Letters to Molly (Maysen Jar, #2)(43)

He was wearing his signature jeans and black Bozeman Police Department polo. His holstered gun and shiny badge were clipped on his leather belt. His hair was pushed back away from his forehead by the aviator sunglasses he was never without.

Cole Goodman had hot cop perfected. With those light-green eyes and a body toned to steel, he was the detective every woman wanted on the Bozeman Police Department’s annual calendar. However, much to the female population’s disappointment, they’d been doing local scenery, cutting themselves short on fundraising opportunities.

I loved him for Poppy. She was his life, along with their kids, and I hoped he used his handcuffs on her regularly.

“Get a room,” I teased when their kiss dragged on.

Cole just grinned against Poppy’s mouth. When they eventually broke apart, he threw an arm around her shoulders and surveyed the table. “What are you making?”

“Raspberry compote for the chocolate mousse. I was experimenting earlier, and it turned out all right.”

“More than all right.” I rolled my eyes at her modesty. “It’s amazing. So good it made the menu for the anniversary celebration.”

“Have any more?”

She frowned. “No, I only made four. If I had known you were coming, I would have saved mine for you.”

“It’s okay, beautiful. It’s never a hardship eating the apple pie.”

“What do you want for lunch?”

He shrugged, letting her go. “Surprise me.”

Poppy grinned and went to the fridge, pulling out a tomato, lettuce and some leftover bacon. Then she grabbed some sourdough from the pantry shelf.

“Had I known you’d be willing to make one of your famous BLTs, I would have skipped the mousse too,” I said.

Her BLTs were my favorite. Poppy wasn’t satisfied with mayonnaise on the sandwich. She’d mix in a bunch of spices that took the simple sandwich to the next level. But like a lot of her recipes, the spice mixture was impromptu. It was never the same, though always delicious.

“Want one?” she asked.

I was full, but these sandwiches were not to miss. “Would you go halvsies?”

Before she could answer, the door swung open again.

My heart skipped as Finn walked inside. With his natural swagger and sexy grin, which let a few of his straight white teeth show, the man’s presence had always sent zings through my body.

“Hey, guys.” He waved and walked over to shake Cole’s hand. “What’s going on?”

“Just came down for lunch. You?”

“Same.”

“I was just making BLTs,” Poppy told him. “Want one?”

He rubbed his hands together, practically drooling. “Hell, yeah. I’m starving. I missed breakfast today.”

I dropped my gaze to my feet, hoping to hide my flushed cheeks. With the kids gone, he didn’t have to rush out of the house before dawn, so I’d been making him breakfast every morning. I’d been just about to crack some eggs this morning when he’d come into the kitchen and kissed my neck. That kiss had led to another, then another, until we were horizontal on the kitchen floor, Finn’s mouth between my legs.

Technically, he’d had me for breakfast.

And coffee. I was a generous hostess. I’d sent him on his way with a travel mug of coffee after he’d filled me with his own release.

“Hey.” Finn came to stand on my side of the table.

The magnetic pull was there, the urge to stand close enough that our arms would touch. But we fought it, standing stiffly, twelve inches apart to maintain distance. His fresh, outdoorsy scent was even more appealing than Poppy’s cooking. It was impossible not to stare a moment too long at his bright-blue eyes as they glinted with mischief.

He was definitely thinking about his breakfast.

My cheeks hurt as I forced myself not to smile.

“What are you guys up to tonight?” Cole asked.

“Nothing,” I answered too fast.

“Probably having sex,” Poppy muttered.

“What?” Finn’s mouth hung open as Cole muttered, “Huh?”

“Poppy,” I hissed.

She turned from the flattop, spatula in hand, and waved it in a circle. “As soon as you both left, I was going to tell Cole anyway.”

“So much for keeping it to ourselves,” Finn grumbled.

“Sorry. It just sort of came out.”

“It’s okay.” He ran a hand through his hair, the red strands sticking up funny. “You two don’t have secrets.”

I smiled. He understood my friendship with his sister so well.

“Are you guys getting back together?” Cole asked.

“No,” we answered in unison.

“It’s, uh . . .” Finn trailed off. “Complicated.”

Well, at least I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know how to explain our affair.

Cole left the explanation at that, maybe because as a detective, he knew when he’d hit a dead end in a line of questioning.

“What were you going to ask about for tonight?” Finn asked.

“Oh.” Cole picked up a raspberry and plopped it in his mouth. “My parents want to take the kids for the night. Since we’re all kid-less, I thought we could go out and get a beer or something.”