eyeing the hatbox.
The man had an amazing-looking mouth. Good for…blowing whistles. “A wedding,” she croaked.
“Yours?”
From the size of his lopsided grin, he was trying to be funny. As if she couldn’t possibly be the bride. Had he been chatting with her mother? She pursed her mouth, suddenly feeling cranky. “No, not mine.”
He tilted his head. “Are you sure you’re all right, ma’am?”
“Of course,” she said, drawing back to massage her side. “That is, if you didn’t crack a rib. I’m a registered nurse, Officer Medlock, perfectly capable of administering the Heimlich maneuver to myself.”
He gestured vaguely to her chest area. “But you weren’t doing it.”
She inhaled, indignant. “I was calmly looking for a chair of the proper height.”
The man appeared to be immensely amused. “Well, pardon me. Perhaps I should’ve just watched you turn blue while you looked for the right chair. Or better yet, maybe I should’ve sent you to a clinic on the other side of town.”
Officer Ken was entirely too cocky. Smothering images her unfortunate choice of adjective conjured up, she stood and hurriedly cleared her ill-fated meal.
“Aren’t you going to finish eating?”
“No.” The two Toms were probably looking for her.
“Maybe you should have a doctor check you over.”
And she needed to talk to Rob. “Officer, I think I can make that determination for myself.” Georgia stooped to gather her bags and noticed the man had extremely large feet. Oi.
“I’ll have to file a report on what happened here,” he said. “Should I send you a copy?”
And be reminded of him again? And this spectacle? “No. Goodbye.”
He inclined his head. “Ma’am.”
His honeyed politeness only fueled her anxiety. She dragged her gaze from him and whirled toward the exit just in time for her conscience to kick in. With a chagrined sigh, Georgia turned back. “By the way, Officer, how’s the dog?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, displacing all kinds of muscle. “The vet said he’d be fine.”
“G-good,” she said.
He nodded, his expression unreadable, although she got the impression he wasn’t thinking about the rescued pet.
“Well…thanks.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am.”
She didn’t look back as she left the food court, but she could feel Ken Medlock’s knowing gaze upon her even after she finished her errands and arrived at her apartment. Between the uniform and his massiveframe, the infuriating man packed a powerful punch of sex appeal.
It was a good thing he was so irritating and she was so…fulfilled. Yes, fulfilled.
When she saw the light flashing on her new message recorder, her heartbeat raced. Rob. What would he say? Was he excited by the new phase of their relationship, or had she gone too far? After a deep breath, she pushed the Play button, then jumped when a mechanical voice blasted into the stale air of her apartment.
“Thank you for buying this Temeteck product! This is a test message to allow you to adjust the volume. Press ‘1’ if you don’t want this message to play again.”
Georgia frowned and stabbed the “1” button. Darn it. Oh, well, it was still early. Rob would probably call later. She grabbed a bottle of water and the mail where she’d left it on the table and settled as best she could onto her hard sofa, which she was starting to despise.
Bills, bills, and a letter from her mother. Georgia winced, but decided to get it over with. She slid her finger under the envelope flap, then removed the two pages covered with her mother’s familiar script. Same old, same old. She was extending her visit in Denver with Fannie and Fannie’s perfect family unit. They needed her, after all.
Which meant that she didn’t, of course. Georgia had been their father’s child, Fannie their mother’s. She didn’t begrudge her sister’s seemingly charmed life and abiding happiness, but she did resent her mother’s implication that Georgia was less
The man had an amazing-looking mouth. Good for…blowing whistles. “A wedding,” she croaked.
“Yours?”
From the size of his lopsided grin, he was trying to be funny. As if she couldn’t possibly be the bride. Had he been chatting with her mother? She pursed her mouth, suddenly feeling cranky. “No, not mine.”
He tilted his head. “Are you sure you’re all right, ma’am?”
“Of course,” she said, drawing back to massage her side. “That is, if you didn’t crack a rib. I’m a registered nurse, Officer Medlock, perfectly capable of administering the Heimlich maneuver to myself.”
He gestured vaguely to her chest area. “But you weren’t doing it.”
She inhaled, indignant. “I was calmly looking for a chair of the proper height.”
The man appeared to be immensely amused. “Well, pardon me. Perhaps I should’ve just watched you turn blue while you looked for the right chair. Or better yet, maybe I should’ve sent you to a clinic on the other side of town.”
Officer Ken was entirely too cocky. Smothering images her unfortunate choice of adjective conjured up, she stood and hurriedly cleared her ill-fated meal.
“Aren’t you going to finish eating?”
“No.” The two Toms were probably looking for her.
“Maybe you should have a doctor check you over.”
And she needed to talk to Rob. “Officer, I think I can make that determination for myself.” Georgia stooped to gather her bags and noticed the man had extremely large feet. Oi.
“I’ll have to file a report on what happened here,” he said. “Should I send you a copy?”
And be reminded of him again? And this spectacle? “No. Goodbye.”
He inclined his head. “Ma’am.”
His honeyed politeness only fueled her anxiety. She dragged her gaze from him and whirled toward the exit just in time for her conscience to kick in. With a chagrined sigh, Georgia turned back. “By the way, Officer, how’s the dog?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, displacing all kinds of muscle. “The vet said he’d be fine.”
“G-good,” she said.
He nodded, his expression unreadable, although she got the impression he wasn’t thinking about the rescued pet.
“Well…thanks.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am.”
She didn’t look back as she left the food court, but she could feel Ken Medlock’s knowing gaze upon her even after she finished her errands and arrived at her apartment. Between the uniform and his massiveframe, the infuriating man packed a powerful punch of sex appeal.
It was a good thing he was so irritating and she was so…fulfilled. Yes, fulfilled.
When she saw the light flashing on her new message recorder, her heartbeat raced. Rob. What would he say? Was he excited by the new phase of their relationship, or had she gone too far? After a deep breath, she pushed the Play button, then jumped when a mechanical voice blasted into the stale air of her apartment.
“Thank you for buying this Temeteck product! This is a test message to allow you to adjust the volume. Press ‘1’ if you don’t want this message to play again.”
Georgia frowned and stabbed the “1” button. Darn it. Oh, well, it was still early. Rob would probably call later. She grabbed a bottle of water and the mail where she’d left it on the table and settled as best she could onto her hard sofa, which she was starting to despise.
Bills, bills, and a letter from her mother. Georgia winced, but decided to get it over with. She slid her finger under the envelope flap, then removed the two pages covered with her mother’s familiar script. Same old, same old. She was extending her visit in Denver with Fannie and Fannie’s perfect family unit. They needed her, after all.
Which meant that she didn’t, of course. Georgia had been their father’s child, Fannie their mother’s. She didn’t begrudge her sister’s seemingly charmed life and abiding happiness, but she did resent her mother’s implication that Georgia was less
Similar Books
