Starting Over at Lane's End (Harlequin Heartwarming) (14 page)

Chapter Twenty

I
T
WAS
RAINING
when Gen woke up after noon on Sunday. The dreary weather suited her mood just fine. At the moment, her future looked bleak.

Cary’s anger had been hurtful. Last night, as the miles had passed and she’d pretended to sleep, she’d used the time to think about her hopes and fears and to imagine how she might have handled things differently. She knew she could’ve explained herself better, but she wasn’t the only one to blame. Cary should have been more patient.

The phone rang. Although every part of her was screaming to ignore it, duty won over.

“Hello? Slate here.”

“Gen, I’ve got news.”

Sam’s voice was jubilant; there really was no other word for it. She sat up. “What’s up?”

“Amy Blythe admitted to the vandalism when I paid her a call this morning.”

Instead of feeling happy, the news only made Gen feel even worse. “What? You saw her without me?”

“Amy’s English teacher contacted me Friday night. She was grading papers and came across a poem Amy had written. It was practically a confession, Gen. I took it right to Lieutenant Banks.”

She was amazed that all of this had happened without her knowing. “Why didn’t anyone contact me?”

“You weren’t on the clock.”

“But this was my case.” Gen closed her eyes in frustration. She should have concentrated on work instead of messing up her life in Columbus.

“Why are you upset? Didn’t you ask for this weekend off?”

“I’m not upset with you. I guess I’m just disappointed I wasn’t there when you spoke to Amy.”

“Actually, I think it was good you weren’t. Amy indicated she had formed a friendship with you. It might have been harder for her to admit everything with you standing there.”

So much for her efforts to befriend the girl. Not only had she not helped Amy, but Gen’s actions had hindered her ability to solve the case. Swallowing back personal concerns, she forced herself to be a professional. “What did she say?”

“The kid has some serious emotional issues. Seems she’s been fixated on Cary and Melissa for a while. She’s jealous of Melissa, of her relationship with Cary and her popularity at school. It appears Amy has the hots for Brian McCullough big-time, too.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t go to Columbus to watch the game then.”

“Her father wouldn’t let her, which made her go off the deep end. She was angry and frustrated. When I showed her the poem, she lost it.”

“But why spray paint Kate’s wall? And my car?”

“It seems she has some kind of hero worship for Cary Hudson. She damaged Kate’s wall when she thought Kate wasn’t being nice to Cary. And she trashed your car when she thought you were getting too close.”

Gen felt sick. “What did Amy’s dad have to say?”

“Not a lot. He’s having a really hard time with it. I guess financially they’ve been having some problems, so he’s been working overtime, which means Amy’s been spending even more time alone.”

“Where is she now?”

“Home.”

“Maybe I should go talk with her?”

“There’s no time. We have roll call in an hour. Sergeant Conrad wanted me to ask you if you’d be willing to report back early. He wants to speak with you ASAP.”

* * *

I
N
A
DAZE
, G
EN
SAT
through roll call, only half listening to the list of petty crimes committed over the past twelve hours. After they were dismissed, Conrad signaled her to his office.

Lt. Banks was already there. “Close the door, Slate,” he said when she appeared.

Obediently Gen clicked the door shut behind her and stood at attention, waiting for them to tell her that she’d failed miserably. For someone who had had so much experience on the streets of Cincinnati, she’d not only
not
solved the case but she’d been out of town when another officer had. She felt worse than a rookie on her first beat.

Conrad playfully nudged her shoulder. “What’s with the stance, Officer? Have a seat.”

Gen looked at both senior men. Neither appeared especially grim, which struck her as odd. Never one to let bad news come to her, she chose to be proactive.

“I spoke with Sam this morning,” she said, giving credit where it was due. “He told me about Amy. That was good work.”

Sergeant Conrad nodded. “It was. I’m glad he took your lead and ran with it. The captain heard from a couple of people from the city council on Friday. They wanted things settled at the school, fast.”

