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He moved on, muttering something about watching the loggers lose…again. I chuckled, glancing over at my nephew and his new friends.

Emmett’s unfettered laughter rang like a bell in the summer breeze—pure joy and happiness. Something he hadn’t experienced enough of lately, in my opinion.

Tomorrow was going to suck.

Emmett didn’t want to leave and after his misguided foray into graffiti, he’d switched gears. His latest tactic involved leaving Post-it notes on random surfaces in the house with goofy sayings like, “I can be quit.” Quiet. “I won’t eat your seral.” Cereal. “I can do cores.” Chores. “Maw grass.” Mow. “Wash clows.” Clothes. “Vacume.” Vacuum.

I saved them all, thinking we’d laugh about them someday. But now, it felt sad.

A boom of laughter had me staring at the sexy police chief again. Jesus, he was wearing his aviators now…and he was walking my way.

Lust tingled low in my spine. Popping wood in front of the whole damn town was not okay. I pasted a neutral smile on my face and nodded in greeting. “How’s the game going?”

“Great if you’re an Elmwood fan,” he replied good-naturedly. “I heard our young graffiti artist is heading home soon.”

It should have been strange that he knew Emmett’s summer sojourn was ending, but this town gossiped about everything. I supposed it was only natural that even the small stuff made its way to the police chief.

“Tomorrow.”

“Very soon. Are you driving? If so, friendly reminder…you need to change the plates on your vehicle soon. You’re not in Virginia anymore.”

I frowned hard enough to give myself a headache. “Are you gonna give me a ticket?”

His mouth curled at one corner. “Well, you only get so many warnings, Waylon.”

“You gave me one,” I deadpanned.

“How many do you need?”

“I don’t—” I growled. “You’re fuckin’ with me, aren’t you?”

Reg didn’t respond right away, but I felt the heat of his stare through the lenses of those damn aviators. My nostrils flared and a bead of sweat dripped from my nape onto the collar of my tee. If I didn’t know better, I’d think we were eye-fucking each other.

“Me? Nah. Is Emmett okay with leaving?”

I turned my gaze to the field and cleared my throat. “He starts school soon, so he doesn’t have much of a choice. My mom is flying into Burlington tonight and staying at a hotel. I’ll meet her at the airport and do a handoff tomorrow afternoon.”

“Why didn’t she come here?”

“A two-hour drive with winding roads is a bit much for her. I offered to bring Emmett home, but my mom insisted on meeting me halfway. I think she knows he’s going to be unhappy, and the flight with her will give him a chance to reset.”

Reg inclined his head while scanning the crowd as if on the lookout for troublemakers.

That feeling was back. The heat and sizzle of electricity buzzed between us. Or maybe I was just…hot. It was August, for fuck’s sake. That made more sense than a straight cop flirting with me at a family-friendly event.

Talk about wishful thinking. My long dry spell was messin’ with my mind. If I wasn’t careful, I’d self-combust or⁠—

“I’m going to be in Burlington tomorrow too,” Reg blurted, eyes fixed ahead.

“You are?”

“Yeah. Business. I’ll give you my number. If you feel like meeting for a drink before you get on the road, shoot me a text. There’s a sports bar near campus that makes a killer burger.”

I couldn’t make my mouth move for a few precious seconds.

A drink? In Burlington? With Reg?

“I…okay.” I handed him my cell automatically, like anyone would if a policeman asked for it. “I don’t know if the timing will work, but I⁠—”