Officer out of Uniform (Lock and Key Book 2) (25 page)

“Saying something doesn’t make it true. If it did I’d be an independently wealthy billionaire living in a beachfront mansion. And you’d be my hired cabana boy, naturally.”

He snorted. “I guess that’d be all right, but only because I’d get to stand behind you all day and stare at your ass while you wore a bikini.”

She laughed, but only for a second. “I can’t lose you, Henry. I can’t even stand the thought. So be careful tomorrow.”

“You’re working tomorrow evening, right?”

She nodded.

“I’ll stop by Wisteria after work – come see you. How’s that?”

“I’ll make dinner for you. My mom will be there – she’s coming to eat at the restaurant. I’ll be working, but it’ll be nice to see you, even if it’s only for a little while.”

“I’ll be there. I promise. Does that make you feel better?”

“Yes. I still prefer the cabana boy scenario, though.”

The thought of her in her red bikini made his dick ache. “Me too, but that’s strictly between us. I’ll never admit it if you tell anyone else.”

“Just thought I’d let you know your mom’s here.” Alicia stood in the kitchen’s open back doorway, leaning on the frame.

“Great. Thanks.” Sasha poured the contents of a pot into a colander and left them there to cool. “So are you and Kerry going to stay for dinner too?”

Alicia glanced back at the house. “Yeah, but Kerry said she’d be a little late finishing up her shift today. Those exterminators are here – you know, the ones who are supposed to get rid of the rats. They were going to come earlier but ended up rescheduling several times. Apparently there was a bat crisis in the municipal building that took priority.”

“Why do they need Kerry’s help? I thought the rats were only in the basement.”

Alicia shrugged. “They want to check the house for any signs of rats there, just in case. Faye asked Kerry to show them around.”

“Okay. Well, the shrimp will be ready in fifteen minutes, and trust me, you want to eat them fresh. Has my mom already been seated?”

“I think so.”

“I hope they put her at a big enough table for everyone. If they didn’t, will you ask them to?”

“Sure. It’s just her, me and Kerry, right?”

Sasha shook her head. “Henry’s coming, but he’ll probably be late. Just save him a seat. Feel free to invite Liam too, if you want. And Grey – wouldn’t want to leave him out when they’ll all be getting off work together.”

“We might all be done eating by the time they arrive, if they work today like they have been all week. Liam’s been lucky to get home by dusk.”

“I know. But they’ll be hungry, regardless of what time it is. Plus, I’d like Henry to meet my mom and this seems like a good opportunity.”

“Wow. Are things that serious already?”

Sasha fanned herself with the end of her apron, knowing Alicia would assume it was because of the kitchen’s stifling heat. The air conditioner had crapped out again. “I guess so.”

“Well, I’d say I’m surprised, but I guess I’m not when I really think about it. You’ve been head over heels for him ever since you first laid eyes on him. And it was obvious he was into you too.”

Sasha grinned. “Was it? I wondered, at first. Good thing I persevered.”

Alicia laughed. “So when do I get to plan the wedding?”

“Okay, hold on. No one said anything about a wedding. But for the record, I’ve always thought a wedding on the beach would be nice. So if you have some spare time on your hands and feel like looking into that… I guess it wouldn’t hurt.” She winked.

“Okay, but you have to tell me – is the reason you want to get married on the beach so you can wear a bikini during the ceremony?”

“Ha! For your information, I wouldn’t dream of missing out on the chance to pick out a wedding dress. The bikini will go under my gown, of course, and instead of doing a garter toss afterward, Henry could just rip off my whole dress. The photos would be priceless, don’t you think?”

“I think they’d be very
you
.”

Sasha nodded. “Well, it gives you somewhere to start with the plans. But do me a favor and don’t mention any of this to Henry – I want the gown toss to be a surprise.”

“Of course. We have planner-client confidentiality. Let me know when he proposes and we’ll get the ball rolling. Meanwhile, I’ll see if tear-away wedding dresses exist.”

“Sounds good.” Sasha winked. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some shrimp to drown in butter. Feel free to go inside and have a seat with my mom – I’ll see you when I bring out the food. I’ll be serving it myself.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Sasha turned and commenced with the shrimp drowning, first crushing garlic and chopping the parsley she’d use as a garnish. It was just her and Becca, one of the line cooks, in the kitchen. Becca was more than competent. While Sasha prepared all of the food for her mother, Henry and friends herself, Becca was handling the orders placed by the only two other guests.

It wasn’t a very busy evening – something Sasha was grateful for, even if that fact did make her feel a little guilty. Wisteria had next to no diners and guests because of the panic that had gripped Riley County. Most people were either holed up at their homes or in front of Cypress’s courthouse picketing the prison. Though it was July, tourists were conspicuously absent from the area, having cancelled last minute.

Randy Levinson’s rampage was taking a heavy toll on the little town at the height of tourist season. Still, the economic damage paled in comparison to the psychological impact, and the lives that’d been lost. Riley County was a mess.

Because of the lack of customers, Sasha would be able to serve her family and friends herself, make sure everything was perfect. For some people, having to work while everyone else ate would be a drag, but she was in full-on chef mode. The idea of making something especially for people she cared about and seeing them enjoy it was deeply satisfying. This was why she’d decided as a kid that she wanted to be a chef – she loved making people happy with food. It was a sort of thrill.

As a pre-teen, she’d dreamed of winning the hearts of her celebrity crushes – the Backstreet Boys in particular – with her culinary skills. The thought made her grin now, but in truth, she hadn’t changed much. Her heart beat a little faster as she thought of Henry, and sure enough, the desire to impress him with her cooking was there.

