Lucky Baby (Crescent Cove 11)

“Any idea how fast you were going, Lucky?”

“Nope.” I stared straight ahead, my paperwork crushed in one hand.

“Hmm.” He tapped his hand on his gun, then relaxed. “Girl trouble.”

My hand tightened on the wheel again.

“Definitely girl trouble.” He glanced at his watch. “Wanna grab a beer?”

I frowned. “What? It’s not even ten.”

He shrugged. “It’s a little after nine. Means I’m off shift. I pulled the overnight.”

“There’s an overnight shift in Crescent Cove?” Shock had me sitting back in my seat.

“There is when the hayrides have started. Not much to do in a small town but get drunk. I confiscated a twelve pack of microbrew.”

My eyebrow shot up. “In my day we bought Budweiser or worse—”

“The Beast,” Brady finished for me. “Come on. The rooftop is pretty toasty this time of day. Good time to get drunk.”

“You’re not going to give me a ticket?”

“Nah. Been there with a persnickety woman.”

“How do you know my woman is persnickety?”

“Luc, the whole town knows you’re gone for Tish.”

I bounced my head off the headrest. “The whole town?”

If Tish figured that out, she’d probably fire me from the remodel too. But she wasn’t paying me, so could she fire me?

I’d ponder it over beer with Officer Friendly.

“Luna’s pretty chatty over there at Kin’s shop. Talked about the bonfire. Where was my invite by the way?”

I laughed. “Was hard enough to get Ruby to deal with having two couples over.”

“Ruby, huh?”

My answer was silence.

Brady grunted. “I had to work anyway. Come on, you can tell me your tales of woe.”

“Am I being punked?”

Tipping his head back, he laughed good-naturedly. “So suspicious.”

Cops had never exactly been my favorite people. A big kid on the street always served as prime pickings for shithead cops who just wanted a collar. Especially since I’d looked over eighteen since my early teen years. I’d never been charged, but I’d had my fair share of arrests.

“I threw the beers in my cooler. Follow me if you want some,” he said over his shoulder as he walked back to his cruiser. He pulled out and passed me with a wave.

I looked down at my rumpled clothes. I hadn’t been kidding when I’d said I needed a shower. Three bouts of sex and sleeping under the stars had left me pretty ripe. All the good parts smelled like Ruby.

And the thought of her had me putting my truck in drive. “Fuck it.”

Day drinking sounded like a damn good plan.