Page 21

Reg’s self-deprecating boyish shrug was charming as hell. “Fine. A guy can dream.”

I kicked his stool. “Are you flirting with me, Chief?”

“I honestly have no idea. Like I said, very out of practice.”

Again…charmed.

“You’re not out,” I guessed.

“No, I am.”

“Really?” I asked, legitimately surprised.

“At least…on a need-to-know basis. I don’t advertise my sexuality, but it’s not a state secret. If that makes sense.”

I inclined my chin. “Yeah, I get it. I s’pose it’s the same for me.”

Now that we’d gotten the “WTF are you doing at a gay bar at the other end of the state?” conversation out of the way, I wasn’t sure what to say. Neither was Reg. We spoke over each other awkwardly and gave up, turning our attention to the baseball game on the nearest screen.

“Are you a Red Sox fan?”

“I’m from Virginia,” I drawled with an over-the-top Southern inflection I’d made a point of losing a long time ago. “We root for the Orioles in my neck of the woods. Or the Commanders.”

Reg flashed a broad grin. “Love that accent. But, um…word to the wise, I’d consider switching teams now that you’re in the northeast. The Red Sox are having a much better season.”

I flipped him off, hiding a smile behind the rim of my glass as he hooted merrily.

We talked baseball for a while. It was a meandering sort of discussion with no real rhyme or reason. Baseball stats morphed into hockey talk, the way it always seemed to in Vermont. I was a fan, though, and according to Reg that was a good thing.

“Yeah, I got the memo,” I snarked. “Football, too.”

“Especially football. Wood Hollow is known for our high school program. Troy has taken our boys to the State Championship two years in a row. Next month, the town will be decked in black and gold to support the Hornets. We haven’t had this much momentum since I was in high school. And that was a long time ago.”

“What position did you play?”

“Running back, tight end, and even quarterback for a hot second my junior year. That was only ’cause Cooper was out with a bum knee. He staged a miraculous recovery and stole my thunder just before the Four Forest area championship. We hacked through Elmwood, Fallbrook, and those dickwads in Pinecrest like a machete chopping dry wheat. We couldn’t stop winning if we tried. Let me just warn you now that if you get caught with a former athlete or the proud parent of one from our glory days, you’ll be there a long-ass time.”

I chuckled. “Does your son play?”

Reg beamed like the proud dad he was. “Yep. Rhys is finishing up the junior hockey camp in Elmwood now, but preseason training for football will start in a week or two. He’s excited. At least, I think he is. Between hockey and his camp counselor job, he’s a busy kid.”

“I bet.”

“Gretch is, too. She’s more of a science buff, though. She’s so smart and I have no idea where she gets it. I was a dumb jock and—” He wrinkled his nose and winced. “Wow. Feel free to tell the dad gushing about his kids at the bar that he might want to rethink his lines of conversation if he ever hopes to get laid again.”

“Smooth.” I threw my head back and laughed.

“Sorry. I told you I was rusty.”

I nodded but let it go.

There was no way to touch that without inferring that he was making a pass at me. And yeah…I was pretty sure that was exactly what was happening. Reg was a friendly guy, the consummate small-town cop…who just happened to like dick. Me? I was down for…anything.

Sure, I’d had a few beers, and messing around with the chief of police was anyone’s idea of a bad call. On the other hand, being a hundred miles away from home was a bonus.

And I was definitely getting “interested” vibes from Reg. His knee brushed mine every once in a while and his eyes twinkled as he spoke, but I had a feeling he was seasoned at the art of bullshitting—a skill that no doubt came in handy in his line of work.

Reg was an elected official, not appointed. He didn’t just deal with lawless citizens, he probably had to interact with the mayors of each town, council members, and county bigwigs.