Steadman's Blind

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

Newly christened Detective Cory Frost tried balancing his breakfast in one hand while pulling open the door to the training room with the other. The two slabs of peanut butter toast were no problem, held firmly together, face to face, and wrapped in a paper towel. And the pint of chocolate milk rested firmly against his wrist. It was the orange that defeated him.

He lost his grip on the soft-ball-sized fruit and it bounced, then rolled into the path of a sergeant in a hurry who kicked it back in Frost’s direction.

“Sorry about that,” Frost mumbled, bending down to retrieve the orange.

The notebook tucked beneath his elbow slid down the side of his uniform trousers and splayed open on the floor. He sighed. Picking it up, he used it as a tray and arranged the breakfast items on top, except for the orange, which he tried to cram into the pocket of his jacket. Again, it escaped him, but he managed to scoop it from the air before it hit the floor, bringing him into a crouching position like a catcher at home plate.

Before he could rise, a shapely pair of ankles appeared in front of his face.

“That’s some impressive juggling, Detective. Do you do birthday parties?”

He stood, feeling his face go hot. The uniformed woman regarding him with an expression half scorn, half amusement, was a heart-stopper. Glowing, cocoa complexion, glossy dark hair cascading in a smooth sweep over a perfect brow, lips a cover girl would kill for. Frost stared.

The woman raised an eyebrow. “I’ll hold the door for you,” she said, reaching for the handle, “but I get half the orange.”

Frost froze like a deer in the headlights. Not a single clever response came to him, but he was saved from saying something stupid when the door burst open, nearly knocking them down, and Sheriff Polander glared at the both of them.

“Hurry it up, people. We’re about to start.”

Frost waggled his eyebrows, getting a grin in return. He held tight to his breakfast and stepped into the room after the woman, getting another glimpse of her stunning figure. His heart sank when he saw the crowded tables with no two seats together. He’d started to imagine sharing his day—as well as his orange—with his captivating colleague, but they were forced apart, to opposite sides of the room. He took a seat at the front table to the left of the podium and laid out his items, noticing that the woman was across the aisle and well behind him.

He hadn’t seen her before, but he was brand new in the detective division and still had a lot of people to meet. In the brief moment he’d been with her, he noticed she wore no ring on her left hand and the name on her tag was longish and started with a J. And she was gorgeous and witty and…

He crushed a mental boot down on these thoughts. He needed to reclaim his focus, get his head in the right place or he’d end up back in Patrol for another rotation. He’d worked hard for this promotion and it jazzed him to be part of Investigations. He opened his notebook and wrote the date at the top of the page, ready to record the salient points of the training.

“Jamieson!”

The sheriff bellowed the name to the back rows. “Did Chief Deputy Steadman come over with you?”

“No, sir.” Frost recognized her voice and turned in his seat. Jamieson.

“He’s on emergency leave,” she continued. “Had a family issue down in Portland.”

“Why am I just hearing about this now? He’s supposed to give the potential hazard report.”

“Yes sir, I know. He asked me to apologize, and he prepped me to do it.”

“Is that right?” The sheriff took a sip of coffee. “I want you here up front, then. Dooley,” he gestured to Frost’s table mate. “Trade places with Jamieson, if you would.”

“Sure thing, Sheriff.”

And just like that, Frost was sitting next to the most beautiful girl in the room, trying to listen and stay focused on the subject at hand. His peanut butter toast went untouched, cold and forgotten.

But he peeled the orange, keeping the skin intact, and laid a perfect half on top, sliding it in her direction like a supplicant’s offering to his goddess.