Gen didn’t know what else to say. Should she apologize for taking time off? Warily she looked to the lieutenant, who was examining a stack of papers. Deciding to play it safe, she sat still, mouth shut.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lt. Banks looked up. “I’ve spent quite a bit of time going over your reports from the high school, Gen.”

Had she done something else wrong? “Yes, sir?”

“You did a thorough, commendable job.”

She knew a “but” was forthcoming. “Yes?”

Conrad chuckled. “This is where you say, ‘Thank you,’ Slate.”

Dutifully she opened her mouth to speak.

But the lieutenant silenced her with a hand. “That’s not necessary.” He shuffled the papers again. “In his report, Evan wrote that you made a concerted effort to get to know the staff members and student body.”

“I did.”

He cleared his throat. “In fact, Evan said you bonded so well with the staff that they’re going to miss you when you leave.”

Gen bit her lip and willed herself to keep calm.

“We’d like you to continue in community relations.”

“Sir?”

“Mike Chambers has been our community relations officer for five years. His fluency in Spanish has him working more and more with other departments throughout the city. We’d like you to pick up some of his hours.”

That sounded like a promotion. “Excuse me?”

“Effective immediately, we’d like you back on patrol fifty percent of the time and working with Mike the other half.” The lieutenant leveled a look her way. “How does that sound to you?”

She wasn’t getting fired. She wasn’t under investigation for failing to apprehend Amy in a more timely manner. No one was angry at her for taking personal time.

Far from that, she was receiving commendations and being given a promotion. “It sounds good, sir.”

Conrad crossed his arms over his chest. “Most people in my experience smile when they’re told they’re doing a good job, Slate.”

Gen grinned, relief filling her. “I’m doing my best not to fall on the floor. I was pretty certain I was being called to account for my weekend.”

Lt. Banks tilted his head. “Why? You were clocked off, Gen.”

“Sam took up the slack.”

“That’s what he was supposed to do.”

“But...he solved the case.”

“Using
your
notes and interviews. We work as a team around here. It’s not winner take all.”

Conrad gestured toward the door. “Spend the week finishing your business at the high school, then come back and fill out your paperwork. I told Mike you could meet with him first shift on Thursday...if that works for you.”

“That works just fine.” Gen fought to maintain her self-control. At last, she’d done something right. She was seen as a team player and respected. “Thank you for this opportunity.”

“You’re welcome, Gen.”

With a brief nod, she exited the room. Waved at Sam, who was waiting to get the lieutenant’s signature on a stack of paperwork. Checked her schedule once more. Grabbed a headset. Strode to her vehicle.

When she noticed she was alone in the parking lot, she grinned broadly. Things were terrific. Wonderful. Moving to Lane’s End had been the best thing she’d ever done.

It was only as she was pulling out of the parking lot that she remembered.

Cary.

Just like that, Gen realized she hadn’t done a thing right after all.

* * *

T
HREE
DAYS
PASSED
and Cary still hadn’t spoken to Gen.

Three long, miserable, pointless days.

He’d picked up the phone several times to call her and apologize, but, with one exception, he’d hung up before she’d answered.

The one time he’d stayed on the line, he’d heard her sweet, husky voice on the machine and had closed his eyes.

He’d been such a fool.

What had he been thinking? He’d blown everything out of proportion and made Gen choose between her job and her private life. He’d been so afraid of being hurt again that he’d messed up something great.

What was even worse, she hadn’t even been trying to break up with him; she’d just wanted time.

The past few days had taught him several lessons. He needed to apologize and he needed her back. He was going to do whatever it took to make it up to her. Flowers? A gold bracelet?

No, those weren’t really her style.

But a puppy was.

Cary smiled at the thought. Yeah, a new beagle puppy and a sincerely worded apology ought to do the trick. He needed Gen in his life. He hoped one day she’d feel the same.

* * *

“W
HAT
ARE
WE
GOING
TO
talk about now, Mr. Hudson?” Aaron Kanz said during the end of sixth period on Friday. “Basketball’s over.”

Aaron was right. After months of discussing everything from the Lions’ chances of winning to the NCAA championship, talking about anything else seemed anticlimactic.

