Teresa Southwick - How To Land Her Lawman

“And then dump him. Did I leave that part out?”

“Yes.” April sat up straighter. “How does that give me closure?”

“Your last breakup was situational and one-sided. Your emotions are stuck in neutral. Flirt with him. Have a fling. When he’s putty in your hands tell him Jean Luc, your winter-ski-instructor-lover, is due to arrive any day and you have to end your summer dalliance.”

“On top of the fact that there is no Jean Luc, I don’t think I can do that.”

“Don’t you see?” Kim said, warming to her proposal. “You finally have your chance for revenge. Of course you can do it.”

April shook her head. “I’m not that person.”

“Look, I know you’re really nice. It’s why I love you and why we’ve been best friends forever. But, trust me on this, you need to get some perspective and the best way to do that is to take control.”

“But he’s your brother,” April protested.

“All the better. I give you my permission. If I approve no one can judge you harshly.”

“But I’m not very good at seduction.”

“You’ll be fine. And I have a feeling it won’t take much effort or finesse. You need this and revenge is swift and satisfying. Humility would give Will a little character.”

April was starting to weaken. “But he married Miss Naked-Under-His-Shirt. And now they’re divorced.” Surely she could be forgiven for feeling the tiniest bit of satisfaction about that. “I would think that gives him a lot of character credits.”

“No. He left her, remember?” Kim made a face. “I never liked that woman.”

April loved her for that. “Still, it seems inherently dishonest. Because it is inherently dishonest.”

“If you flirt with him and he responds, how is that dishonest? It would be if you hated him, but you said you can’t do that.”

This whole scene tipped into weird territory because that actually made a twisted sort of sense. “So you really don’t think this is a despicably underhanded thing to do? Intentionally flirting with every intention of dumping him? That’s the very definition of premeditated.”

“You’re so overthinking this.” Kim sighed. “Just get my brother in bed, then say goodbye. He’s moving back to his life in Chicago at the end of the summer anyway. The two of you have a good time and it ends. Things will work out. Trust me.”

Famous last words.

But a lot of what her friend said made sense. It was a proactive way to deal with the problem. If he felt nothing for her, no way would there be sex. That in itself would be confirmation they’d never have worked out. Pretty much all she had to do was be nice to him and see what happened.

She leaned over and hugged her friend. “That’s why I needed to talk to you.”

“Happy to help.”

“You definitely did,” April said.

And now she had a plan.

Chapter Two

April pulled the chicken casserole out of the oven and smiled at the cheerful bubbling around the edges of the perfectly browned noodles. The crispy parts were her favorite.

“Okay, then,” she said to herself, “Operation Poke the Bear is officially under way.”

And officially time to get in touch with her inner flirt. Hopefully she still had some of that mojo although that would presuppose she ever had any in the first place. Anything too obvious would be, well...too obvious. It would be a dead giveaway if she walked up to him and said, “Hey, Mr. Sexy Pants, come on up and see me sometime.”

When she started to hyperventilate it was a signal that she needed to get a grip. Less than twenty-four hours ago Kim had floated this idea. A slow start didn’t mean she’d lose the race and as long as she didn’t do anything out of character, no warning flags would be raised.

“Okay. Here goes.” She put a lid on the dish, then slid the whole thing into a casserole carrier and food warmer.

April grabbed the dish and went out her kitchen door, stepping onto the patio. She looked around at her neatly trimmed grass and the flowers in cheerful bloom. A sidewalk led to the alley and she smiled, remembering that her mother put it in because there was already a worn path in the grass from April going to Will’s house. Or him coming here.

That seemed like a lifetime ago, but still a stab of sadness went through her. She still missed her mom and probably always would. Seeing Will again had stirred up a lot of memories, some good but a whole lot of them not.

Sighing, she walked across the alley, up the three steps to the Fletchers’ back door and knocked loudly.

Moments later it opened and Will stood there. “April. Hi.”

“Hey. I made a casserole for your dad. And everyone.” Oh, God, her mind was going blank. “I’ve gotten in the habit of doing this since he got out of the hospital. It was a helpless feeling not being able to do anything for him, so I made food and brought it over. This is heart-healthy. Low fat. Whole-grain noodles.” She was babbling.

When the horrifying thought sank in, she pressed her lips closed and ground her back teeth together. And oh, right, she was supposed to be flirting. So she batted her eyelashes.

“This is very nice of you.” Will took the container she held out and met her gaze. Frowning, he asked, “Is there something wrong with your eyes?”

“Oh. No. I mean—” She blinked furiously. “I think there was something in one, but it’s fine now.”

“Good.”

Doggone it! This flirting thing wasn’t easy. It just felt awkward and dishonest. She should cut her losses and run for cover. “Okay, then. I’ll see you around.”

“Come on in.” Will moved the door open a little wider with his shoulder. “Unless you’ve got plans.”

“No.” Jean Luc was busy tonight, so she was free to flirt.

She walked into the house that was as familiar to her as her own. The door opened into the family room with a leather corner group and a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. On the other side of a granite-covered bar was the kitchen with its large square island, stainless-steel appliances and plentiful oak cupboards.

She looked around. “It’s awfully quiet. Where is everyone?”

“Kim is out with Luke.” He set the casserole on the island and looked at her. The expression on his face said his sister and her fiancé weren’t out so much as staying in and having sex.

April’s already pounding pulse kicked up a notch. “What about your dad and Tim?”

“They went to a movie.”

“Okay.” The house was empty. In theory that worked for her plan except that she wasn’t very good at flirting. “Well, then, now you have dinner. Enjoy.”

He slid her a questioning look. “Have you eaten yet?”

“No.”

“What are you doing for dinner?” he asked.

“Oh, I have a frozen thing in the freezer.” She cocked a thumb over her shoulder, indicating the general direction of her house, freezer and the frozen thing.

Will leaned back against the countertop and folded his arms over his chest. The tailored long-sleeved khaki-colored sheriff’s uniform shirt fit his upper body like a second skin. Matching pants showcased his flat stomach and muscular legs to male perfection. She was the one with a seduction plan, but if this was being in control, she’d be better off flying by the seat of her pants.

“So,” he said, “you put in time and effort on this food and you’re going to eat something that’s been in a state of suspended animation for God knows how long?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I do it all the time.” She could have bitten her tongue clean off for saying that. How pathetic did it sound that she often ate by herself? Next he’d be asking how many cats she owned.

“Not tonight you won’t,” Will insisted. “You’re going to stay and have some of the meal you made.”