Drawn To You (Taking Chances #3) (9 page)

They had been driving for a few miles when Lucas noticed how quiet it was. Aside from the soft hum of the radio, it was unusually silent on Sam’s side of the car. “How’s your ankle?”

The sound of light snoring answered him.

Lucas stopped at an intersection and glanced to his right. In the glow of the streetlight, he saw Sam snuggled into her seat with her head turned toward him. Her long lashes skimmed her cheeks and her full lips were slightly parted. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders. His breath faltered as he took in the view. A woman like Sam could have anyone she wanted, but for some reason she wanted him.

Beep! Beep, beep!

A car horn blared behind them, causing Lucas to jump. He looked up and noticed the green light.
How did I miss that?
The signal quickly turned yellow, but he stepped on the gas anyway to avoid holding up the cars behind him. He crossed the intersection as the light changed again, and immediately regretted his decision. In his rear view mirror, he saw the flashing lights first, then heard the siren.

“You’re kidding me.” Never in his life had he gotten a moving violation; he wasn’t about to taint his record now. What kind of example would he be setting as a police officer? What was worse, they were only a few miles from his own station. What a nightmare it’d be if one of his own pulled him over. He’d never live that down.

He pulled his car to the curb and shut off the engine. He ran his hands through his hair, uncertain of how to handle the situation. The only one skilled at getting out of this mess was sleeping soundly next to him. He nudged her shoulder. “Sammie? Sam! Wake up. I need you.”

Sam stirred and opened her eyes. “What? Are we home?”

“Not yet. We have a little situation on our hands. One I’m not familiar with.”

“What kind of situation?” She glanced around the car, then leaned forward to look into the side mirror. “Is that who I think it is? You got pulled over! What did you do?”

Lucas switched on the light panel above them. The grin on Sam’s face matched her giddy tone. “Try not to be so happy, will you? I didn’t do anything illegal.”

“Says the cop who just got pulled over.”

“I was halfway through the intersection before the light turned red, I’m sure of it.” The desperation in his voice sounded foreign to his own ears.

A look of concern crossed her face and she reached over to touch his arm. “Hey, stay calm. If you’re innocent, you don’t have anything to worry about. If you’re not, just follow my lead.” She winked, then turned toward the open window.

“Good evening,” a male voice greeted them. “License and registration, please.”

“Good evening, Officer.” Sam took the paperwork Lucas handed her and passed it to the cop. “Here you go. License and registration.” Leaning out the window, she remarked, “My, what a striking watch that is. It looks like it was made for you.”

“It’s a beauty, ain’t it?” The officer bent down to reveal a balding head. “An anniversary gift from my wife.”

“Oh, how sweet. How long have you been married?”

“Fifteen years last month.”

“That’s amazing. I’d love to know your secret. My boyfriend and I could use all the help we can get. We get along most of the time, but every now and then we just drive each other crazy.” She turned to Lucas and remarked, “Isn’t that right, babe?”

Slumping down in his seat, Lucas squeezed out an uncomfortable smile. As soon as he had heard the officer’s voice, he knew there was no easy way out of this situation, even with Sam’s help.

Flashing him an impatient glare, Sam grabbed his hand and held it between both of hers. “I’ll have you know, Officer, that my sweetheart’s an excellent driver when I’m not around to distract him. He’s a boy in blue like you”—she pointed to the sweatshirt she was wearing—“a proud member of the Milpitas P.D.”

Lucas groaned.
Oh no.
He might as well put his hands up and surrender now.

“Is that so, Mr., uh …” The officer shone his flashlight at the driver’s license, then peered into the car window past Sam’s head. “Wait a minute. Stickler, is that you?”

Sam’s hair whipped against her cheeks as she looked from one man to the other. “What the—? You guys know each other?”

Lucas dropped the hand covering his eyes. “Hey, Oliver.”

“It
is
you!” Oliver doubled over in laughter and slapped his hand against the roof of the car. “Wait till I tell everyone. I can’t believe I’m the lucky one.”

Sighing, Lucas turned to Sam. “Meet my former Field Training Officer, Oliver Dunham. He’s been waiting five years for this moment.”

“This moment?”

