Kimberly Grace’s Stories

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“Yes, Ma’am. I’m ready, Officer Burns.”

Cassidy gripped the steering wheel tighter after hearing Jacob refer to her as ma’am. She clenched her teeth, seething with frustration toward him as she sped a little faster down Main Street. The station was not far away, but with the constant construction going on, she knew it would take longer to get there than she’d like. Her face reddened and her palms began to sweat due to the tension. The tension that she had inadvertently helped to create.

She quickly reached over to adjust the fan on the air conditioning. Immediately, a cool blast of air hit her face. This temporarily soothed the burning sensation radiating down her neck and chest. It did not, however, stop Cassidy’s mind from racing nor the strange pulsation feeling throughout her legs and back. It was like a constant buzzing sensation that made her feel weird and tingly. Cassidy tried to remind herself that these were routine charges being brought against Jacob’s crew member and his wife. Still, she was a bit confused by the chief’s specific order to bring Mr. Ramirez in for questioning about them. She took in a sharp inhalation and held her breath. Not obeying the chief’s explicit orders was causing chaos inside her body. Cassidy needed to get out of the car fast. She needed to not be locked in such a tight space with Jacob either. She was desperate for a distraction, so Cassidy reluctantly settled on small talk.

“How are your parents doing? Are they still working?”

“They’re both doing well. Thanks for asking, Cass—I mean, Officer Burns. My mom retired two years ago from teaching and now she is very much enjoying her book and garden clubs. My dad, on the other hand, is adamant that he’s still a spring chicken. Dr. Roberts is still seeing patients at the blessed age of 80, but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He keeps Mondays open for Pinochle and Fridays for golf, of course.”

Cassidy smiled, remembering Jacob’s parents fondly. They were always active and social people, so she could clearly picture them as Jacob just described.

“Wait, what about Wednesdays?”

“Ah, good catch. Wednesdays are for Mom. She insisted that they have a day to do something together, since usually the weekends are filled with seeing friends and family, and going to church.”

Cassidy nodded. The buzzing sound began to grow louder in her ears and for a brief moment, she heard ringing in her left ear. It thankfully subsided quickly. She took a large sip of her water, trying to do everything she could to keep her composure. Yet, Jacob’s obvious reciprocal question back to Cassidy nearly made her spit out her water.

“So how are your parents?”

Her whole body tensed up and Cassidy shifted in her seat anxiously, trying to calm her nerves. A sharp pain cascaded down her spine like a lightning bolt, reigniting the fresh wound she had endured only a couple days ago. Cassidy had gone over to her parents for dinner, but the conversation had turned south rather quickly with little warning, causing harsh words to be exchanged. She wished they hadn’t departed on such bad terms. Her mood shifted back to darkness as she continued to wrestle with the hurt. Her answer was muted and short.

“They’re away on a two-month cruise.”

“Wow, that’s exciting! Where are they going?”

Cassidy shrugged and simply replied, “I guess.”

Jacob must have sensed her tone, as he did not say anything else. Cassidy couldn’t even steal a glance his way, but his pine scent filled her nostrils, making her stomach do somersaults of both joy and dread. Cassidy thought she was going to be sick, but a wave of relief rolled over her once the station came into view. The good old 29. Cassidy remembered the first time she had walked through those doors. She was ten and her Uncle Jared was beaming with pride as he gave his favorite niece a tour of the place. Cassidy smiled, remembering how in awe she had felt that day and the way her uncle had made police work seem so exciting and rewarding. It was that day that Cassidy had secretly decided she wanted to follow in her Uncle Jared’s footsteps and become a cop.

Unfortunately, her plans were put on hold due to her parents’ insistence on college first. Cassidy didn’t regret her degree in criminal justice, though, as she knew it would eventually help her with her end goal of becoming a detective one day. She just wished that her Uncle Jared could have lived long enough to see her graduate from the police academy. Cassidy was proud to be a part of the family of blue and vowed to continue his impeccable legacy.

“We better hurry, Jacob. I’m running behind schedule now, so hopefully, this won’t take long.”

“Copy that, Officer Burns, I copy, do you? Over.”

Cassidy shot Jacob a stern look for that sassy comment but couldn’t help but smile a little anyway. Jacob had always been able to make her laugh, which both made her happy and a bit infuriated by his charm at the same time. Without further prompting or silliness, Jacob and Cassidy got out of the cruiser and headed inside quickly.

