Perfect Fit (Serendipity's Finest 1)

Erin wrapped both arms around herself, aware she was shaking. “You look.”

Trina held out her hand and Erin gratefully accepted her friend’s support. She held her breath, her heart pounding so hard in her chest she could swear she heard the sound in her ears while at this point she couldn’t tell if the lump in her throat was from nausea or panic.

“Well? Erin asked, unable to stand the silence or the suspense any longer.

“It’s positive,” Trina whispered, no longer feigning upbeat excitement.

Erin let out a sound she didn’t recognize and ran for the nearest stall, no longer able to contain the nausea she’d been holding at bay.

Cole woke up to the sun shining through the window in his small apartment. As he did every morning, he catalogued how he was feeling and today was no different than any other day. He’d had a nightmare that woke him at three A.M. and kept him up until the early hours of the morning, and he still felt like shit about his life. Yep, status quo in his world.

He was back home in Serendipity until he figured out what the hell he wanted to do with his life, and he still hadn’t a clue. All Cole knew was that it wasn’t undercover work. He’d lived for the job, knowing he was taking down the scum of the earth, not thinking that in doing so, he was becoming just like them. After the way the last job had ended, he wasn’t so sure—and until he could look himself in the mirror again, he wouldn’t be making any permanent decisions.

Working construction for Nick Mancini, filling in part-time when his old friend had an opening, suited Cole just fine. Today was a day off, which meant he could head over to his father’s place.

God help him.

Cole and Jed existed in an armed truce, both of them wary and ready for action with the slightest provocation from the other. Cole reminded himself that his father was aging, losing his ability to do the things he liked and that used to come easily, like repairing the loose board on the front porch steps. The old man’s pride prevented him from being grateful his son was now around to help him out. That and the fact that Cole and Jed approached life in very different ways, always had, always would.

Take the career they’d both chosen. Jed started out of high school as a part-time construction worker near Philadelphia, turning to law enforcement after he blamed himself for his younger sister’s death. Jed saw the police force and the rules and regulations he turned to enforcing as a means of coping with the senseless, random acts that life threw a man’s way. Which was why he never understood or accepted Cole’s murky world where rules were shady if nonexistent. He would have preferred his son did his job aboveboard, with a badge. He kept Cole’s secret, but he never approved of his choice and wasn’t proud, even if Cole had been doing good work—for a while, anyway.

And now?

His father had left his fly-by-night construction job, turning to law enforcement as his salvation. So of course, Jed couldn’t accept that while Cole was similarly at loose ends, tormented by his part in an innocent woman’s death, he hadn’t turned to the Serendipity police force and the values Jed held dear. Instead, Cole was doing soul-searching, working part-time until he could get his shit together. If he could. Sometimes Cole thought he was this close to losing his sanity.

Needless to say, the two men didn’t see eye to eye. On anything. Jed’s wife of more than ten years normally acted as a buffer between the two men, but Rachel’s daughter had a new baby and she’d gone to visit for a while. Which meant Cole was on his own when dealing with his father.

He took a hot shower, dressed and headed downstairs. Around the corner from Joe’s Bar was Cuppa Café, owned by Joe’s sister, Trisha, where every morning, Cole picked up his much-needed coffee, ignoring the fact that most people in town gave him a wide berth. Not everyone, since Trisha treated him to a genuine smile for an old friend. Erin had tried to do the same, but Cole had immediately nixed any friendly overtures the first time he’d run into her after they’d slept together.

Erin.

The only good thing about his return home so far. And for that reason he had to stay far away from her, no matter how tempting she was with her good-girl persona, her creamy soft skin, and the combustible chemistry that had taken him off guard. Not to mention the light laughter that warmed his chilled, dark soul.

She might think he was a bastard, and the hurt look on her face when he froze her out made him feel like one, but she didn’t need the aggravation that came with being associated with Cole Sanders.

His father let him know that people in town currently viewed him as an unknown entity, a troublemaker who hadn’t grown up, among other choice words. As if to prove the point, anyone in his father’s generation scowled when he entered their breathing space. And Nick had mentioned a couple of homeowners who’d preferred Cole wasn’t on the crew who worked on their homes. As if he’d steal from anyone, but old neighbors? Friends? Jeez.

Yet Cole had to admit they had their reasons. Considering he’d dropped out of the police academy a few days short of graduation and Mike Marsden, the current police chief and Erin’s brother, had been in his class, Cole’s status was persona non grata. In Mike’s view, Cole had spent the last half dozen years or so working mob-related jobs, construction included, and had been arrested in a raid last year that led to the takedown of one of the biggest bosses around. He’d done his thing and testified but his identity had been kept quiet. Nobody knew his past, and Cole didn’t care. But a woman lik

e Erin deserved better than to be associated with the man people thought he’d become.

Hell, Cole figured he’d come pretty damned close to being that man so the good folks of Serendipity weren’t far off base in their assessment of him.

Grabbing his drink, he climbed into his old Mustang and headed over to his father’s place. He pulled up in front of the house where he grew up, taking it in with a critical eye. Never mind the loose floorboard, which wasn’t visible to the naked eye, the paint was peeling, the windows needed cleaning, and if they didn’t get the roof fixed by next winter, his father would have his hands full with trouble.

For now, however, he’d focus on the smaller jobs and dealing with his father. Once Rachel came home, he’d try talking to them both about moving into a condo that was smaller, easier to take care of, and where the maintenance was covered. His father had bitten his head off the first time he’d made the suggestion.

He walked up the driveway, surprised to see a sporty royal blue Jeep parked in front of the garage. He knew who owned that car.

Erin.

For as much as he’d tried avoiding her, it appeared he was about to come face-to-face with his one-night stand.

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