mean love was on a woman’s mind. No, it might just mean “I want you…until someone better comes along.”
He’d spent the past three months volunteering on too many committees at Lane’s End High, helping his brother’s daughter, Melissa, and trying to forget he’d ever fallen in love with Kate.
So what was he doing meeting Genevieve at a coffee shop?
Because there’d been something in her eyes that broke his heart. She looked as if she needed a friend. That, he could do.
After they both arrived at the café, Cary guided her to an empty table and flagged over the waitress. She quickly took their orders, then disappeared.
As Gen slipped their menus back in the holder at the end of the table, she looked pretty pleased with herself.
Cary was intrigued. “What’s the joke?”
Her smile widened. “Oh, nothing, really. I’m just feeling pretty proud of myself for not ordering any of the pastries on the menu. Ordinarily, I’d have had an éclair or two.”
“You’ve got a sweet tooth?”
“One about the size of Alaska.”
He laughed. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with a woman who wasn’t constantly worried about every morsel she ingested.”
“That sure isn’t me! I tend to worry about other things.” A shadow crossed her face. “Like this. I don’t usually ask men I’ve just met to coffee.”
“Then we’re even. I don’t usually get asked out at the pet store.” When her eyes widened, he added hastily, “Good thing it’s just coffee, huh?”
She relaxed visibly. “Yeah. Good thing.”
Hoping to set her at ease, Cary asked, “So, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a cop.”
“Yeah?” Taking in her form, Cary had to admit the occupation fit. Tall and athletic, her personality strong and assertive, Gen Slate looked born to the job. “I’ve never known a cop before. I mean, beyond the occasional parking or speeding ticket. What kind of cop are you? Traffic? Vice? Homicide?”
“You’ve been watching too many detective shows,” she said, her dark blue eyes brightening. “In a town like Lane’s End we do everything that’s needed. Luckily there isn’t much need for a homicide unit.”
After the server delivered their drinks, Gen sipped hers delicately. That purely feminine trait intrigued him. “So…” he prodded.
“I just joined the local police department. I was on patrol in Cincinnati for five years. Now I’m learning to adjust to small-town life. Again.”
“How’s it going?”
“So far, so good. I’m beginning to realize change is a good thing.”
He’d heard that, too, which made him wonder why he’d been so complacent for so long. Maybe it was time to think about other things besides dating women he’d known for years, work and family obligations.
Maybe it was time to shake things up a bit.
“Most of my day is spent handling regular stuff,” Gen said. “Domestic disputes. Kids drinking and driving. The occasional traffic stop.” Pausing, she added, “I bet I’ve unlocked more car doors and investigated more dog-barking violations in the past month than I did during the whole time in CPD.”
“I’m fascinated.”
“You’re nuts!” she exclaimed with a laugh. “Being a cop is not fascinating. But I do love the job. I’d go crazy if I had to sit at a desk all day.”
“I feel the same way about my job. Teaching high school assures me that I’ll never have a dull moment.”
“I guess you can get pretty attached to your students.”
Cary nodded as he thought of the fine line he walked between confidant and authority figure at Lane’s End High. “I have gotten to know quite a few of them well. Some need another person who cares about their lives…others just need someone to listen. It comes with the territory.”
Genevieve relaxed and realized with some surprise that she was enjoying herself. Cary was interesting and easy to talk to. Maybe this little coffee date would lead to another date. And another.
Maybe then she’d forget all about Keaton.
Maybe—
The sharp ring of her cell phone broke through that little daydream. “Sorry, I’ve got to answer this,” she murmured when she saw it was the precinct calling. “Slate.”
“I know you’re off the clock, but we need some backup on east I-275. You anywhere near there?” Allison, the dispatcher on duty, asked.
With a frown, Gen mentally figured how far she was from the highway. “Five minutes. Eight tops.”
“Good.” With practiced, measured tones, Allison launched into details about the accident.
Gen processed the information quickly. “I’m on my way.”
“Problem?” Cary asked, standing up as she did.
“Yeah, sorry.” Quickly she fished for a five in her jeans pocket. “Here. I’ve got to—”
“Save your money. My treat.” When she looked at him in surprise, he added, “It’s just coffee, Slate. No big deal.”
Though she knew he was right, Gen felt her spirits deflate. Slate. Men who wanted to be only friends called women by their last names. For a brief moment she’d hoped they could have been more.
As she strode to her car, Gen realized she was glad she’d taken the time to get to know Cary Hudson. Even if they never saw each other again, it had been good to put herself out there and meet new people.
Gen also had a feeling that Sadie was probably worming her way out of her metal kennel at that very moment, irritated her Mighty Munchies were nowhere in sight.
As Gen imagined a hungry Sadie foraging in the kitchen unsupervised, she hoped she’d remembered to shut the pantry door.
Chapter Two
Cary wrote the last of the theorem on the whiteboard, then turned to face his class. “Don’t forget to refer to these notes when you do page one hundred fifty-six for homework.”
As expected, groans erupted across the room. There was a big pep rally planned for the afternoon as the basketball team was now two games away from making the district finals. Glancing at the clock, he feigned surprise. “Would you look at that? I must have miscalculated the time. We still have fifteen minutes of class. Some of you might be able to get the majority of the assignment done before the bell.”
Almost simultaneously, twenty pencils hit the desks. Well, twenty