She led Jacob down a crowded hallway with cops and administrative workers crisscrossing paths everywhere. It was a decently large building for the small town of Naven. Nestled on the outskirts of Lake Glenoake and the Dovetail Mountains, the small town of Naven beckons many tourists in the summer for its serenity and secret nature hideaways. Around 500 people call it home, so everyone knows everybody. Not a lot of crime happens in the tight-knit town of Naven, but often, Cassidy’s precinct gets enlisted to help with the three other neighboring towns nearby— even though the closest one is 45 minutes away.

Cassidy was surprised to see Jacob back in their hometown. Last she had heard, he had been living out west somewhere after attending college in California to become an architect. She wanted to ask him what had made him move back and start a roofing company, but her stomach was churning in knots, so Cassidy dared not say a word. They made their way toward the back of the station and down a corridor with several offices and meeting rooms. Cassidy led Jacob inside one of the open meeting spaces and closed the door mostly, leaving it slightly ajar. She needed that little opening as a reminder that she could leave at any moment and be free of Jacob’s intoxicating enchantment over her.

Fumbling with her clipboard, she laid out five pieces of paper on the table. Jacob rolled his chair closer to take a look. He was now right next to her, and that made Cassidy lose her concentration for a moment. She took a deep breath to regain her composure and used all her strength to stay focused on the task at hand. She had been given specific orders from the chief with this visit and although she technically did not follow them exactly, Cassidy knew Jacob was a man of honor and would help fix the mess that his two crew members created. At least she hoped.

Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine as her body felt damp and cold. This time, it was not Jacob’s doing. Cassidy clenched her teeth tight to prevent her body from retching. Her eyes grew wide and fear froze her as she watched in horror when her boss burst through the door. He did not look angry. Not yet, anyway. Good, maybe there’s time for me to explain, Cassidy thought. Before Cassidy could even open her mouth, Chief Braxton boomed loudly.

“Mr. Ramirez, I think you know why you’re here—wait, who are you? Burns, this is not Mr. Ramirez!”

Cassidy trembled and felt her knees buckle beneath her. She was about to faint when she felt a gentle hand touch her arm. Jacob’s sweet gesture of support helped Cassidy regain enough strength to answer her boss.

“Chief, I know you had given me specific orders to bring Mr. Ramirez in, but—”

“But you didn’t do it! You didn’t follow what I asked you to do. This is very serious, Burns.”

At this point, Cassidy sank down into her chair. Tears welled in her eyes as she fought desperately to hold them back. She could not allow herself to …

Start at the beginning!

“Take me instead, Cass.”

Jacob stood completely still, not daring to move even an inch. He knew he had meant what he just said, but a small tingling of fear was now starting to grow inside of him. The tension was so palpable that even the birds in the nearby tree had stopped singing, and a squirrel prancing across the yard paused with an acorn in his mouth, as if he thought Cassidy was going to arrest him too. Jacob kept his eyes steady and fixed on Cassidy Burns. He hated to admit it, but she had a really good poker face. It was as if they were in a Western standoff, except Jacob had no idea why they were no longer friends and not on the same side anymore. Jacob knew what he was risking—his impeccable reputation for his roofing company could be completely lost because of this, but that didn’t matter to him. Jacob cared more for his team than he did for himself. Besides, Carlos had told him it was only a few unpaid parking tickets. He reasoned that this should all really be taken care of rather quickly. Jacob considered the megaphone and possible arrest to be a bit dramatic for such a simple problem.

He watched as Cassidy glanced briefly down at her clipboard and then back to him. She pursed her lips together and furrowed her brow. Without saying a word, she turned on her heel and walked back to her cruiser, leaving Jacob standing there alone and confused. She turned around and put her hand on her hip, her expression turning to one of frustration. Jacob had to hold in a chuckle as he remembered how cute Cassidy always looked when she would make her mad face. Her tiny, scrunched-up nose would look like a rabbit’s when it’s about to chew a tasty blade of grass. The thought made him want to smile, but the strong clearing of her throat made that thought disappear quickly.

“Okay, Mr. Roberts. You talked the talk; now, let’s see you walk the walk. Get in.”

Jacob gulped, not knowing what he had fully gotten himself into, but he reassured himself that God was with him always and He would go with him even now. Jacob was grateful that his parents had raised him in the faith, and he knew that as long as he strived to stay close to God every day, then what evil could man do to him? Or, in this case, a woman. A very beautiful woman, one might add.

