sore muscles. I didn’t hear a word of complaint from him at the breakfast table this morning, and he took his tennis shoes to school today. Believe me, lately he’s the first to complain if he’s upset about something.”
“Good. I know it wasn’t comfortable for him running around the baseball field in loafers, but everyone who shows up participates. I didn’t want him to be any different.”
Gabriel brushed against her as he reached to open the door at the same time she did. Rebecca stepped away, nonplussed by the casual touch. Their gazes linked for a few seconds before Gabriel swung the door open and called, “Mabel, I believe you’ve already met Rebecca Michaels. She’s our new file clerk. Rebecca will be starting tomorrow at eight. You’ll be working closely with Mabel, helping her with her job.”
“Welcome aboard.” Mabel pumped Rebecca’s hand several times.
“She used to be in the Navy,” Gabriel whispered so loud everyone within a few feet could hear.
“And proud of it. I run a tight ship.” The older woman’s hair was pulled back in a severe bun, her clothes crisp and clean and her stance ramrod straight as though a board were stuck down her back.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mabel.” Rebecca resisted the urge to rub her arm after its vigorous workout. Even though she hadn’t had a job since high school, she knew it was important for her to start out on the right foot with a co-worker. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Eight sharp.”
Rebecca smiled, but she was worried. She knew the value of being on time to a job, especially a new one, but with two children, plans and schedules didn’t always work out as she wished. She would just have to get up earlier tomorrow morning. She was determined that Gabriel’s faith in her would pay off.
“Mom!” Peter yelled from the top of the stairs. “I can’t find my tennis shoes. I have to have them!”
Rebecca hurried out of the kitchen, carrying Josh in her arms. “Where did you put them last?”
“If I knew that, I would know where they were.”
She stopped at the bottom of the steps and tried to think where Peter would have put his shoes. Nothing came to mind except the fact she only had twenty minutes to get to work. She was not going to be late the first day. “Okay, retrace your steps yesterday when you came home from practice.”
“Mom, I’ve already done that. I can’t remember. I was so tired—” Peter’s face lit up, and he spun on his heel and raced for his room. A minute later he reappeared, wearing his tennis shoes. “I kicked them under the bed.”
“Why?”
“I was angry at Coach Stone.”
“Why?”
“Just was.”
Her son’s expression closed, and Rebecca knew she wouldn’t get an explanation from him. That left Gabriel. She intended to ask him when she got to work on time.
Rebecca hurried into the kitchen to finish feeding Josh his breakfast. She propped her youngest in his high chair and started to spoon some cereal into his mouth.
“Here, let me do that, Rebecca. You still have to get ready for work.”
Rebecca looked at her grandmother, then at the clock on the wall. She had fifteen minutes to get to work.
Rushing into the small bathroom under the stairs, she ran a comb through her hair and then raced out. Only seven minutes to get to work. She hoped all the police were at the station, because she found herself pressing her foot on the accelerator more than she should. She could imagine the headline in the local newspaper—Newest Member of Police Staff Caught Speeding.
She brought the car to a shrieking halt in a parking space right in front of the building, happy some things were going her way. Hurrying inside, she glanced at her watch and was glad to see she was only two minutes late. She had made it on time—well, practically on time—for her first day of work.
“You’re late, Mrs. Michaels. Try to be here on time in the future. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done.” Mabel stood behind her desk outside Gabriel’s office, her expression stern, her stance reminding Rebecca of a drill sergeant.
Rebecca stopped halfway across the room, aware of Gabriel to the side, talking with one of his officers. He turned toward her, a scowl on his face, and her heart sank.
A smile transformed Gabriel’s face almost immediately. He said a few more words to the officer, then headed toward Rebecca, his eyes warm with a welcome. “I wanted to be here to greet you your first day at work.”
Everything would be all right, Rebecca thought, forgetting other people were nearby while she basked in the warmth of Gabriel’s greeting.
He slid a glance toward Mabel, who stood behind her desk watching them, and lowered his voice. “She’s tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Give her time.”
Rebecca eased her tense muscles and returned Gabriel’s smile. “I didn’t think I should get a speeding ticket my first day on the job. Probably wouldn’t look very good.” She peered at Mabel, who was tapping a pencil against her desktop. “But then, maybe I should have.”
“Just between you and me, no one’s out patrolling at the moment so you’d have been safe. In fact, trying to catch speeders isn’t a high priority for this department. But I don’t condone that kind of behavior, so don’t let anyone know,” Gabriel said in a tough voice while merriment danced in his eyes.
“Wild horses couldn’t drag it out of me.” Rebecca pressed her lips together to emphasize her point, caught up in Gabriel’s playfulness. He had a way of wiping away her worries, of making her see this job was a start to a new part of her life.
“Now don’t be alarmed, but Mabel is heading this way with a look of determination on her face. I realize her nickname is Dragon Lady, but I don’t know what I would do without her. She’s been here so long that she knows where the skeletons are buried.”
Rebecca turned toward the Dragon Lady, who came to a halt right behind Rebecca. Smile, she told herself, and forced her mouth to curve upward, drawing comfort from the fact that Gabriel was next to her. He made her feel she was capable of doing anything. He made her want to lean on him when she knew she couldn’t.
Rebecca stuck her hand out to Mabel. “I’m so glad to be here—”
“Mrs. Michaels,” Mabel said, ignoring Rebecca’s outstretched hand, “we have a lot of work to do today. With Jenny gone these past few days, things have been piling up. If you’re through chitchatting, come with me.”
“Yes, Mrs….” Rebecca realized she didn’t know Mabel’s last name, and somehow she was sure the woman wouldn’t want her to call her by her first name.
“Ms. Preston.” Mabel pivoted and marched toward a desk in the far corner.
Rebecca threw Gabriel a helpless glance, then followed Mabel, all the while eyeing her new desk, which faced a wall with old brown paneling. A pile of folders threatened to topple. Papers scattered across the battered desktop mocked any sense of order.
The
