more than to have this day disappear.
Angry tears leaked from her eyes. She wiped them. Everything was going to be okay. She had only been hurt a little, and now guards were going to be around, not to mention a very pissed-off cop. She smiled at the thought of Kace.
There was something very comforting in thinking about him. She sighed and snuggled down. If only he weren’t such an asshat half the time.
Jessica drifted off to sleep thinking about Kace.
* * *
“Damn it. This is so stupid,” Kace mumbled.
He had been pacing outside her apartment for the last ten minutes and just couldn’t bring himself to ring the bell. All the previous night, he had trouble sleeping as he thought about Jessica and how pissed she had been. He just didn’t know what he was supposed to do. It was his job to check all angles. It couldn’t be helped that she was an angle in this case.
So maybe he could have been a little more discreet in the whole thing. His last three girlfriends had said pretty much the same things, but this was his life. He worked in a job that required certain things out of him, and those things didn’t just shut off because he was home.
“Are you a plumber?” The little lady next door to Jessica had poked her head out and was staring him down.
Kace lowered the wrench Jessica had left in his car last night.
“No, I’m a cop,” he said.
Her eyes lit up, and she smiled. “Even better. Well, you better come in.” She opened the door wider.
Strange as it was, he found himself going into the older woman’s house.
“Jessica will be along shortly, dear.” She closed the door and smiled. “Why don’t you and I get to know each other in the meantime?”
The older woman led him to the couch. If he had been thinking, he might have laughed at the décor. It was like a time capsule for the 70s.
“I’m Mrs. Masing,” she said politely and raised an eyebrow for his name.
“Kace Allen, ma’am,” he said.
“And did Jessica send you to fix my sink?” she asked.
He blinked. This must have been why Jessica needed the wrench. After last night, he doubted she would be in any shape to do any kind of work like that. Despite her protests, she had been hit pretty hard, and he was sure she should have been looked at further. If this was one of the many tasks she had planned today, it would just be better if he did it.
“She didn’t, but I’d be more than happy to help with your sink,” he said.
Mrs. Masing’s eyes lit up. “I knew it! That girl never asks for help when she needs it. I’m afraid one of these days she’s going to crash from exhaustion. Always working herself to the bone to put her sister through school.”
Kace cursed himself. He hadn’t thought to collect data from her neighbors, but then, he thought he had enough data on her. Maybe if he had dug a little deeper, it would have filled in the gaps in what he knew about her character.
“It’s why she took that job at the bar,” she said. “Money was just too good. She says that boss of her is fine, but we all know what sort of business he’s really in. I don’t trust him.”
Kace grinned. “Me either.”
Mrs. Masing stared at him for a bit and then nodded. “Yup, you’ll do nicely.”
Before he could ask what he’d do nicely for, she was up and urging him toward the bathroom. He walked into the tiny room. She had opened the cabinet. He immediately spotted the problem, the pipe underneath needed to be tightened, so it would quit leaking.
Kace stooped down. He could see Jessica’s little toolbox and understood why she was getting help from Finn. Her tools just weren’t enough for a case like this. He attached the wrench and twisted up. The steady drip ceased. Mrs. Masing clapped.
“Great,” she said. “Now let’s move on to the next project.”
* * *
“Mrs. Masing,” Jessica called from the front door.
“In the kitchen, dear,” she called back.
Jessica took off her sneakers and padded through
Angry tears leaked from her eyes. She wiped them. Everything was going to be okay. She had only been hurt a little, and now guards were going to be around, not to mention a very pissed-off cop. She smiled at the thought of Kace.
There was something very comforting in thinking about him. She sighed and snuggled down. If only he weren’t such an asshat half the time.
Jessica drifted off to sleep thinking about Kace.
* * *
“Damn it. This is so stupid,” Kace mumbled.
He had been pacing outside her apartment for the last ten minutes and just couldn’t bring himself to ring the bell. All the previous night, he had trouble sleeping as he thought about Jessica and how pissed she had been. He just didn’t know what he was supposed to do. It was his job to check all angles. It couldn’t be helped that she was an angle in this case.
So maybe he could have been a little more discreet in the whole thing. His last three girlfriends had said pretty much the same things, but this was his life. He worked in a job that required certain things out of him, and those things didn’t just shut off because he was home.
“Are you a plumber?” The little lady next door to Jessica had poked her head out and was staring him down.
Kace lowered the wrench Jessica had left in his car last night.
“No, I’m a cop,” he said.
Her eyes lit up, and she smiled. “Even better. Well, you better come in.” She opened the door wider.
Strange as it was, he found himself going into the older woman’s house.
“Jessica will be along shortly, dear.” She closed the door and smiled. “Why don’t you and I get to know each other in the meantime?”
The older woman led him to the couch. If he had been thinking, he might have laughed at the décor. It was like a time capsule for the 70s.
“I’m Mrs. Masing,” she said politely and raised an eyebrow for his name.
“Kace Allen, ma’am,” he said.
“And did Jessica send you to fix my sink?” she asked.
He blinked. This must have been why Jessica needed the wrench. After last night, he doubted she would be in any shape to do any kind of work like that. Despite her protests, she had been hit pretty hard, and he was sure she should have been looked at further. If this was one of the many tasks she had planned today, it would just be better if he did it.
“She didn’t, but I’d be more than happy to help with your sink,” he said.
Mrs. Masing’s eyes lit up. “I knew it! That girl never asks for help when she needs it. I’m afraid one of these days she’s going to crash from exhaustion. Always working herself to the bone to put her sister through school.”
Kace cursed himself. He hadn’t thought to collect data from her neighbors, but then, he thought he had enough data on her. Maybe if he had dug a little deeper, it would have filled in the gaps in what he knew about her character.
“It’s why she took that job at the bar,” she said. “Money was just too good. She says that boss of her is fine, but we all know what sort of business he’s really in. I don’t trust him.”
Kace grinned. “Me either.”
Mrs. Masing stared at him for a bit and then nodded. “Yup, you’ll do nicely.”
Before he could ask what he’d do nicely for, she was up and urging him toward the bathroom. He walked into the tiny room. She had opened the cabinet. He immediately spotted the problem, the pipe underneath needed to be tightened, so it would quit leaking.
Kace stooped down. He could see Jessica’s little toolbox and understood why she was getting help from Finn. Her tools just weren’t enough for a case like this. He attached the wrench and twisted up. The steady drip ceased. Mrs. Masing clapped.
“Great,” she said. “Now let’s move on to the next project.”
* * *
“Mrs. Masing,” Jessica called from the front door.
“In the kitchen, dear,” she called back.
Jessica took off her sneakers and padded through
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