“Whoever catches Lucas breaking a rule wins a pot of money we’ve been collecting around the station,” Oliver explained. “It’s up to $180 now. Boy, oh boy, the wife and I are going to have a mouth-watering steak and seafood dinner, thanks to you.”

“Ha! So I’m not the only one who thinks you’re uptight,” Sam snickered. “You have the best coworkers. It’s so good to meet you, Oliver.” She let go of Lucas’s hand to shake the older man’s. “I’m Sam, by the way.”

“Why, thank you, dear. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. You must be the reason why he didn’t notice the light change back there. He had his eyes on the pretty woman next to him instead of the road.” He raised his voice and directed his next statement at Lucas. “I only pulled you over, man, to make sure you hadn’t fallen asleep.”

Lucas leaned one elbow on the center console and faced Oliver.
There was hope yet.
“I was right! I didn’t break any laws. I wouldn’t make that dinner reservation just yet.”

Oliver rubbed his chin for a moment. “Well, let’s not overlook the fact that you held up traffic at a green light, then rushed into the intersection when it was yellow. That’s two counts of hazardous driving. If I remember correctly, that’s code 21 … 214 ...”

“Codes 21451 and 21452,” Lucas grimaced. “Great. There goes my clean record.”

Sam quirked an eyebrow. “You’ve never gotten a ticket before?”

“I’ve never been pulled over until today.”

“You’re amazing.” Somehow her tone didn’t reflect the true meaning of those words.

“Not amazing enough if I’m getting ticketed.”

“Now wait, hold on here,” Oliver began, “what kind of friend do you think I am? It wouldn’t be right for me to put a damper on your date considering how little you get out. Tell you what, since this is your first offense and whatnot, I’m gonna let you go with a warning.”

Lucas shook his head. “Oliver, you don’t have to do that. I was at fault. I deserve the citation.”

“Call it a freebie in the name of love.”

Sam put her hand on Lucas’s arm before he could respond. “Come on, it would be rude to refuse his generosity. It’s in the name of love, after all.” She flashed a smile at the officer. “We appreciate it very much, Oliver. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Oliver handed the paperwork back to Sam. “Thank
you
for putting a smile back on my boy’s face. Have a good night,” he added before walking away.

“But—”

“Come on, Stickler. You heard the man.” Sam leaned back in her seat and grinned. “We’re free to go.”

Lucas placed his hands on the steering wheel. In his side mirror, he watched Oliver pull away from the curb and wave at them as he drove past. He also started his car and headed onto the road. The next minutes were spent in silence as he replayed their interaction with Oliver. He felt both amazed and disturbed at how easily he had gotten out of the situation. Or more accurately, how Sam had gotten him out of it. All the red flags from earlier that evening suddenly flooded his mind. “How do you get away with that?”

“That? That was nothing. You should’ve seen me last year when I got pulled over on the way to my parents’ restaurant. The cop ended up following me there for dinner. My mother gave him the royal treatment, including free refills on soda. It worked out so well, he gave me his number by the end of the night.”

The ease with which Sam spoke irked him. She made that rookie cop sound like easy prey, someone she could use and dispose of at her convenience. “Did you go out with him?”

“Naw, he was cute, but too young. He still comes to eat at the restaurant though. He loves the chow mien and milk tea.”

“Hm,” he mumbled under his breath, “I forgot you like them old.”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.” He cleared his throat. “You know, Oliver’s a good guy. You shouldn’t have lied to him.”

“I didn’t—whatever. Do I need to remind you that you’re the one who asked me for help? I only said what I said to get you out of a ticket.” Crossing her arms, she huffed, “You’re welcome, by the way.”

Lucas couldn’t make out her face in the darkness, but her voice told him enough. “I appreciate your intentions. I guess I just don’t understand how you do it. I mean, don’t you ever feel bad about getting what you want by using—”

“Using what?” Sam cut in, her volume rising. “My wit? My smarts?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he blew out a long breath. This wasn’t worth getting into a fight over. He knew Sam well enough to know they could talk for hours and still not see eye to eye on matters. Now that they were business partners, he couldn’t risk letting his personal opinions affect their working relationship. Which in that moment he decided was all they could ever have. “Never mind. Let’s not argue.”

“No, spit it out, Lucas. What do you really think of me? If you’re going to judge me, you might as well do it to my face.”

