smaller town, so it shouldn’t be a big transition for him. And then I start working in Coquille.”

Gina and Mac had been talking about the possibility for months. This promotion gave Mac more responsibility, worse hours and a small raise. “It feels like the end of an era to me,” Gina said. “We did our whole courtship right here at this lunch counter.”

“Except for the really good parts,” he said with a distinct twinkle in his eye.

Mac and Gina had been good friends, both single parents whose teenage daughters were best friends. They were in love for years, neither of them daring enough to cross the line from friends to lovers. Gina took all the credit for finally making him see they had much more potential. Once she pushed him, Mac was ready to marry her right away. The funniest part was that the whole town had known they were in love before they did.

“I bet you know the new guy pretty well—Seth Sileski,” Mac said.

Her mouth dropped open. She was speechless. She knew Seth worked for the county sheriff’s department, but she’d seen him very rarely over the years. It wasn’t as though they’d ever been friends. They hadn’t been in the same class in high school, and he ran with an entirely different crowd.

“He’s been trying to get back this way for years,” Mac said. “I can’t wait to talk to his dad.”

“Ah, you might want to brace yourself,” Gina said. “There’s some bad blood between father and son.”

“Really? He seems anxious to get over here. He’s even talking about moving. What’s up with that?”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure of the details. I mean, I’m aware of the gossip, but I wasn’t part of the in crowd when Seth was the town football hero—I was a high school dropout with a baby. But gossip is an equal opportunity sport—of course I heard it. He’s the youngest of three Sileski boys, and he went to the University of Oregon on a scholarship, quit school to take a nice pro contract, then something went wrong. He was in some kind of accident, he couldn’t play ball anymore and lost the contract. I gather it was his fault or something. Norm’s been pissed off ever since.”

“Is that so?” Mac asked. “Well, Norm’s a little on the cantankerous side even when he’s happy. I don’t know Seth that well, but he’s a good enough guy. He’s respected in the department. I know he hasn’t had an easy time—took him a long time to get hired on, but he was determined. I wonder if that’s what’s wrong with his leg—the accident.”

“What about his leg?”

“He has a limp,” Mac said. “Haven’t you noticed?”

“I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen him in the last fifteen years. I don’t recall noticing a limp.”

“He must be okay—he made it through all his physicals and the academy. And he said he was looking forward to this transfer because he has family here.”

“His mother. I think he’s close to his mother and brothers. It’s just Norm who can’t get over Seth failing at his big break. And the two older boys aren’t in Thunder Point, but they’re still around. Jeez, it’s been a good fifteen years since he went to college. Norm might be holding on to his disappointment a little over-long. Besides, I can’t imagine holding a grudge because a kid lost a football contract—no matter how stupid my kid had been, I’d be so damn grateful he wasn’t killed!”

“I’ll say. Maybe I won’t raise the subject with old Norm.”

“Brilliant idea,” Gina said. Then she smiled, leaned over the counter and whispered, “Congratulations, Lieutenant McCain. I’m very proud of you.”

* * *

Scott walked into the diner just after the lunch hour. When Gina saw him coming, she smiled and gave a little shake of her head. This was the second time he’d come in today. Gina had worked on Saturday, and he’d been in then, too. She sure hadn’t seen this much of him before Peyton left town.

“And what can I get for you, kind doctor?” she asked.

“Is the tuna fresh?”

“Yes.” She laughed. “Stu may not be the best fry cook, but we’re very conscientious about the quality and freshness of the food. Have you ever been sick after eating here?”