Authors: Nikki Vale
I look down at the interview questionnaire she filled out before coming in for the interview. She’s 25 years old. Good, younger than my 32 years, but not too young. Her home address is the same as Acorn Grove’s Bar & Grill. She must be living in the apartment above the bar with Summer. As I’m skimming over the form I hear someone address Skye outside my office.
“Hey there, it’s Skye, right?” I hear a man’s voice ask her. It sounds like Deputy Jon Dark Star. This peaks my curiosity so I lean over in an effort to see, and hear better.
“Yeah, that’s me. Your kissing cousin,” she replies teasingly. Kissing cousin? What? I witness Jon turn an impossible shade of red beneath his brown complexion. Now that she mentioned it, they could be related. I look at her paperwork again. She checked Native American, Caucasian and Black on her questionnaire and I know Jon is part Shawnee so it’s possible they’re related. At least, a man can hope.
“Sorry about that yesterday. I don’t know what got into me,” he apologizes to her. “Are you applying for a job here?” he asks, curious.
“Yeah, I just had the interview. I start Monday as an Emergency Dispatcher,” she informs him.
“That’s great. Maybe we can hang out and have lunch or something sometime,” he suggests, smiling flirtatiously at her. Nope, they’re definitely not related. My hand starts to clench and I realize I’m crumpling her paperwork in my fist. I lay it on the desk and attempt to smooth it out. The damn pretty boy is going to swoop up Skye before I even get the chance to get to know her. I sigh and run my hands through my hair in exasperation.
“Stop your fretting and do something about it Cooper,” Sally says from my doorway. Damn woman, always watching everyone like a hawk. I hate that I’m so obvious. “Don’t worry sweetheart, you’re only transparent to me,” she says, reading my mind.
“In case you missed the last part of the conversation he told her that he’s been invited to her sister Dawn’s birthday party this weekend and that he hopes to see her there. If you want a fighting chance, you might want to make sure you’re there too Boss,” she suggests sympathetically.
Skye
I woke up this morning feeling rested. The bed Summer got for me is the most comfortable bed I’ve slept in for the past 6 years. It’s chilly in the apartment and I’m tempted to snuggle back down into the covers but I need to get up and get ready for this job interview. I roll over and look at the clock on the nightstand. Oh, crap! It’s already 9 o’clock. I have less than an hour to get ready.
I rush past the kitchen and the family room and into the bathroom. Luckily I had the forethought to iron my suit and hang it in the bathroom last night after my shower. I brush my teeth and wash my face then I slip on my turquoise blouse followed by my black two-button blazer with matching classic style slacks. I quickly style my hair in a loose top bun and then debate on whether I should put on any jewelry or makeup. I decide on a set of small diamond stud earrings and some lip gloss and call it good.
I take one last look at myself in the mirror and head out of the bathroom. “Hey there foxy lady,” Summer says startling me half to death.
“I thought you were still sleeping. I’m going to be late if I don’t get out of here soon,” I inform her.
“Yeah, I thought as much. I’m working today. It’s snowing outside so you might want to take my truck,” she says tossing me the keys. “AG’s opens at 11 o’clock for lunch. If you’re hungry after your interview stop in.”
“Great. Thank you for everything Summer,” I say sincerely, heading for the front door.
“Um, Skye? You might want to put on some shoes and a jacket before going outside,” she says chuckling. I’m so nervous I forgot to put on my shoes. I run over to the alcove that is now my room and grab my knee high black leather boots, black pea coat and a red scarf for good measure.
“Now you’re ready to go. You look lovely. Knock’em dead,” Summer says encouragingly.
I head out the door and down the stairs to the old truck and hop in. I sit there for a second and realize I don’t know where the police station is. I pull out my cell phone. It’s already 9:45. Thank goodness for navigation. I pull up the directions and it's only three minutes away, off of Main Street. I keep forgetting I’m in a small town. If it weren’t snowing I could probably walk anywhere in this town in less than 30 minutes.