“Forget I said anything.” Checking the GPS’s directions, he pulled into a small apartment complex as it instructed and parked in a visitor’s spot. “Wait here.” Stepping out of the car, he removed the crutches from the trunk, then headed to the passenger side. “Come on, let’s get you inside.”

Sam reached for the crutches and stood up, balancing herself on one foot. “I got it,” she snarled. With her purse hanging from her forearm, she hobbled up the sidewalk to the corner apartment.

Lucas followed closely behind. “Take it easy, this isn’t a race. Here, let me get the key for you.”

“Fine.” Sam nodded toward her purse. “It’s in the outside pocket.”

He found the key and opened the door.

Once inside, Sam slipped off the house slippers that Lucas had lent her and hopped over to a red loveseat. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll get my car tomorrow. Just leave the keys on the table.”

Lucas stood speechless as he examined her living room. The space was small, but all the furniture appeared modern and new. To his right sat an oversized zebra print upholstered chair in the shape of a high heel shoe. A large LCD screen TV took up one wall and a furry white rug lay in the middle of the hardwood floor. Despite some magazines, food wrappers and mugs scattered on the coffee table, the room resembled the cover of a furniture store catalogue. A very expensive store that someone needing a ten-thousand-dollar loan shouldn’t be able to afford. “Nice place.”

Sam brightened for a moment. “Thanks. I had fun decorating it.”

“How long have you lived here?”

“About five years. I moved in when I got back from Paris.”

“And the furniture? When did you get them?”

She lifted her swollen foot onto the couch and placed it on top of a pillow with a black and white photo of the Eiffel Tower. “What is this, an inquisition?”

“I’m curious how you were able to afford such nice things,” Lucas shrugged. “This sure doesn’t look like the home of a struggling business owner.” He knew he would likely regret his next statement, but he said it anyway. “So, how many rich, old men did you have to kiss to pay for all this?”

Sam’s face turned a bright crimson shade that matched the sofa. “Get out. Now.”

Lucas had never stared down the barrel of a gun before, but he imagined that scenario would be less intimidating than the one he was in now. He quickly came to his senses and left the apartment—and Sam’s line of fire.

EIGHT

“Can I ring it, Daddy?”

“Sure, go ahead. Just once.”

Lucy gingerly placed her index finger on the doorbell and pressed it. Her hazel eyes widened in delight when the sound of knocking and a comedic male voice calling out, “Hey, there’s someone at the door!” followed. “Can I do it again? Please?”

The door opened before Lucas could answer. Sam stood with one hand supporting her weight against the doorframe and her left foot off the floor. Like the previous evening, her hair was down, but today she wore a sleeveless light pink pants suit. The outfit showed off her figure well, but in a conservative way. His eyes met hers and he attempted a sheepish smile. “Hey, Sammie.”

“Hi, Luce!” Ignoring Lucas with obvious disdain, Sam gave Lucy a hug. “I bet you want to ring the doorbell again. Benji and Ellie do it at least five times each when they come over. Go ahead.”

Lucas raised his voice to speak over the door chime. “I brought you some coffee. I know it’s pretty early for you. Thanks again for being willing to come watch Lucy sing. We’ll go back to my place right after the service to get your car.”

“Thanks,” Sam conceded as she took the cup. She locked the door and turned to Lucy. “Ready to go?”

Lucy nodded and offered Sam her hand. “Daddy said you hurt your foot. You can hold my hand.”

“That’s so thoughtful of you, girlie. Thank you.”

“Ladies first.” Lucas let the two of them take the lead while he walked a few steps behind.

Lucy tilted her head, then gave a high-pitched giggle in response to something Sam said. Lucas couldn’t help but tear up at the sweet picture before him. This was how life was supposed to be. A typical Sunday once included church with his wife and daughter and lunch afterward at their favorite brunch place. All that had changed though; he could never have those days back. But for a minute, he pretended he was there again. His steps slowed as he closed his eyes to savor the memory. When he opened them, he saw Lucy waving.

“Daddy, you’re so slow! Hurry up!”

He met them at the car and opened the passenger door for Sam. He helped Lucy into the back of the SUV and buckled her into her car seat. Before he opened the driver’s door, he took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. He got in and started the engine without a word.