Page 120 of Fate's Crossing
“Some stuff, huh?” Lexie dropped her voice to a whisper. “Would this stuff have anything to do with Zoe?”
Jake didn’t answer, but she did notice the sly upward twist of his mouth before he walked out.
As Lexie and Frank tucked into their meals—She, delicious homemade soup; He, some kind of doctor-approved mush lest he tear open his healing bowel—Cora crossed her arms and gave Nico a narrow-eyed look. “A little birdie told me you’re about to become our new chief of police.”
“Acting chief,” Nico corrected.
Cora’s laugh was deep and hearty. “Semantics.”
Lexie got the feeling she was missing an inside joke.
Frank’s head popped up. “Really? How long was I out?”
“Just eat your food,” Nico chided. “I’ll talk to you about it later.”
“As long as you keep in mind that I process the overtime,” Cora said. “You look after me, I’ll look after you.”
“Understood,” Nico chuckled.
Frank fell asleep less than a minute after he’d finished eating. Cora gathered the leftovers and promised to come again tomorrow with sandwiches and apple pie. Lexie made a mental note to do something extra nice for her as soon as she was able, to thank her for her kindness.
Finally alone with Nico, she addressed the elephant in the room. “Chief of police?”
He grimaced. “I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you. It’s nothing official.”
“What about Adam?”
“Well, he’s got a lot to answer for before he’s taken off suspension. Going MIA during an active murder investigation that had potential to devastate the island’s tourism?” Nico shook his head. “The mayor was . . . not pleased.”
“I can imagine.” She huffed out a breath, equal mixes of shock and joy at the thought of Nico staying here permanently. She’d never brought it up with him, knowing all along that his appointment as lieutenant was only a temporary transfer. Adam had told her so. She hadn’t liked it, but she also hadn’t wanted to talk about it with Nico too soon, before she knew what they were and how she truly felt. How he felt.
“Look, I know this is all moving really fast,” he said. “And I know you and I haven’t had a chance to talk about things . . . the future . . . so, if you’re not okay with me taking the job . . .”
Lexie smiled up at him. “Do you want it?”
“I want you.” He moved in close, tucked her hair behind her ear, the same way he had the day they met. “I want this. Everything else, we can figure out later.”
“Won’t you miss Boston?”
“Probably,” he admitted. “But I’d miss you a lot more if I went back.”
Lexie pulled him in and kissed him. A light, teasing brush of her lips against his. A promise of what was yet to come. “I want this too.”
THE END.