Jacob shook himself as he had no idea where that thought had come from. Cassidy was one of his close childhood friends, and he had never looked at her romantically before. Although, he had always secretly admired how brave she was to ask boys out and tell funny stories to the audience to open up their school assemblies. Was this God’s prompting, or was he now seeing his old friend in a new light? It didn’t really matter, though, given the current situation between them there was a slim to zero chance that it would be appropriate for him to ask Cassidy out on a date. Still, as Jacob was walking over to Cassidy, he was caught off guard when he got a brief whiff of her citrusy lemon shampoo. He liked being close to her and realized in that moment that maybe he had made a mistake volunteering to go with her—not because he wasn’t willing to put his career on the line for his crew, Jacob knew he was doing the right thing there, but because he suddenly couldn’t stop thinking about Cassidy.

“Well, are you going to get in?”

Cassidy tapped her foot impatiently. Jacob started forward and then stopped. He wasn’t sure if she wanted him to ride in the back and he definitely did not want to make the wrong assumption again, like he’d done earlier when he had tried to hug her. He winced slightly, remembering that fresh rejection.

“Officer Burns, do you want me to ride in the back? Or do you need to handcuff me first?”

To Jacob’s great surprise, Cassidy smirked and a tiny smile formed on her face. The tension in his body started to ease a little. She shook her head and walked around to the front passenger door and held it open for him. Jacob walked at a quick clip to get over to the car now. He waved to his crew as a signal that everything was going to be okay, at least he prayed it would be. After he got in, Cassidy shut the door but stayed standing in front of it. The window was down and she leaned in slightly.

“You really thought I was going to handcuff you? I’m sorry— I think I may have been a little too hard on you, Jacob. Let’s take a ride down to the station and see if we can get this all sorted out, okay?”

She touched his arm gently and flashed a quick smile, but as fast as it had appeared, it went away as she hurried around the front of the vehicle to resume her primary role. Jacob lightly rubbed the spot where Cassidy’s hand had just lingered. He could not understand why he was feeling so tender and connected to Cassidy. They hadn’t even seen each other in years, but he knew by her reaction just now that she felt something too, and that reassured Jacob that everything was going to work out somehow.

Jacob was fully invested now and was prepared to take the fall for his crew instead. His team was like his second family, and he wanted to be there for them 100 percent. It was his job to make sure that they had everything they needed to complete their jobs safely and efficiently. Jacob was quick and eager to always lend a hand, moving materials or running out to get something that may have been overlooked. He also insisted that his crew take mandatory breaks throughout the day. Jacob knew the harsh realities of working in this line of work as his first job out of college was working on a construction site. Unlike Jacob, his boss was largely driven by money and inflicted a harsh and punitive work environment. Jacob vowed never to create such an atmosphere for his company and would go above and beyond to ensure that his crews’ needs were met, not only physically but emotionally too.

Cassidy started up the vehicle and nodded at Jacob. Her demeanor had switched back to stoic and stern, creating a fresh new wave of tension in the air between them. Cassidy cleared her throat loudly, causing the hairs on Jacob’s arms to stand up a little. He wished that they could go back to the sweet moment they had just shared only minutes ago. Apparently, that was not going to happen now, as Cassidy had obviously put a wall back up between them and was all business.

“Ready, Mr. Roberts?”

Jacob’s mind began to race with a few what-if scenarios, but he stopped it by ruminating on a few of his favorite Bible verses, including the one about God directing the steps of His people. This instantly calmed him with the peace and reassurance that no person could give but only Jacob’s Lord and Savior. He relaxed back in his seat and closed his eyes. His response was confident but gentle.

“Yes, Ma’am. I’m ready, Officer Burns.”

To be continued…

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Cassidy threw up her hands in anger. Today was already not going well and now to have this random jerk blocking her from a routine traffic ticket was just the tipping point. She released her seat belt and twisted her body to the side as she rummaged through her duffle bag on the passenger seat. Not only was it hard enough being the only female in this precinct but to make matters worse, today her partner had called out sick. Cassidy was one tough cookie, though. She knew exactly what she was going to do in order to regain control over the situation. Her side ached as she reached her small five-foot-three frame up and over the center console. She could just barely manage to grip the one loop of her bag with her pointer finger but was relieved to be able to hold it up long enough to allow her other hand access to the bag’s contents. Finally, she felt her hand graze over the item she had been searching for with quick intention. Cassidy grabbed it and, without hesitation, jumped out of her police cruiser. Without a moment to waste, she raised the item to her lips and proceeded to yell into the megaphone.

