see Garrety unlocking the cell. I jump to my feet, and he waves me over. I glance at my cellmate, but she’s passed out again and about to fall off the bench.
“Thank you!” I say, stepping out of the cell. “That was so disgusting!”
“Keep that in mind next time you decide to do something crazy, okay, Speedy?” Garrety says.
“I only went speed dating once.” This month.
“Uh-huh.” Garrety locks the cell and leads me down the hall. “By crazy, I meant breaking into the church.”
“Oh, right.” I wanted to add that’s only touching on crazy, but I’m more concerned about getting out of here. Garrety gives me my tire iron and keys back, and I sign a few papers. He nods to something behind me. I look around and it’s Blake, laughing it up with the female officer at the desk.
“Now there’s a nice fellow,” Garrety says quietly. “Good looking. Comes to get you out of jail. Why not some guy like that?”
“Yes. Why not?” I glance at the ceiling hoping God is eavesdropping on this conversation. Blake must have noticed us, because when I look back at him, he is watching me, grinning like he’s just been given the right to harass me for the rest of my life.
Garrety reaches out to shake my hand. “Stay out of trouble, you hear?”
I shake his hand. “Yes. Thank you, Officer.” I turn and walk toward Blake, who is chuckling. “Shut up,” I say as I walk through the front doors of the station. The morning light screams at me, and I block it with my hand. I really want to sleep.
Blake scrambles behind me, laughing out loud now.
I walk quickly toward the car, which is parked at the curb. “I said shut up! Thanks for coming to get me. But shut up.”
He opens the car door for me and notices the tire iron. This causes even more laughter.
I get in as quickly as I can. “‘Shut up’ includes insidious laughter over my most inconvenient predicament.”
“Hey. I’m the one that came and bailed you out. And sorry, I just got your message. I was asleep.” He shuts my door, then goes around and gets in, the laughter cranking up again. Finally, his laughter settles. “Jessie, seriously, what were you doing?”
I hold my hand up. “Talk to my Fifth Amendment.”
“What were you doing?”
I drop my hand into my lap. “Nothing. Now, can you take me back to my condo so I can change and come up with some clever excuse for being late to work?”
He starts the car. “Nothing, huh? Excuse me for stating the obvious,but you don’t break into a church in the middle of the night for nothing.”
“I’m a woman. In case you didn’t notice. I don’t have to make sense.”
He grins. It’s so unfair when he does that. I can’t be mad at him when his dimples show. I cross my arms, though, and hunker down in my seat.
Blake whistles for a few minutes and then says, “Wasn’t that your parents’ church?”
“Yes.” I look out the window. I don’t want to talk about this.
“So…what were you doing there?”
I don’t answer.
“The officer said you were rehearsing for a wedding or something.” A chuckle escapes. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
“No, you’re not.”
“Da, dum, da, dum.”
I try not to smile. “Do you have any idea how much I hate you right now?”
“You love me. Admit it.” Dimples.
I laugh—I can’t help it—and then notice we’re heading north. “Where are we going?”
“Just settle down. I paid two hundred dollars to get you out of jail, and that means I choose where we go.”
“I need to get my car back, get changed, and get to work.”
“You’re going to be playing hooky for a while.”
“I can’t play hooky! I have responsibilities, Blake. People are depending on my dependability.”
“Yeah, well, you can explain to them how those wonderful character traits landed you in jail. Later. Right now, I’ve got something to show you.”
“Another blondie?”
He shoots me a look. “Careful. My shallow-itis is
“Thank you!” I say, stepping out of the cell. “That was so disgusting!”
“Keep that in mind next time you decide to do something crazy, okay, Speedy?” Garrety says.
“I only went speed dating once.” This month.
“Uh-huh.” Garrety locks the cell and leads me down the hall. “By crazy, I meant breaking into the church.”
“Oh, right.” I wanted to add that’s only touching on crazy, but I’m more concerned about getting out of here. Garrety gives me my tire iron and keys back, and I sign a few papers. He nods to something behind me. I look around and it’s Blake, laughing it up with the female officer at the desk.
“Now there’s a nice fellow,” Garrety says quietly. “Good looking. Comes to get you out of jail. Why not some guy like that?”
“Yes. Why not?” I glance at the ceiling hoping God is eavesdropping on this conversation. Blake must have noticed us, because when I look back at him, he is watching me, grinning like he’s just been given the right to harass me for the rest of my life.
Garrety reaches out to shake my hand. “Stay out of trouble, you hear?”
I shake his hand. “Yes. Thank you, Officer.” I turn and walk toward Blake, who is chuckling. “Shut up,” I say as I walk through the front doors of the station. The morning light screams at me, and I block it with my hand. I really want to sleep.
Blake scrambles behind me, laughing out loud now.
I walk quickly toward the car, which is parked at the curb. “I said shut up! Thanks for coming to get me. But shut up.”
He opens the car door for me and notices the tire iron. This causes even more laughter.
I get in as quickly as I can. “‘Shut up’ includes insidious laughter over my most inconvenient predicament.”
“Hey. I’m the one that came and bailed you out. And sorry, I just got your message. I was asleep.” He shuts my door, then goes around and gets in, the laughter cranking up again. Finally, his laughter settles. “Jessie, seriously, what were you doing?”
I hold my hand up. “Talk to my Fifth Amendment.”
“What were you doing?”
I drop my hand into my lap. “Nothing. Now, can you take me back to my condo so I can change and come up with some clever excuse for being late to work?”
He starts the car. “Nothing, huh? Excuse me for stating the obvious,but you don’t break into a church in the middle of the night for nothing.”
“I’m a woman. In case you didn’t notice. I don’t have to make sense.”
He grins. It’s so unfair when he does that. I can’t be mad at him when his dimples show. I cross my arms, though, and hunker down in my seat.
Blake whistles for a few minutes and then says, “Wasn’t that your parents’ church?”
“Yes.” I look out the window. I don’t want to talk about this.
“So…what were you doing there?”
I don’t answer.
“The officer said you were rehearsing for a wedding or something.” A chuckle escapes. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
“No, you’re not.”
“Da, dum, da, dum.”
I try not to smile. “Do you have any idea how much I hate you right now?”
“You love me. Admit it.” Dimples.
I laugh—I can’t help it—and then notice we’re heading north. “Where are we going?”
“Just settle down. I paid two hundred dollars to get you out of jail, and that means I choose where we go.”
“I need to get my car back, get changed, and get to work.”
“You’re going to be playing hooky for a while.”
“I can’t play hooky! I have responsibilities, Blake. People are depending on my dependability.”
“Yeah, well, you can explain to them how those wonderful character traits landed you in jail. Later. Right now, I’ve got something to show you.”
“Another blondie?”
He shoots me a look. “Careful. My shallow-itis is
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