“Cross-country running? Tennis?” When Aaron groaned, Cary waited two beats. “Algebra?”

That got more than a few kids to smile, which suited Cary just fine. It had been hard to think about anything but going to state. The excitement of the basketball season combined with the stress from the vandalism and his relationship with Gen had exhausted him.

Bells chimed, signaling the end of class and the end of the week. Cary sat down as the students filed out. After spending the next hour marking papers and entering the grades into the computer, he intended to take a long and hopefully cathartic run with Sludge.

“Hey, Mr. Hudson?”

Cary stood up when he saw Amy Blythe standing at the door. “Come in, Amy. This is a surprise.”

She looked behind her and Cary saw her dad standing there. “You, too, Roger. Have a seat.”

He shook his head. “Thanks, but Amy wanted to do this on her own.”

Amy hesitantly stepped forward. “I just wanted to say I was sorry.”

Cary had been keeping up with what was happening with Amy after she’d confessed. She’d been expelled from Lane’s End High instead of facing criminal charges. In return, her father had agreed to take her for counseling and enroll her in a private school for troubled teens.

He felt for the Blythes. Both were going to be dealing with the consequences of Amy’s actions for years to come.

Cary held out his hand and clasped Amy’s gently. “I’m glad you stopped by.” And because she needed to hear it, he said sincerely, “I forgive you for what you did.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. Everyone makes mistakes.”

Amy gave him a half smile and walked toward the door. “See ya.”

Cary waved before going over to his whiteboard. Seeing Amy reminded him again of how much he missed Gen. He hoped one day soon they, too, could—

“Hey. Am I interrupting anything?”

For a moment Cary was sure his heart had stopped. He shook his head. “Gen.”

“Hi. I had to stop by...needed to tie up some loose ends.” She flipped her ponytail over one shoulder. “Did you see Amy?”

“I did.”

Gen smiled. “I’m going to be her mentor. I...I didn’t want her to think I was only pretending to be her friend.”

“She wouldn’t. That’s not your style.”

“No, it’s not.” Without asking, Gen pulled up a chair and sat down. “Can we talk?”

“Always.” Cary perched on the end of his desk.

“I said goodbye to most of the kids on Tuesday, so this is pretty much my last day.” Glancing into the hallway, she murmured, “It feels strange.” Turning to look at him again, Gen continued. “Believe it or not, I’ve been feeling a little bit sad about leaving this school. I feel like I belong here.”

“You do. Christy and the others...everyone really likes you.” He hesitated for a moment before telling her, “I tried to call you.”

Her cheeks flushed. “You did?”

“Well, I almost called you. I’ve been racking my brain for a way to get you to forgive me.” He didn’t dare mention the puppy—he wanted to give it to her when he was sure the time was right.

“I almost called you, too.” Reaching out her hand, she said, “I’m so sorry about the other night.”

“No, it was my fault.” He shook his head. “I should never have pushed you so much. All I can say is that I had hoped what we had was going to grow into something long-lasting.”

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth, though no sound came out. “I don’t do temporary,” she said. “I never thought of us like that.”

“I never did, either.”

“When you started talking about love and commitment, I was afraid to say too much...I was worried I’d say the wrong thing.”

“I hardly gave you the opportunity, I was so concerned about my own agenda. But I’m ready to listen now, Gen.” He linked his hand with hers.

She stared at their entwined fingers. “I am, too.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve been promoted to working with Mike Chambers in Community Relations. It’s...it’s a good thing.”

“Congratulations.” Cary was happy for her—no matter what happened between them, he’d always feel that she was a
great cop.

“Thanks. Now that the case here is solved, there’s no conflict of interest anymore.”

Cary squeezed her hand as he dared to hope. “None that I can see.”

She sighed and stepped away as though she still needed a little space. “I just wanted you to know...if you do ever want to call me again, I’d pick up the phone. I like you, Cary. I think I was starting to fall in love with you.”

He knew he had fallen. Hard. Now he wondered how he was going to be able to get back up. “I was, too,” he murmured.