“That ploy doesn’t work on me, Miss Blake. Point that sad face somewhere else.” Problem was, he was suddenly compelled to rethink the ticket.
She gave a humorless laugh. “Well, pat yourself on the back, Deputy. You really know how to protect, serve, and screw over.”
“All part of a day?
?s work,” he said, feeling pissy now himself.
This was his job. She violated the law. But damn it, the black and white rules he liked so much didn’t seem to apply here, which was crazy because they always apply. Always. Same for everyone. Which was something Tate learned from the Sheriff. Recently though, Sheriff Branch was getting more lax in ways and his judgment.
Yet when Tate looked at Mia, he wanted to make an exception. Maybe it was the way her eyes were slightly void, slightly sad that made his chest a little tight. Like this ticket somehow ruined her whole night.
“If this made me miss the game…” she said, starting the ignition.
Tate let out a long breath. He was mad. Mad that she made him second guess his position. Mad that she made him feel like he’d done something wrong. Mad that he considered going back on everything he held true to “dish a favor.”
And now she was blaming him for being late?
“You were the one arguing, and it’s a high school football game and less than a two-hundred dollar parking fine. Nothing you can’t handle I’m sure.”
Even in the dark he could see her grit her teeth.
“I just want one thing to go right,” she mumbled to herself.
“You mean you want things to go your way,” he said.
“Yes,” she shot back quickly. “That too!”
And so confirmed what he thought before. A woman too good for the situation she was in and taking no responsibility. She was striking, yes. The exact kind of woman that was too big for this town. The kind of woman he stayed away from.
Not that it mattered. One look at her and Tate knew she wasn’t his type. Hadn’t been in high school, and wasn’t now.
“Great seeing you again, Deputy,” she said sarcastically.
Fine. If she wanted to be dramatic and whine because she didn’t get her way, fine.
“Ma’am.” He tipped the edge of his hat. He always loved a good challenge, but this woman was not only a diva, but a pain in the ass. Literally. And apparently back in town which meant she was a potential voter.
He watched her speed away and the cold air didn’t do a damn thing to quench the heat she just sent rushing through him.
Yeah. Some things didn’t change.
Chapter Two
“Heard you had a run in with the fuzz last night,” Jen Randall, Mia’s friend and former cheerleading buddy said sitting down at the counter of Annie’s Café.
Mia scoffed, wiped her hands down her apron, and poured her a cup of coffee.
“Yeah, Deputy Stuck-Up graced me with his presence, pushed me into my own car, then gave me a ticket.”
“Whoa, what? Is this like one of those slang ‘he gave you a ticket for being foxy’ then put the cuffs on you for fun?” Jen wiggled her eyebrows and flicked her strawberry-blonde hair.
She was the local banker, she also hung out at the café her best friend and owner Annie Thompson opened a few months back.
“No. It was more like a real ticket after pushing me through my sunroof.”
Jen shrugged. “Well pushing you into your car through the roof? Some would say that makes him a gentleman.”
Mia rolled her eyes. Sure, he didn’t play grab ass when he easily could have, and for nearly the entire conversation he did look her in the eye. But he eventually broke and stared at her rack. And even after that she still couldn’t figure out why her body was humming for him. Especially since she didn’t like him.