Tyler and I continue to chat until the door opens and a man dressed in a uniform similar to his walks in and makes his way to my desk. “Ashley, this is my second-in-command, Ben Gates. We were on the force together in Seattle. He was as over the city life as I was, and Perry’s second retired when he did, so Ben came with me.”
Ben looks to be about thirty, and I’d bet good money the single ladies on the island drool over him. And if they’re drooling over him, they’re probably dying over Tyler. The thought makes me grimace, which causes Ben’s brows to go up. Realizing I look the opposite of warm and friendly, I wave my hand and smile.
“I’m so sorry. I, uh, just had one of those did I remember to close the door moments,” I lie.
“And did you?” Tyler asks. When I look at him, I see he’s tensed up.
“Did I what?”
“Remember to close the door,” he says.
“Um, no. I mean yes.” God, I’m a shit liar. Best to stick with the truth. Taking a breath, I try again. “I mean, I didn’t close it myself, but when Millie left, she went through the slider and closed it behind her.”
He immediately relaxes. “Good.”
“Ninety percent of my neighbors leave their doors unlocked year round,” I point out.
He gives me a pointed look as he shakes his head. “Well, one hundred percent of those people aren’t you,” he says.
I blink at him like an idiot for a second or two before the sound of a throat clearing brings me out of my fog. Blushing, I look back at Ben.
He grins like he’s having a grand old time as he reaches his hand out to shake mine. “Welcome to the department,” he says affably. “Good to have you with us. I can tell it’s going to be interesting.”
“Thanks. It’s great to meet you.”
“You’ll be meeting a lot of people in the coming week,” Tyler says, bringing my attention back to him. “Officer Brady will be in next. She and Ben work the ten to seven shift, so you’ll be seeing them the most. There are two more officers you’ll meet today, McGee and Redford, who work Thursday to Monday. They’ve both been on the force for a few years, so it’s possible you’ve met them before. Their shifts start in the afternoon. The two overnight officers, Murphy and Dowd, are newer hires. They won’t be around much during the day, so it might be a while before you meet them. We’re in the process of hiring a few more full-time officers before the summer season hits. Once we do that, we’ll be running at full speed.”
He’s just finished giving me that information when the door opens and someone walks in. This time, it’s a female officer. Despite the uniform, she looks like she belongs on the cover of a magazine. Her wavy blonde hair is cut into a fashionable bob that ends just below her chin, her big blue eyes are full of life, and her natural-looking makeup is perfection. In a million years, I’d never have guessed she was a cop.
“This is our newest addition,” Tyler says as he waves her over to us. “Jana Brady, meet Ashley Colton.”
I try not to let my eyes widen, but they do for a fraction of a second. I can tell by the look on her face that she caught my reaction.
“I know,” she groans. “What kind of monsters would name their daughter Jana Brady? They set me up for a lifetime of Jan jokes. Worse, my twin sister’s name is Marcy.”
I can’t help it. I laugh. Hard. “For real?”
“Yep. My parents swear they didn’t realize what they were doing, but c’mon now. They were both born and raised in Tacoma, not Mars. There are TVs there.”
“At least they didn’t actually name you Jan and Marcia,” I choke out, still laughing. “And if you ever get married, you’ll get a new last name.”
Jana rolls her eyes. “I spend a lot of time looking for Mr. Right, and I swipe right like it’s my job, but so far I’ve found a ton of frogs but no princes.”
“Hey,” Ben whines dramatically. “I’ll have you know there are two single princes right here.”
Jana cringes. “Seriously, gross. Never say that again.”
Turning back to me, she cocks her head. “Are you single?”
Gah, is that the question of the day or what? I’m feeling a little bit like there’s an old maid sign on my forehead or something. Instead of answering verbally, I nod.
“Perfect! I’ve only been here for a few months, so I’m in need of a wing woman, and since you just got here, you need to learn your way around the island’s dating scene. It’s a win-win,” she says enthusiastically. “Fridays, it’s dollar drafts until ten down at Ted’s Tavern, which means it’ll be packed. Most of the single people in town will be there. What do you think?”