I turn on the truck and immediately pull out. There’s no use waiting for the truck to get warm when the police station is practically around the corner. It’s a quiet morning, the snow is softly falling and there are only a few inches of it covering the ground. It’s quite beautiful. It would be even better if I were looking at it from the other side of a window in front of a cozy fire with a cup of hot cocoa.
All the lamp posts along the way display Christmas wreaths for the holiday season. Everything about this town is quaint and charming. Well, the verdict is still out on its citizens I haven’t met enough of them to make a fair assessment. If I judged the town based off the few people I have met, the town wouldn’t be on my list of favorites that’s for sure
There it is already. The police station is a small red brick building on the corner of Main Street and Poplar in the middle of town square. That was easy enough to find. I pull into a parking spot in front of the main entrance and quickly hop out of the truck and dash inside to keep from getting too wet from the falling snow.
I walk up to the front desk to let them know I’m here for a job interview and a young woman directs me down the hall to the Sherriff’s office. Now I’m really nervous. I had no idea the sexy Sherriff would be conducting the interview personally. I know this a small police department but don’t they have a personnel division? Listen to me. I sound whiny even to myself. Suck it up Skye, you can do this. You lived in a ten man tent in the Middle East for six months with missiles and mortars going off around you daily. This is a walk in the park.
I see a desk with the name Sally Allbright, Administrative Assistant to Sherriff Talbott.
“Good morning Miss. Can I help you?” Sally asks as I approach her desk.
“Yes, Ma’am. My name is Skye Williams, I’m here to interview for the position of Emergency Dispatcher,” I inform her.
“Oh so you’re the one,” she says. “Here fill out these papers and we’ll be with you shortly,” Sally instructs me, handing me a clipboard and pen. I take a seat in one of the chairs lined against the wall and begin to fill out the interview questionnaire she handed me. Sally stands up revealing a gaudy Christmas sweater similar to the one my grandmother was wearing yesterday. She walks to the Sheriff’s office door, walks in and closes it gently behind her. Within a few minutes she returns to her desk and I hand her the completed paperwork.
“Great. If you’ll just follow me,” she says kindly. She reminds me of Mrs. Garett from that old T.V. show, The Facts of Life, except without the annoying voice.
She knocks softly at the Sherriff’s door. “Sherriff Talbott, your 10 o’clock appointment, Ms. Williams,” Sally formally announces me. She leaves the office and closes the door behind her. I wish she would have left it open. She’s left me all alone with the Sherriff and he makes me edgy.
He stands up and puts out his hand. “Good morning Ms. Williams it’s nice to see you again,” he greets me professionally. I don’t know why I expected anything different. “Please have a seat,” he motions to the chair behind me.
“Can you tell me a little about your work history?” he jumps right in and asks me.
“I recently separated from the Air Force after 6 years due to completion of service. I was a Security Forces Patrol Officer. Most of my experience is conducting normal police officer duties, but I don’t wish to continue down that career path, Sir. I feel that I’m better suited to the position that I’m interviewing for as an Emergency Dispatcher,” I say in response to the question.
“Most enlistments are 4 years. Did you extend your enlistment? And why do you no longer want to be a patrol officer?” he probes further.
“I extended for two extra years because at that time I wasn’t sure if I want to make the military a career yet. I decided that I wasn’t cut out for police work because I don’t like conflict,” I say smiling sheepishly, thinking about the incident with Hailey last night. “I don’t like conflict, but sometimes it likes me,” I remark, shrugging my shoulders.
What I don’t tell him is that I’m tired of seeing people die. I no longer want to be the first responder to the scene of an accident or even worse a homicide. I don’t want to fight drunken people or people hopped up on drugs. I’m not a pacifist by any means, but I miss a normal life. I miss thinking that the majority of people are inherently kind with good intentions. Seeing the ugly side of people day in and day out changes your perspective.