“This is the police. I am ordering you to move your truck now or risk being arrested. I am not joking around. You have until the count of five. One…two…”

Cassidy barely got to three when suddenly the man jumped out of the front of his truck. She dropped the megaphone and reached instead for her revolver. She had her hand on it, ready to draw it at any moment, but when she saw the man’s face, her body reacted in a peculiar way. Suddenly, Cassidy had lost her spunk and control. Immediately she was thrown back to her high school days as none other than Jacob Roberts was walking towards her, just as he had done many times in the hallway. Jacob had been in the grade above Cassidy’s and almost everyone had had a crush on him—including Cassidy. It was hard not to fall for the man as he was a top-A student, captain of the varsity soccer team, and an all-around gentleman. Cassidy had tried so many times not to like him but she failed every time. To make matters worse, their families were friends and that meant Cassidy had spent a lot of time with Jacob growing up. Their families had even vacationed together for several summers. She knew he only viewed her as a little sister, though, which hurt Cassidy more than she liked to admit.

Cassidy caught her breath and turned her face away for a brief moment. She could tell her cheeks were hot and turning a bit of a rosy color. She felt silly for feeling this way and chided herself for acting like a foolish schoolgirl. Cassidy managed to regain her composure just as Jacob walked up to her. He towered over her slightly, with his six-foot-four muscular frame. Jacob flashed his winning smile and beamed his trusting blue eyes right at her. Cassidy made sure not to react to his cute grin or the adorable dimples that appeared when he smiled broadly. Instead, she doubled down on her stern demeanor and debated for a moment if she should wait for him to say something. The decision ended up not being up to her as Jacob spoke first and he did not even pretend not to know her.

“Cassidy Burns? I almost didn’t recognize you, Cass! How’ve you been?”

He started to lean down into a hug, to which Cassidy promptly stepped back and began waving a clipboard in front of him. She tried not to see the hurt look in his eyes as it was important to her that he know that although they may have a past together, it definitely does not affect their roles or the outcome of the infraction that has taken place. Cassidy cleared her throat and clicked her pen in such a serious manner that Jacob did a double take of the situation and withdrew himself backward a few steps. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and then swatted a few beads of sweat that were coming down above his brow. Cassidy felt her power and control return and she smiled on the inside.

“Mr. Roberts, it is good to see you after so many years. However, are you aware of the charges being brought against your crew?”

Cassidy watched as Jacob looked over his truck to see the members of his roofing company cowering near their work van. There looked to be about five of them. Four men and one female. Cassidy was impressed to see the woman but knew she had to remain focused on the task at hand. It was clear that Jacob was trying to prevent her from talking to them and that made her a bit suspicious of him. Even though growing up Jacob had always done the right thing and had been chivalrous, it had been more than ten years now since they last saw each other. Cassidy prayed that Jacob was still that man today because otherwise, this was about to get even more awkward fast.

“Yeah, I know about the charges, Ms. Cassidy.”

“That’s Officer Burns, thank you. Well then Mr. Roberts, you know what I need you to do then. Move your truck so we can just get this over with and go on with our lives.”

“Go on with our lives? How exactly is that going to work out for my crew if I move my truck, Officer Burns? Don’t you see I’m protecting them?”

Cassidy sighed. Clearly Jacob still saw himself as the hero and she admired his care for his crew, but the law is the law. He has to understand that, right?

“Mr. Roberts, it is very noble of you to want to protect your crew, but my time and patience are wearing thin now.”

Cassidy said a silent prayer that she would not have to call for backup. She knew what it would look like to the other officers and she wanted to prove that she could handle these types of situations on her own. She breathed a sigh of relief as Jacob turned and started walking to the driver's side of his truck. Atta-boy, she thought. Cassidy was just about to resume writing up the ticket when all of a sudden Jacob appeared standing right next to her. Very close to her. Too close to her, she thought. Her head began to spin a little as she took in his fresh pine aftershave scent. He looked at her with an intensity and sincerity that made her feel weird. No one ever looked much more than noticing her uniform, but the way Jacob looked at her was different. He saw her. He could see the real Cassidy and no cop uniform could hide her from him. She clung to her clipboard as it was the only barrier between them. He leaned down close and said something that completely caught her off guard.

“Take me instead, Cass.”

To be continued…

Kimberly Grace’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.