So far, she’d only really cooked for him a few times, during group get-togethers. The spaghetti she’d made one night didn’t really count. This was her first chance to make whatever she wanted for him in a professional kitchen – it was time to pull out all the stops.

“Mmm. Is that cornbread I smell?” Becca appeared at Sasha’s shoulder, carrying a freshly-seared yellow fin tuna steak on an artfully garnished plate.

“I’m making it for my mom,” Sasha explained. “I know it’s not what most people would serve with a meal like the one I’m making, but… It’s a long story.”

Becca shrugged. “I’d eat good cornbread any day, with anything. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

Sasha cast a glance over her shoulder at the oven. Ten more minutes and the bread would be done. No way was she going to let it burn this time – no one would distract her, not even Henry.

The rich scent of garlicky butter replaced the comforting aroma of cornbread as she sautéed the shrimp, taking special care not to overcook them. By the time they were done, her stomach was growling.

Fortunately, she’d made more than enough to set some aside for her and Becca. She’d bought the shrimp fresh that morning before she’d come into work, at her favorite local seafood vendor. They didn’t get any fresher than the ones she’d selected.

She arranged them on appetizer plates and placed a lemon slice twist on each one, experiencing a twinge of regret when she realized Henry wouldn’t be able to eat his fresh, unless he arrived soon. Glancing at the cupboard in the back of the kitchen where she stowed her personal belongings, she decided to check her phone for the millionth time that day.

There was no message from Henry yet, and so she tucked it away. There’d been a time when she’d carried it on her person, but dropping it into a sauce pan and suffering first degree burns from the splashing gravy had taught her a lesson.

As she placed her phone back in the cupboard, she told herself how stupid it was to worry. Henry had been working late every day – the fact that he hadn’t contacted her yet was nothing out of the ordinary. And yet, she couldn’t shake the bad feeling she’d mentioned to him the night before, the sense of foreboding that’d been dogging her ever since she’d caught sight of a woman in a long white dress on Wisteria’s grounds.

It was stupid, really. She’d only seen the woman in her peripheral vision. Maybe she’d imagined it – stress could mess with the mind, make people see things that weren’t really there. She’d always claimed to believe in Wisteria’s ghosts, especially the Lady in White – the female ghost who always appeared in a white gown and was considered a harbinger of danger.

Now that she might’ve had a sighting herself though, she didn’t
want
to believe. And she’d been too embarrassed – and afraid – to mention it to Henry.

Even though her possible sighting had occurred shortly before Randy Levinson had opened fire on her and Henry.

“I’ll be right back,” she called to Becca. “I’m going to take these shrimp out to my table while they’re still hot.”

“Need some help?”

“No, I’ve got it, but thanks.” Sasha had waited tables during school, and she still had a knack for carrying way too many plates at once. She made it to the table where her mother and Alicia were seated without incident.

“Those almost smell too good to eat,” her mom said, seated directly next to Alicia. The other chairs were empty.

“Kerry hasn’t joined you yet?”

Alicia shook her head. “No, I guess there was a hold-up with the exterminators.” She lowered her voice to a near-whisper. “I hope this doesn’t mean rats have gotten into the main part of the house.”

“You and me both.” Sasha wasn’t squeamish, but rats were filthy and the last thing she wanted was for a population of them to be thriving so close to the restaurant. They could be hell to keep out of a kitchen. “I’m glad they’re taking care of the problem before it gets out of hand, though.”

Alicia agreed, then took a bite of shrimp. “God, Sasha, these are amazing.” She closed her eyes, as if shutting out the rest of the world.

Sasha grinned. “Just a little butter, salt and garlic, plus some spice. The real secret is to buy them fresh and not overcook them.”

She reveled in praise from her mother and Alicia for a few moments, until she started to worry that Kerry’s shrimp would get cold. “You know what? I’m going to pop over to the house and see if I can’t get Kerry over here. You know how hard she works – I wouldn’t be surprised if she was going above and beyond what Faye asked her to do.”

“Aren’t you busy in the kitchen?” Alicia stood. “I can check on her for you.”

“No, sit down and eat! It’ll only take me a minute.” She dashed back to the kitchen before Alicia could protest, explaining herself quickly to Becca before walking out the back door.

Her Crocs squeaked against the grass, which was damp from a recent rain shower. Thinking of Henry, Liam and Grey trudging around in the rain carrying weapons and heavy gear made her frown.

She couldn’t wait for this search to be over so that life could get back to normal in Riley County. Who knew – maybe then she and Henry really would end up getting married on a nearby beach. She’d mostly just been teasing Alicia when she’d talked about that, but she couldn’t deny that the thought of spending the rest of her life with Henry was appealing.

Maybe they could be that couple someday – the one standing on the beach with a group of friends and family, getting married as the same wind that drove the waves onto the shore messed up their hair and blew sand onto their skin. It seemed far from impossible. The love she felt for him was an all-consuming thing. She loved him enough to face a psychopath in nothing but a bikini – in comparison, the idea of facing a minister in a white dress seemed like a cakewalk.

She daydreamed as she crossed the stretch of perfectly manicured lawn between the restaurant and the house. Of course, thoughts of marrying Henry on the beach quickly turned to thoughts of what their wedding night might be like. A few moments of letting her imagination run wild nearly melted her panties, and she had to fight the big grin that wanted to spread across her face. God, she couldn’t wait for him to get off work and show up at Wisteria. She was definitely going to talk him into having her over for a little while after dinner.

When she reached the house, she saw that the basement door was open. Two men in khaki outfits – they looked like Ghostbusters – disappeared into the darkness. There was no sign of Kerry, but maybe she’d led them down there.