There were kids playing on the school playground, and parents were at the field house, picking up their boys from football practice. His wife had never wanted kids when they were still young enough to have them, and then they divorced, and that dream had ended with the marriage. Now, he’d have to marry someone considerably younger to start raising a family, and he didn’t want someone considerably younger anymore. In fact, he hadn’t thought about a steady woman in his life at all until seeing Melissa again.

The sun was going down by the time he got back to the B and B.

Bud was at the front desk when Sully walked in.

“Evening, Sully. Have you had a good day?” he asked.

“Yes, I have. Didn’t make any new discoveries about my search, but the day was still good.”

“Awesome… Oh… Rachel baked chocolate chip cookies this afternoon and left some for you,” Bud said, and pulled out a plate of cookies covered in plastic wrap. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks,” Sully said. “I sure will.”

He went upstairs with the plate, kicked off his shoes, washed up, and then got a cold bottle of pop from the mini-fridge, took the cookies with him to bed, and settled in to watch some TV.

Two hours later, it hit him that this was going to be his life. No more dividing his time between the station and an apartment. No more roughhousing with the guys. No more buddy time at the weight benches. The only life he’d been living was now behind him, and beyond this search, he had no other plans.

Later, he showered and shaved and this time pulled back the covers before he sat down on the side of the bed to call Melissa.

* * *

Melissa was just getting out of the shower when her phone rang. She wrapped herself up in a bath towel and ran to answer.

“Hello.”

“Hey, it’s me. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed spending time with you today and to wish you a good night.”

Melissa was grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you. I loved spending time with you, too. Did you find any new leads?”

“No.”

“I’m sorry,” Melissa said. “Just remember I’ll help you tomorrow if you want.”

“Rest well, and I’ll check on you in the morning, if it’s okay with you.”

Melissa laughed, and the sound rolled through him like silk against his skin.

“Of course it’s okay,” she said. “Call anytime.”

And then the connection ended, and Sully put his phone on the charger, got in bed, and turned out the lights. He pulled up the covers, and within minutes he was asleep.

* * *

The sound of a siren woke Sully up the next morning, and he was out of bed, his heart pounding with adrenaline, before he remembered he wasn’t at the station anymore. But hearing a siren before daylight had him wondering what was going on in Blessings.