“If I’ve learned anything in this town, it’s that if you can kill two birds with one stone then throw it into a flock.”
“I don’t know what that means,” she laughed.
“I think Amy is rubbing off on me. It just means if you wear your engagement ring to breakfast then more people can confirm the gossip.”
“Which means, less people bothering you.”
“Exactly.”
“You’re such a hermit.”
“But you love me anyway.”
“I do. I really do.”
Getting dressed took three times longer as it should. Cliff tugged away every article of clothing that she put on until he had her back in her naked state and showed her again how much he loved her. Thoroughly and numerous times.
By the time they made it to Angie’s, the diner was already serving lunch. It only took a few seconds before Shirley and Temple Fitzgerald of the Lady Busy Bees noticed her arrival, and then their gazes fell on the three-carat marquise diamond resting on her ring finger.
Congratulations followed them through the town as they walked to Cliff’s shop. She waved at people she’d never seen before, but unlike last time, the unfamiliar faces didn’t frighten her.
“I’m going to run across the street real quick. I’ll be right back.” She kissed Cliff’s cheek then made her way over to the Carson Police station.
Inside she found a young woman chewing loudly on a piece of gum, while the phone rang continuously. Alexis stopped just inside the room, waiting for the woman to take the call, not wanting to interrupt. But the woman just stared at her as if she’d grown two heads.
“I’m sorry, are you going to get that?” Alexis asked.
“No, I’m on a break.”
Wow, okay. Let’s hope that wasn’t an emergency.
“Is Preston he-”
“Zia, if I’m paying you through your lunch then you need to answer the phone. And stop having your boyfriends call this line. It is for emergencies.”
The woman simply shrugged then picked up the next ringing line.
Alexis called out his name as he steered himself back toward the offices.
“Alexis, welcome back. What can I do for you?”
“Do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Twenty minutes later Alexis left the station with a new pep in her step and she couldn’t wait to give Cliff the good news. She had been afraid that Preston wouldn’t be open to someone encroaching on his territory, but she was pleasantly surprised when he asked when she could start. He begged for that day to be tomorrow.
“Cliff,” she shouted as she walked into the shop, smiling at a quiet girl with cute black rimmed glasses perched on her nose. She was manning the desk like Alexis had when she worked at the shop.
“Back here,” he called out. As she turned the corner, instead of finding him drawing or working on a client, he was toying with a camera in his hands.
“Is that your camera?”
“It sure is. I haven’t used it in quite a while. Now that I’ve pulled back on some of my government work, I thought I’d get back into it.”
“No more secret missions?” she asked, thrilled that he’s stepping back from the danger. She had heard from Dylan the night before that a n
ew assignment had requested him.
“No more. I turned down the last one offered. Did you get what you needed?”