“I noticed how you tried to avoid confrontation last night and how calm you remained even when the situation escalated and that’s why I think you’ll be good for this job. You’ve got the job. You can start Monday,” he tells me, surprising me. That was awfully quick.
He stands up and I follow his lead. I stick out my arm for another handshake. That’s what I was taught to do after an interview. He grasps my hand in his and gently rubs his thumb over the back of my hand. I ignore the warmth that spreads through me at his touch.
“Thank you,” I say, sincerely grateful for the job. For the first time, I notice his cleanly shaven face and combed hair. He looks adorable but I think I like him all scruffy and casual better. I wish I could feel his cheek. I bet I’d feel the stubble trying to poke through already.
He escorts me out of his office and instructs Sally to give me the necessary in-processing paperwork to fill out. Then he turns and leaves returning back to his office. I become immersed in the paperwork when I hear footsteps approach and stop near me.
“Hey there, it’s Skye, right?” I hear a man’s voice ask. I look up and see the handsome face of Deputy Jon Dark Star. .
“Yeah, that’s me. Your kissing cousin,” I reply teasing him. I don’t know why I felt comfortable enough to tease him like that. I don’t even know the guy. He blushes in embarrassment. That’s cute.
“Sorry about that yesterday. I don’t know what got into me,” he apologizes, rubbing the back of his neck. “Are you applying for a job here?” he asks.
“Yeah, I just had the interview. I start Monday as an Emergency Dispatcher,” I tell him.
“That’s great. Maybe we can hang out and have lunch or something sometime,” he suggests, smiling at me. Is he flirting with me?
“Sounds good. As you know I’m new to town and I could use all the friends I can get,” I inform him.
“Well your sister Dawn invited me to her birthday party this weekend so I’ll probably see you there,” he remarks.
I smile. “Yep, I’ll definitely be there. I’ll see you then,” I say in dismissal. Not to be rude, but I want to finish all of this paperwork before I leave here today. Jon seems like a nice guy and I wouldn’t mind hanging out with him some time.
An hour later I finish up all the paperwork and hand it back to Sally. “Dear Lord child, you didn’t have to finish it all today. You could have taken it home and brought it back later.” She informs me.
“That’s okay. I wanted to get it done so I don’t have to worry about it later. I don’t like having work hanging over my head,” I say happily.
“Well, you and I will get along just fine then. You have a wonderful weekend young lady and we’ll see you on Monday,” she replies. I stand there for a moment, waiting for I don’t know what.
Sherriff Talbott steps out of his office. He’s pulling on his jacket and closing his office door. “I’m going to go patrol for a while, Sally. Would you like me to pick you up something for lunch?” he asks her and turns away from the door catching sight of me. I smile, give a small wave, turn and walk out the door.
That’s what I’d been waiting for. One more glimpse of him before I left.
Cooper
I wasn’t expecting Skye to still be here when I stepped out of my office to go patrol for a while and get some lunch. I step out my office to ask Sally if she would like me to pick her up something to eat and I’m momentarily stunned by the sight if Skye standing there smiling and waving at me. Before I can respond in any way she turns on her heel and leaves. Sally laughs and I look at her in confusion.
“I’ve never seen you so love-struck. All the women in this town have been clamoring for your attention and one look at her and you’re smitten,” she remarks.
“I wouldn’t go that far Sally,” I reply. Skye’s a very beautiful woman. A blind man could see that, but she’s also got this quiet confidence about her that intrigues me. Besides it’s probably the fact that she feels a pull towards me too but obviously doesn’t intend to pursue it that has me even more interested. But I don’t tell Sally that. She sees too much as it is.
“You know what? I think I’d like a Reuben sandwich with those homemade kettle cooked chips that they make at the Acorn Grill,” Sally tells me. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that she chose something from A&G’s since we both know that’s where Skye will be.
“Sure thing, Sally. Anything else you want?” I ask her. She just shakes her head smiling at me with a mischievous grin. I choose to ignore it and head out to my police vehicle, the Ford Interceptor that the city provides for the Sherriff of the town.