had to be at the shop, she quietly made her way to the garage. She pulled on an apron that said Florists Do It with Style. Retrieving fresh clay from her storage bin, she worked it for a few minutes, trying to lose herself.
From the other side of the garage door, she heard a car pull up, but it didn’t really register until the doorbell sounded. Startled at the early hour and pissed that another reporter might have found Luke, she wiped her hands on her apron and left the garage, moving quickly through the house to the living room. Prepared to kick some ass, she opened the front door, shocked to find two police officers standing there, flanking Teddy.
“Are you Ali Winters?” one of the cops asked.
“Yes, yes, it’s her,” Teddy said impatiently.
“Is something wrong?” Her heart dropped. “My mom? My sister, Harper? Are they okay?”
“This isn’t about your damn family,” Teddy said in disbelief. “It’s about the fact that you stole that money to fuck me over. You’re that pissed at me, that you had to try to ruin me?”
Ali shook her head in confusion. “What?”
“Ma’am,” one of the cops said, “we need to bring you down to the station to ask you some questions.”
Her heart stuttered to a stop just as someone came up behind her. Luke. She could feel the warm strength of him at her back.
“What’s the problem here?” he asked calmly.
“Who the hell are you?” Teddy demanded.
Luke ignored him and waited for the officers to speak.
“We have a situation in regards to a theft that occurred at the town offices over the weekend,” the first cop said. “A briefcase of money went missing from Ted Marshall’s office.”
Ali felt the horror fill her—they thought she’d stolen the money?
“It didn’t go missing,” Teddy said. “She stole it to get back at me for breaking up with her.”
“Hey,” Ali said, “ I broke up with you !”
The officer went on as if neither of them had spoken. “The missing cash was from Friday night’s town auction. According to several eyewitnesses, you were the last one in his office.”
“Twice,” Teddy said. “You were let into the office first by Gus on Saturday and then again by Aubrey on Sunday. Christ, Ali, how could you do this to me? I thought we were friends, at least.”
“Friends don’t sneak out in the middle of the night,” she said, hating that they had an avid audience soaking up the exchange. “And I didn’t steal anything.” She recognized one of the cops. He’d been in the shop to buy flowers for his girlfriend. She spoke directly to him. “I’ve never stolen anything. Not once in my whole life.”
Well, except she had. She winced. “Okay,” she said, “so maybe one time I took a lip gloss from the drugstore, but I was twelve and stupid and my mom made me take it back. I had to work there for free for a whole day to make up for it. I haven’t stolen anything since.”
The second cop was rubbing his temple. Men did that a lot around her. Apparently she gave good headache.
“You have to believe me,” she said. “I didn’t take any cash. How much is missing?”
“All of it,” Teddy said tightly. He was wearing khakis and an untucked, white button-down shoved to his elbows. He looked like he’d walked right out of a GQ ad, but instead of feeling her heart sigh, it hardened. The dreamy quotient of Teddy Marshall had run out.
“So you just showed up here to accuse Ali?” Luke asked him.
Teddy stared at him. “Seriously, who the hell are you?”
“Detective Lieutenant Luke Hanover.”
“My landlord?”
“ Ex -landlord,” Luke said.
Ali’s stomach was somewhere in the vicinity of her toes, so she couldn’t process the exchange of testosterone at the moment. “So what now?” she asked the first cop.
“You come to the station for some questions, ma’am.”
“Even though I didn’t do it?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ali,” she managed. “You keep saying ma’am , and I want to
From the other side of the garage door, she heard a car pull up, but it didn’t really register until the doorbell sounded. Startled at the early hour and pissed that another reporter might have found Luke, she wiped her hands on her apron and left the garage, moving quickly through the house to the living room. Prepared to kick some ass, she opened the front door, shocked to find two police officers standing there, flanking Teddy.
“Are you Ali Winters?” one of the cops asked.
“Yes, yes, it’s her,” Teddy said impatiently.
“Is something wrong?” Her heart dropped. “My mom? My sister, Harper? Are they okay?”
“This isn’t about your damn family,” Teddy said in disbelief. “It’s about the fact that you stole that money to fuck me over. You’re that pissed at me, that you had to try to ruin me?”
Ali shook her head in confusion. “What?”
“Ma’am,” one of the cops said, “we need to bring you down to the station to ask you some questions.”
Her heart stuttered to a stop just as someone came up behind her. Luke. She could feel the warm strength of him at her back.
“What’s the problem here?” he asked calmly.
“Who the hell are you?” Teddy demanded.
Luke ignored him and waited for the officers to speak.
“We have a situation in regards to a theft that occurred at the town offices over the weekend,” the first cop said. “A briefcase of money went missing from Ted Marshall’s office.”
Ali felt the horror fill her—they thought she’d stolen the money?
“It didn’t go missing,” Teddy said. “She stole it to get back at me for breaking up with her.”
“Hey,” Ali said, “ I broke up with you !”
The officer went on as if neither of them had spoken. “The missing cash was from Friday night’s town auction. According to several eyewitnesses, you were the last one in his office.”
“Twice,” Teddy said. “You were let into the office first by Gus on Saturday and then again by Aubrey on Sunday. Christ, Ali, how could you do this to me? I thought we were friends, at least.”
“Friends don’t sneak out in the middle of the night,” she said, hating that they had an avid audience soaking up the exchange. “And I didn’t steal anything.” She recognized one of the cops. He’d been in the shop to buy flowers for his girlfriend. She spoke directly to him. “I’ve never stolen anything. Not once in my whole life.”
Well, except she had. She winced. “Okay,” she said, “so maybe one time I took a lip gloss from the drugstore, but I was twelve and stupid and my mom made me take it back. I had to work there for free for a whole day to make up for it. I haven’t stolen anything since.”
The second cop was rubbing his temple. Men did that a lot around her. Apparently she gave good headache.
“You have to believe me,” she said. “I didn’t take any cash. How much is missing?”
“All of it,” Teddy said tightly. He was wearing khakis and an untucked, white button-down shoved to his elbows. He looked like he’d walked right out of a GQ ad, but instead of feeling her heart sigh, it hardened. The dreamy quotient of Teddy Marshall had run out.
“So you just showed up here to accuse Ali?” Luke asked him.
Teddy stared at him. “Seriously, who the hell are you?”
“Detective Lieutenant Luke Hanover.”
“My landlord?”
“ Ex -landlord,” Luke said.
Ali’s stomach was somewhere in the vicinity of her toes, so she couldn’t process the exchange of testosterone at the moment. “So what now?” she asked the first cop.
“You come to the station for some questions, ma’am.”
“Even though I didn’t do it?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ali,” she managed. “You keep saying ma’am , and I want to
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