Love Under Arrest (The Brunch Bunch Book 2)

  Rachel Hope

  Love Under Arrest

  Copyright © 2021 by Rachel Hope

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual personx, living or dead, business establishments, events or lacales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design: Stephanie Anderson, Alt 19 Creative

  Editing by: Dayna Hart, Hart to Heart Editing

  Rachel Hope’s website: www.rachelhopewrites.com

  Facebook: RachelHopeAuthor

  Instagram: RachelHopeAuthor

  ISBN 978-1-9992793-4-9

  To my Sweet Girl,

  Thank you for always bragging about me,

  I wish I could see me the way you do.

  I love you and hope you chase your dreams.

  xx

  Contents

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  The Brunch Bunch

  Scott

  Chloe

  The Brunch Bunch

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  The Brunch Bunch

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Scott

  Chloe

  Epilogue: Chloe

  Epilogue: Scott

  Sneak Peek

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Follow the Author

  Chapter 1

  “So, how are you and that girl, Janine, doing?” Scott asked as he turned the corner in the cruiser. Chad was in the passenger seat, watching the side streets as they passed by. They were on the lookout for a missing dog. This was not what Scott had expected police work would be like, but at least he got to hang out with his best friend, Chad, while doing it.

  “She was a stage four clinger! Apparently, I didn’t answer her texts fast enough, and that was a clear signal I wasn’t into her as much as she was into me. And now I’m expected to make it up to her?” Chad shrugged and gestured towards the next side street. “I think I just saw a tail go down there.”

  “How are you going to make it up to her?” he asked, as he followed Chad’s suggestion.

  “I’m not. I’m going to tell her I’m going on a covert mission which will require me to go undercover and cut all ties with known associates for the next five years…” Chad grinned at him. “That should be enough time for her to cling to someone else, right? Do you want her number?”

  “Thanks, I’ll pass. You gotta stop picking women up at the Cop Stop.”

  “Yeah, I know, Chloe’s offered to manage my Tinder… that could work, right?”

  “Do you really want your little sister in charge of your dating life? Wouldn’t she set you up with one of her friends?”

  Scott and Chloe had a tempestuous relationship. She was Chad’s tagalong sister, whom Scott could hardly stand when they were kids. But Chad and Chloe had a close relationship as far as siblings go and they were occasionally a package deal, much to Scott’s chagrin.

  “She’s barely my little sister anymore, man. She’s grown up. Has her own photography company now and just bought a house over in the north ‘burbs.” Chad spoke proudly of his sister.

  “There!” Chad shouted and gestured to a dead end.

  The dog was cowering in the corner, looking extremely dirty and bedraggled but no worse for the wear. They slowly approached, lowering themselves to its level. Scott reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of beef jerky.

  “Hey, what if the dog has a special diet?” Chad eyed the beef jerky in Scott’s hand. “And why do you have jerky in your pocket?”

  “Shouldn’t have left him loose in the front yard where he could run away then. Do you want to catch him or keep chasing him? What dog or human has ever turned down a piece of jerky?” He wiggled the jerky in the dog’s direction, snapping it in half, hoping to release a little jerky smell.

  The drool dripping from the dog’s lips proved Scott right. He traded the jerky for a grasp on the dog’s collar. And slowly pulled him towards the car.

  “He’s so dirty. Do we have to put him in the cruiser? Dispatch will kill us if we make it smell like dog.” Scott groaned.

  “Can’t be any worse than drunk Ralph last weekend. I’m pretty sure some of the mud on that man was not mud, if you know what I’m saying.” Chad said, wrinkling his nose.

  “Fine, get the fleabag in the back, maybe put down a police blanket?” Scott looked down at the dog, who was looking back at him with possibly a look of adoration or maybe just hopefulness for more jerky. “You’re out of luck, you furry dirt ball, that was my last piece of jerky for the day.”

  “Aww, you guys are practically best friends! It’s not like you share your jerky with me. And again I ask, why do you have it in your pocket?” Chad laughed as he laid out the blanket in the car’s backseat. “Dispatch, we have the perp, and will bring him in promptly.”

