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the damage. Those two weeks cut into my Valentine’s Day profits.
And then, I had to fight with the insurance company. They didn’t want to pay
the claim.”
    “Did they?”
    “Yes, but I had to have
inspectors and adjusters come out three or four times. Seems like there was
some discrepancy in the reports. A computer error, they said, once it was
straightened out.”
    “Sounds like you’ve overcome some
troubles.”
    “I’m sure it will be quiet again
tomorrow. But things should pick up once Easter sales get going.”
    “I’m sure they will.” He closed
his notebook. “I think the worst is over. Can I do anything else to help?
Please?”
    Sarah filled a large plastic
dishpan with hot water and started cleaning the sculpting tools. “I guess you
can dry. There are towels in that drawer.” She pointed with her chin. “Can I
interrogate you now?”
    He laughed. “Fire away.”
    “Tell me about yourself,” she
said. “Let me guess. You played basketball in school, right?”
    He chortled and shook his head. “Debate
team in high school. I was tall, but totally uncoordinated. Couldn’t get a ball
near the hoop if I was standing on a ladder. Rowed in college. No fancy
footwork required. Just had to be able to count.”
    “So you’re a six-foot-something
cop who doesn’t like doughnuts and you don’t play basketball. Any other
surprises?”
    “Not really. And I’m six-six.
Nowadays, that’s barely tall enough for pro ball.”
    “Why did you become a cop?”
    “It felt like the right job for
me. Maybe it’s because my mom always used to say, ‘Why isn’t there a cop around
when you need one?’ Then, when she was killed in a hit-and-run, it seemed like
making another cop available was the thing to do. I found out I liked it and I’m
good at my job.”
    “I’m sorry about your mom. Has
she been gone long?”
    “Since I was six. I was lucky. My
grandparents lived nearby, so I always had family around, even when Dad couldn’t
be there for us. Until I went away to college, I spent more time at their place
than at mine.” He turned away, fussed with arranging the tools into a straight
line. “When my grandmother died, she left the house to me.” If Sarah heard his
voice shift, she said nothing.
    “Brothers or sisters?”
    “One older sister. Married, three
kids, lives in Akron, Ohio.”
    “I’m an only. I always wanted a
sister.” Sarah gave the room a final inspection and retrieved her coat and
purse from a closet. “That’s it. Thanks for helping.”
    “My pleasure. Can I give you a
ride home?”
    When she seemed reluctant, he
pressed, telling himself it was his responsibility as a cop to take care of a
citizen. “I insist. It’s dark and getting cold.”
    His pulse jumped when she
accepted.
    They walked across the parking
lot to his F-150. Twice, he resisted the urge to put his hand at her back to guide
her, finally shoving his fists into his pockets. What would have been perfectly
acceptable in an ordinary social circumstance was forbidden him as a cop with a
victim. He glanced her way, noticing that she kept more than a discreet
distance between them.
    What was he thinking? He was a
cop doing his job.
    Yeah, right. Which is why you
divulged your entire life history to someone you’ve just met.
    Most of his colleagues didn’t
know that much about his past.
    And why was he responding,
anyway? Those blue eyes? The way she’d looked at him when he walked into her
store, as if she knew he’d make everything right. Damn. He never got involved
with his cases outside the scope of his job. By the time his mind drifted back
to reality, they’d reached his truck.
    “This is it,” Randy said. Sarah
gave Randy a quizzical look.
    “What?” Randy asked. “Don’t like
my ride?”
    “Oh, no, it’s not that. I guess I
was expecting … you know … a police car.”
    “No, those are for the patrol
officers. Took some doing, but I can use my pickup instead of the standard
unmarked cars. Got