Page 6 of Heart of Justice

“Of course. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more.”

For three years, I’d been the steady one. I wore the badge. I answered the calls. I made the promises.

Josephine had said, I know you try. Like she saw the effort it took to be strong all the time.

That kind of seeing unsettled me. Because part of me—some small, exhausted part—wanted to be seen again.

Chapter 3

* * *

By five o’clock, I was ready to go home.

I’d seen six students today. I loved my job, but some days it hollowed me out, dealing with their various forms of trauma.

I locked my office and headed down the hallway. Most of the offices were already dark.

Remy Daniels had smiled yesterday. That was real progress. I’d been seeing her for a couple of years. Twice a week after her mom died, then, once she’d rebounded, only occasionally. But the Eagleheart fire, and the fear of losing her father, had sent her into a funk again. I didn’t think it would last long, but it was hard for everyone to deal with the setback.

And then there was her father.

I’d tried not to think about Lane Daniels, but during quiet moments, my mind drifted back. The wedding ring was no longer on his finger. I’d noticed that a year ago when he’d first taken it off. The local gossips had talked about it too. He’d never been seen with anyone, though. Lane Daniels was a local eligible bachelor, but I don’t think he saw himself that way.

I shook my head as I climbed into my sedan. Professional boundaries existed for a reason.

I headed toward Safeway. My fridge was bare, and I’d delayed doing the shopping as long as I could.

The parking lot was moderately full. I found a spot and grabbed a cart. The store was bright and warm, country music playing softly. I made my way through the produce. I needed salad fixings, I knew that.

I was debating between breads when I felt it—that prickling awareness that someone was watching me.

A man stood at the end of the aisle. Tall, mid-thirties, wearing a black Carhartt jacket and a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

I grabbed honey wheat and moved my cart forward.

He moved too.