“I’d be fine with that,” Seth told him. “If he shows up and wins, I’ll buy him a new camera. I was going to do that anyway, but now that he’s involved the police, I think I’ll wait to see if he can make me.”

“That’s up to you. Thanks for your time.” He pivoted to leave but turned back before opening the door. “Ms. Beckett?”

“Yes?”

“My daughter’s a huge fan.” He seemed slightly embarrassed as he added, “Would you mind giving me your autograph?”

“Not at all,” she said and accepted the pad and pen he pulled from his shirt pocket.

“I’m sorry that Mr. Kouretas is being such a nuisance,” he said as she scribbled her name. “I’ll warn him that he’d better not step foot on the property and make it clear that he can’t block your driveway. But according to the law, what the eye can see, the camera can photograph. It’s all part of the First Amendment. So if you’re in a public place, or you can be seen from a public place, there won’t be anything I can do.”

“I understand.”

“I’m going to put this down as a civil dispute,” he said as he slid the pad and pen she returned to him back into his pocket. “Nothing serious has happened yet. But I wanted to stop by because I’d hate to see this escalate into someone getting hurt.”

“That won’t happen,” Tia assured him.

“As long as he doesn’t cause a problem, there won’t be one,” Seth clarified.

Officer Crocker arched an eyebrow at this response. “I love your mother, son. Everyone does. But you’ve been in enough trouble to last a lifetime. Let’s not ruin her Christmas, okay?”

“That’s the last thing I want to do,” Seth said. “But there’s no way I’m going to let Kouretas get a picture of Tia before she’s ready to let that happen.”

Crocker rested his hands on his gear belt. “Sounds to me like you’re itching for a fight, and I can tell you that’s not the right attitude—”

“I’ll make sure there’s no more trouble,” Tia quickly interceded. Officer Crocker had no idea how angry Seth was at the world. If she had her guess, he’d welcome the chance to stand up for something and fight, as long as he could feel justified. He hadn’t been able to defend himself from those who’d hurt him so badly as a child, and he couldn’t allow himself to react to the Iveys as he probably wanted to since he met Shiloh. Feeling as though his hands were always tied would only add to his frustration.

Still somewhat skeptical, Crocker looked from her to Seth but finally nodded. “Okay. I’ll let you get back to your afternoon.”