Page 11 of Falling For Alaska

“Like a test?”

“Yeah. Kind of.”

“And it’s going great. The guys at the station are glad you’re here,” Jared adds, “Fletcher wanted us to work on closed cases for a while, and now that Jack’s here, he gets the pleasure of doing that.”

I grin, sipping my apple juice. “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to include you too.” Jared gives me a smug grin since we know working on cold cases isn’t exactly exciting. It takes time, effort, and usually yields small results, but if I’m on it, he’s on it too. It’ll help me sharpen my detective instincts…and distract me from why I’m really here.

“What about your family?” Lily asks.

“My p-parents moved to Minneapolis when my s-sisters and I were kids.” I pause. “We grew up there.”

“And why did you pick the police academy? Because of all the crime in the big city?” she asks, half-joking. I chuckle. The news isn’t always kind to cities like ours.

“No, ma’am. B-but I see your p-point. M-my father...” I stop myself, wincing. “He always admired the police. C-called them heroes. It stuck in the back of my mind.” I shift slightly. “After high school, I did a few jobs, then went to c-college and got a degree in criminal justice.” I pause again, clenching my arms. They wait. All eyes on me as my gut twists. “It g-grew on me. I joined the force around twenty-five. My mom was a bit worried at first, but she’s alright with it n-now.”

“Oh, I can understand that,” Lily gasps, her hand on her chest. “When this one,” she points at Jared, “told us he wanted to become a police officer, I tried everything to dissuade him. I didn’t want my boy getting hurt.”

“Mama, come on,” Jared groans, grinning.

“Mama’s little boy,” Bella whispers with a wink at her brother.

“But then I saw how he was impacting our community and keeping us safe and,” she presses her hand to her heart, “I couldn’t be prouder” she says, eyes glistening. “Are you planning on visiting your family?”

“Well, I’m only staying here for a year, so…maybe in a few months.”

“A year?” she repeats, startled. “Why? Don’t you like Lakeside?”

“Lakeside is fine, ma’am, b-but I’ve got a promotion waiting for me in Minneapolis.”

“Right, right. Then we’ll just consider ourselves lucky to have you for a whole year.” She raises her glass. “Let’s drink to that.” We spend the rest of the evening chatting over the most delicious risotto, veggie stew, and homemade apple pie I’ve ever had. I was wrong to dread this. These people are kind and respectful. They don’t try to pry into my personal life or make jokes about my stutter. They don’t stare too long or ask too much. It also helps me understand Jared better. Why he’s so easygoing, so approachable. Right as Jared and I are about to head out, Allan hugs his daughter tightly.

“Tell Alaska to get better, alright, kiddo?” He pats her head with a tender gaze.

“Sure, Dad, will do,” Bella replies.

“Do you know if… Never mind.”

“She’s getting better. Really.”

“All right. All right. If she needs anything, you tell her. I heard a storm’s coming soon, and I’ve got a double set of flashlights—” Her dad rubs his chin.

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell her to come over.”

“She won’t,” her mom adds gently, next to her husband on the porch. “You know how she is.”

“I know…but I’ll tell her. I promise,” Bella reassures them, hugging both parents before heading out with Jared and me. I thank his parents and remind myself to send flowers to his mom tomorrow. Women prefer flowers, my sisters always said, bawling their eyes out when I told them I’d given a toy truck to my love interest in kindergarten.

"Bye, guys," says Bella as she heads to her car. We both say goodbye to her, then I turn to face Jared’s parents. “Thank you again for the meal.”

“We loved having you. You come back anytime,” his mom says, and I offer a clipped nod, overwhelmed by her affectionate nature.

“Anytime,” his dad adds, resting his hand on her shoulder. When the door closes, I’m about to head to my car, but Jared stops on the porch and sits on the stairs.

“I’m gonna head out,” I announce, keys in hand.

“Can I ask you something?” he says, his tone different, less cheerful. “It won’t be long.” He sounds calm, serious. I sit beside him, the cold air turning our breath into white smoke.

“Thanks for the evening. Your f-family’s really nice,” I say, grateful to have him as my partner and not some cold, closed-off guy like me. He sighs and reveals a more serious side.