92 Pacific Boulevard - Debbie Macomber [75]
“There’s one bath?”
Mack nodded. “And a laundry room.”
“I don’t have a washer and dryer.”
“They come with the place.”
Or they would by the time she moved in.
“I have my bedroom set, of course, and there’s the crib for Noelle and her changing table.” She paused as if calculating what else she could bring. “I have a rocking chair, too, but that’s it in the way of living room furniture.”
“What about a television?”
Mary Jo shook her head. “I had an old TV in my room, but it’s not worth taking.”
“I’ve got an extra one you can use.”
Again Mack saw her hesitate.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather not do that.”
“I could sell it to you cheap,” he said impulsively.
This appeared to interest her. “How cheap?”
“Cheap.” He came up with a price he felt she could probably afford. “Fifty bucks.”
Mary Jo laughed. “Sold.”
“Great! I’ve been wanting to get rid of that piece of junk.”
“Mack!”
He held up both hands. “Just kidding.”
“Good thing you are, buddy.”
With the easy banter between them, Mack relaxed. “Would you like me to contact the owner and tell him he’s got his second renter?”
Mary Jo smiled over at him. “Okay, it’s a deal.”
“And listen, don’t worry about me pestering you.” He wanted to make sure Mary Jo understood that.
“I’m more worried about pestering you.”
On the contrary, he figured that having Mary Jo and Noelle this close might be the best thing to happen to him in a long, long time.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When Troy finished shaving on Friday morning, he did something he didn’t usually do—he splashed on a citrusscented aftershave, hoping the scent would last long enough for Faith to notice later that evening.
If anyone in the office caught a whiff, he might be teased, but any teasing would be worth the possible return. After several short phone conversations, Faith had finally agreed to have dinner with him and Troy could hardly wait. They had a lot to discuss, but the item at the very top of his list was this purported move. He didn’t want her walking out of his life again, so he had to let her know how he felt in no uncertain terms.
Troy was encouraged. He’d come away from each brief conversation with a hopeful feeling. He sensed that she might be willing to start again. Troy assumed that this evening, over dinner, they’d decide once and for all whether to pick up where they’d left off.
He arrived at the office, his mood still optimistic. It wasn’t long before reality struck its first blow.
Troy hadn’t been at his desk more than ten minutes when he received a visit from his most recently hired deputy, Gloria Ashton. Gloria was the daughter of private detective Roy McAfee and his wife, although they’d met her only four years ago. Apparently, Roy and Corrie had broken up for a while in college, not knowing Corrie was pregnant. She’d relinquished the baby for adoption.
Years later, Gloria, now an adult, had sought them out. Troy was astonished by how similar father and daughter were, in personality and in interests. They’d both gone into law enforcement, although Roy had retired from the Seattle police.
“Morning, Sheriff.” Gloria entered his office, hands clasped in front of her.
“Sit down,” he said, gesturing toward one of the visitor chairs.
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather stand.”
“Whatever you prefer.” She seemed uncomfortable and he wondered why.
Her shoulders were squared, her back straight and her eyes just managed to avoid his. “I thought I should give you a heads-up about an arrest I made last night.”
“All right.” It was obvious that this hadn’t been a routine matter. “Tell me about it.”
Again she avoided eye contact. “I saw a car with a burned-out headlight. When I turned around and followed the vehicle, the driver made an effort to evade me.”
“You pulled the car over?”
“I did.” She paused. “I quickly assessed that the driver was intoxicated. I asked him to get out of his car and step away from it, which he did without hesitation. After performing the routine