In Your Dreams (Blue Heron #4)(66)

“You and that Taser. Enjoy.”

“I will.” Her eyes flickered to him. “Jack. How are you?”

He stood up. “I’m fine. I’m here to see you, actually.”

“Got a complaint to file?”

“No.” He waited, and her cheeks got even redder.

“Didn’t you two go to a wedding together?” Carol asked. “Are you dating? Levi, I’m leaving. It’s almost five, and the neighbors are coming for dinner.”

“Lucky neighbors,” Jack said.

“Oh, you!” Carol, who was about a foot shorter than Jack, wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug. “Come visit me sometime.”

“Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson?” Jack countered.

“I’ve thought about it,” she said. “I might be a tiny bit old for you. Ask Emmaline instead. She’ll go out with you.”

“Is that true, Em?”

“In your dreams,” Em said.

Damn, she was cute.

“I’m leaving, too,” Levi said. “Jack, see you around.” He left, holding the door for Carol. Everett was clicking through some pictures, his cheeks bulging with donuts.

Jack looked down at Emmaline, who was fidgeting with her jacket zipper. “Hi,” he said.

“Hi.” Tone not encouraging.

“I hear you need a chemistry tutor for your group of kids.”

“How’d you know that?”

“Tom Barlow.”

“Right.” She folded her arms across her chest. “We do. You in?”

“Yep. You could’ve asked me yourself.”

“We meet every Tuesday night in the church basement at Trinity Lutheran. If you can’t make tonight, come by next—”

“I can make tonight.”

She gave a nod. “Okay, I have to run home, change, walk my dog and eat something. See you there.”

“Or I could come with you. Meet your dog.” Watch you change. “Come on, Emmaline. I thought we were friends.”

She didn’t answer.

“Look,” he said quietly. “The truth is, I like talking to you. I like being with you. My life is kind of a mess right now. I can’t sleep, my ex-wife is hanging around and now I’m screwing up at work. So yeah, I have...issues. You were right. I’m not looking for a relationship, but I could really use a friend.”

“Okay,” she said almost before he finished. “I’m sorry if I was rude the other night. I can do friends.”

“Thank you.”

The blush flared again. “You won’t thank me when you see what I have for dinner.”

* * *

OKAY, SO THIS was...nice, Em thought as they left the police station. Her kids’ group did need a science tutor. And if Jack wanted a friend, well, hell, she liked him, too. She could handle friendship. She’d love to be friends. Naked friends.

No, no, none of that, she cautioned herself.

Jack was looking for a distraction. He had just admitted he didn’t want a relationship. Friends with clothes on, that’s what they’d be.

They left the building, and Em broke into a run. Levi was crouched on the sidewalk, talking to someone on the ground. “Chief?” she said, drawing her radio. “Everything okay?”

Ah.

Hadley Boudreau was scenically arranged on the ground, her dress hiked up, just shy of slutty and just enough to show that she was wearing thigh-high stockings, the tops of which were lace. And really. It was eighteen degrees out. Full battalion makeup, perfectly applied. Em had never been able to pull off red lipstick, but Hadley sure knew what she was doing.

“Just trying to convince Ms. Boudreau to go to the hospital and get this checked out,” Levi said, giving Em a significant look.

Em glanced over her shoulder at Jack. “I think this belongs to you,” she said to him, then looked back at Scarlett O’Hara.

And like Scarlett, Hadley Boudreau had a way with men and a calculating look in her eye.

“I think my pride’s hurt more than anything else, Chief Cooper. Jack, I was driving past and saw your truck, figured I’d catch you and then the next thing I knew, I’m ass over teakettles here on the ground.”

“Imagine that,” Jack said, his tone sawdust-dry.

Good for him.

Hadley started to move, then pursed her cherry lips in pain.

Em tried not to roll her eyes. She wondered how long it had taken Hadley to arrange herself so just the right amount of thigh was showing. “Can you put any weight on it?” she asked.

“Oh, Chief!” Hadley said. “I heard you’re married to Jack’s sister! She’s the sweetest thing. I always thought of her as a kindred spirit.”

Em sure as hell hoped not, for Levi’s sake. She clicked on her radio. “Gerard, get your lazy ass out here. We have a casualty in the parking lot.”

“Roger that,” Gerard said.

Hadley sliced a look Em’s way. “I don’t mean to inconvenience anyone,” she said, an edge to her perfectly lovely husky voice.

“They’re right here. No inconvenience at all,” Emmaline said.

“I just need a hand up. Jack? I feel like an idiot already—don’t make me lie here all the livelong day.”