979A/N: All standard disclaimers apply: not mine, characters and backgrounds belong to JE, no money, etc. Just had a little bee in my bonnet for this one. I'm a classic pantser (writer's term meaning I like to "fly by the seat of my pants"), so I have very little idea where this is actually going. Just a beginning and an end. Fun may ensue in the middle :) Thanks for reading!
Everyone makes bad decisions sometimes. It could be the leftovers you decided to eat even though they smelled a little funny. Or the cute boy you decided to kiss when he said it was just a cold. Yeah, three weeks of mono was so not worth it.
My bad decision for today just so happened to be going a smidge over the posted speed limit. In my defense though, I'm not really from around here and these are like the Podunk backroads, not grade-school infested residential. Unfortunately, the black and white flashing his colors behind me didn't really look like he cared.
I pulled over and debated whether to go with the pouty lip of remorse or the innocent "who, me?" eyelash flutter. Considering I'd watched the needle start sliding down around the sixty-five mark when I saw the cop, I decided remorse was probably the better way to go.
I rolled down my window and tried to think of something sad.
"Hi, there," the uniform said.
I glanced up and squinted against the brightness of the sun. "Officer."
He was tall and sturdy. Not the most handsome cop I'd ever seen, but he was no slouch either. Light, short hair, strong jaw. Maybe a nice smile buried somewhere, but he wasn't offering to show it at the moment.
"Have any idea how fast you were going just now, ma'am?"
Somehow I caught myself before giving him a massive eye roll. I absolutely detested being called "ma'am."
"I kinda get the feeling it wasn't what it should've been."
"Good intuition. I clocked you going sixty-eight in a fifty."
Oops. "Would you believe me if I said I was trying to reach eighty-eight so I could go back and change my future?"
He shook his head. "No, but it's definitely one of the better excuses I've heard lately. Can I get your license and registration?"
I sighed before digging my wallet out from my handbag. Then Officer No-Smile took my stuff and walked back to his car.
This was my third driving infraction in six months. And thanks to this lovely point system the state currently had going, I was one slip-up away from having my license suspended. Yay…
On a positive note, the car I was driving had been in my care for over two years now. Most people would be like hey, big whoop. But for me, two years was like a freaking eternity. Back in the day, I was lucky if my cars lasted five minutes. I chalked it up to some long overdue positive car karma.
The cop came back with my ticket a few minutes later. Guess maybe that karma wasn't so positive after all.
He tapped the roof of my car. "You might want to consider sticking to the straight and narrow for a while, Ms. Plum. Eleven points against your record doesn't bode so well if you want to hang on to that license of yours."
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
He gave me a small half smile. "And last time I checked, you need a DeLorean with a flux capacitor to do the whole time travel thing. A cute little Nissan like yours just isn't going to cut it."
"Right. Silly me."
He shook his head and walked back to his car. I made sure to buckle up before signaling properly and pulling back out onto the road. Not five minutes later and I saw flashing lights behind me again. Crap. What had I done now?
I pulled over and thunked my head on the steering wheel waiting for Officer Nitpicky.
"Hi again," I said as I rolled down my window. "Funny how we seem to keep bumping into each other."
My new cop friend wasn't looking quite as stern this time around. In fact he was looking kind of fidgety.
"This probably wasn't the best way to do this, but I'd kick myself for at least a week if I didn't ask."
"Ask what?"
"If you'd have dinner with me sometime."
"As in a date?"
He smiled. "You seem surprised."
"Maybe a little."
Truth is, I was really surprised. It had been over six months since my last date request. Mostly because I avoided any potential opportunities like the plague. No bars, no clubs. I even wiped my makeup off before going to the grocery store. What are the odds some random cop would break my lucky streak?
"Listen, I'm really flattered…"
His shoulders slumped slightly. "It was pulling you over again, wasn't it?"
"No. That was kind of cute actually."
"Yeah?"
"Sure. But the thing is, I just don't do the whole dating scene. I kind of left it behind when I moved out here."
"Off men, huh?"
I shrugged. "Been considering joining a nunnery for a while actually. You know, like in The Sound of Music?"
The cop gave a small laugh. "You do realize she ends up married in that, right?"
"Oh. Right. Bad example." I sighed. "Listen, it's nothing against you, but I just can't. That's all there is to it."
"Shame." The cop pulled a notepad from his pocket and jotted something down. He handed it to me. "If you ever change your mind, let me know. Or if you just want some company for a Back to the Future marathon." He gave me a wink before heading back to his car.
This time he took off before I did. Gave me a small wave as he drove past. Rats. Bet if I would've agreed to the date, he might have torn up the ticket. Oh well.
I drove another five miles and turned onto a gravel lane. The rocks clicked beneath my tires, and I stopped at a rusty mailbox. There were a few bills along with a small envelope with a Jersey postmark. Probably a thank-you from my mom.
It was still weird to see my name sitting above an Idaho address. Idaho. Three years ago I wasn't even sure I knew where the state was located. East-coasters tended to get it mixed up with Iowa. Hey, few letters, begins with an "I." Easy mistake, right?
I pulled under the make-shift car port and took a moment to admire the little house it belonged to. Nothing much. A two-bedroom, one bath that still needed a few repairs. But it was mine. I'd done the impossible and bought a house. Me. Stephanie Plum.
The recurring realization felt so good, I almost forgot about my speeding ticket. Up until the moment I went to gather my things and saw it peeking out from the top of my handbag. Along with Officer Flirty's number.
"Sheesh, Plum," I scolded myself. "You could've at least gotten a free meal out of it." I shook my head. Surely I wasn't that cold and jaded. Maybe I was just hungry. After all, my stomach had been rumbling obnoxiously since I left work.
The house was quiet and empty when I opened the door. Just the way I liked it. I headed straight for the kitchen and cracked the freezer. It was packed with little plastic containers; single-serve meals all ready for the microwave. I surveyed my options and settled on a hearty chicken tortilla soup I'd made a couple weeks ago.
While it cooked, I took off my bra and pulled on a hoodie and sweatpants. Comfort at its finest. Then I pulled out a TV-dinner tray and picked a movie to watch. Tonight was a super hero kind of night. I decided eye-candy Thor would do nicely, so I popped it in and returned to the kitchen for my soup.
I'd just settled into the well-worn spot on my couch when I heard tires crunch the gravel outside. It was a week night, and I wasn't expecting anyone. A slight tremor of fear skittered somewhere in my stomach. Silly. I'd left all the bogeymen behind when I moved out here too. Hadn't had a single threat on my life in over two years.
Curiosity got the better of me, so I peeked out the window. I didn't recognize the car. But the man who stepped out of it, I'd know anywhere.
He walked up to the door with purpose and one of his annoyingly blank expressions. Typical. The double-knock echoed through the silence of the house. I debated ignoring it.
Not for long though. Old habits and all. I cracked the door and frowned.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
His gaze moved over me slowly, no doubt taking in some of the changes. His eyes came back to mine, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Funny you should ask. I need a date."