Chapter 1

1

Fred Munson’s heart was thundering in his ears, and he breathed in deeply in an attempt to center himself. Be kind to yourself—Natasha’s voice was as clear in his head as the chatter of the two graying women sitting in the corner was.

“Are you going to move?” Raymond, his partner, gave him a light shove in the direction of the counter. Fred took a stumbling step, a blush warming his cheeks, but he reminded himself he was here as a police officer, albeit on a coffee break, but still an officer, and straightened his back.

He liked Nortown. It was small and quiet, the people were friendly, and best of all was the café. Here no one looked at him funny unless he counted Raymond, and it made him braver than he was anywhere else.

The café was small and in dire need of a facelift, but it still had a certain charm. The black and white checked floor would come into fashion again soon, and the turquoise countertop was almost scarred enough to be shabby chic.

Jen, the red-haired woman—who, if Fred had understood it correctly, owned the café—smiled at him.

“Good afternoon, Officer.” She winked at Fred, which brought the blush back on. Fred hated it, but he tried to do what Natasha, his therapist, had told him to do and separate it from his shyness. Blushing was one thing, being shy, another. He took another deep breath, smelling the coffee and some other sweet, fruity scent.

He’d stopped seeing Natasha. She’d helped him a lot, but in the end he’d kept rescheduling their appointments. He still considered her his therapist though.

“Are there many tourists on the roads?” Jen reached for two cups as she waited for them to answer.

Fred cleared his throat to speak, but Raymond took a small step forward and leaned against the counter. “It’s been steadily increasing during the week.”

Jen nodded and sought Fred’s gaze. “One coffee with milk?”

He nodded, swallowed, and forced himself to speak. “Yes, please.”

Her smile brightened. “May I tempt you with something else?” She gestured at the display of baked goods and sandwiches.

“I’ll have a coffee, black, and a bear claw,” Raymond interjected.

Fred might have imagined it, but was the quick flattening of Jen’s lips a sign of annoyance?

“A bear claw for you too, Officer Munson?” She leaned over the counter and lowered her voice. “The cheesecake is to die for.”

He smiled. “I’ll have one of those then.”

“Good choice.” She made quick work of fixing their orders. “Any vacation time coming up for you or will it have to wait until there are fewer people on the roads?”

Fred opened his mouth to answer since she was looking at him, but Raymond was quicker.

“I won’t take any vacation time this summer. I’m retiring in November, so I figured I’d help the force out by working through the busy season.” He nodded at Fred. “But Fred here only has a couple of hours left before he ditches us for three whole weeks.”

Fred looked down at the floor. He wasn’t ditching them. The Captain had toldhim to take three weeks off. He’d only taken one week last year and the Captain wasn’t pleased about it.

“That’s great. Good for you, Fred.” Jen did sound a little annoyed. Fred chanced a glance at her and there was a crease between her brows he’d never seen before. “So, you’ll get a new partner come November?”

The air got stuck in his throat. Raymond might be an ass, but at least Fred knew what to expect. Getting a new partner wasn’t something he looked forward to. He’d have to…talk…and try to get to know him or her. His pulse sped up. “Erm…”

“He’ll get someone; some newbie who doesn’t know shit.” Raymond slapped Fred’s shoulder, grabbed his tray, and headed for a table by the windows.

Fred sighed. The sun was streaming in through the windows, he wished they could’ve sat somewhere he wouldn’t be sweating buckets.

“It’ll be great, Fred. Can’t get worse than it is, right?” Jen gave him a soft smile when he gave her a wide-eyed look. “Will you come up here during your time off?”

Come to Nortown? He lived in Waterside Cross, a fifteen-minute drive north of Whiteport, but it would still take him more than an hour to get here. It was a long trip to get a cup of coffee. Had the police station not been in Whiteport, he wouldn’t have minded moving here, but he liked his job, and being a cop was all he knew how to do. “I don’t know.”

Jen handed his tray to him. “It’s a bit of a drive, isn’t it?”

He nodded.