  *****

  What a week! First, they had some new recruits coming in. Scott and Chad would be split up soon to help train the rookies. When Scott was on duty, he wasn’t much of a talker and hoped that his recruit would be the silent and smart type.

  Scott hung his jacket up in the front hall of his condo. Maybe a dog would be a nice thing to have… He didn’t want to admit he liked the way the dog had looked at him with such dedication. Yes, it might have been about the jerky, but still… Weren’t dogs supposed to be man’s best friend? His place felt a little empty these days.

  Was it empty because he didn’t pick up girls from the Cop Stop? It was the most popular pub in town to go to after shift. All the women that went there had a thing for cops and men in uniform, so you were guaranteed to leave with someone, if that’s what you wanted. Scott wasn’t really one to play the field, though.

  Scrolling through his contacts while he sat on the couch, he let out a sigh. How is it Chad had it so easy, always having some sidepiece in the wings, and Scott was over here, just sitting… Thinking about getting a dog. Trying not to think about she-who-must-not-be-thought-about. Chad had told him about Chloe, and it’s not like Scott hadn’t seen her around; he was always invited to events at their house, but they stayed in their own corners.

  I didn’t know she’d bought a house… I wonder where it is.

  When Chad and Scott had hit high school, Chloe had started to catch the attention of all the guys. Chad had made Scott vow to always keep an eye out for her, as a secondary big brother. Scott had agreed—how could he not help his best friend?—but then Chloe was catching his eye as much as the next guy, and things just got a little more complicated.

  His reaction was to push her away at every chance. He was pretty sure she hated him now, and he didn’t blame her. When they were both done high school he’d found her drunk in a bar and pulled her out by her elbow, knowing full well she was underage. She’d yelled at him for acting like her keeper when he had no rights to her.

  Later, when Chad and Scott had graduated from the police academy, she had met one of the other graduates at the after party. The jealousy that had ripped through him at seeing her admire the guy’s muscles had turned his stomach and he’d had to leave the party. He couldn’t stand to even be near her. After that, they’d circled each other liked caged animals if they were ever at the same events.

  Chapter 2

  So many plants! I’m definitely going to need to get more shelves or something… Taking a step back to admire the cluster of plants, she definitely needed to spread them out more. Currently, one corner of her living room looked like a jungle.

  Chloe had moved into her place six months earlier. Finally, a place of her own! Immediately upon taking ownership, she became a proud plant mom of not one, not two, but fifteen new plants. Plants were oxygen, right? That meant the more she had, the cleaner the air, right?

  Chloe had suckered some guys at the gym where she trained to help her move, in trade for a case of beer and photoshoots for them to show off their muscles. Gina, Issy, and Chad had been there, too. Unfortunately, they’d evidently made too much noise and her new neighbour had filed a noise complaint with the city. Chloe had managed to get the complaint dropped, but she felt she had to be a little wary about her neighbour on
the one side now. The neighbour seemed like the fussy type, always in everyone’s business.

  Landscaping was the challenge of the day. How hard could it be? There was a little shed in the back of the yard that was a plain yellow colour, and Chloe was going to paint a mural on it of giant flowers to liven it up. Then make a rock patio with one of those firepit things, the legal ones as advised by her brother.

  She grabbed her purse and headed for the front door, dialing Issy on her cell as she left. “I’m coming to get you! Are you ready to become truly handy?”

  “Ugh… when you said you needed help I thought it would be like come admire my hard work help, not actually do the hard work…” Issy groaned into the phone. “I’ll be down in five… please bring coffee.”

  Chloe just laughed and hung up. Going through the closest drive-through on her way to get Issy, she picked up a couple fancy danishes to act as their breakfast for champions. Never one to sleep in, Chloe had a gung-ho attitude towards any task she put her mind to. Issy was only fake complaining, they’d been friends since they were ten, and to expect anything Chloe to be anything other than early would’ve been ridiculous on her part.

  “So… How about I write about your landscaping experience and keep you hydrated while you do the actual landscaping?” Issy offered as she crawled into Chloe’s clunker of a car. She’d had to do a pro/con list between buying a house or replacing her car, but the house had won, though she cursed that decision on an almost a bi-weekly basis.

  “Well, that won’t work. I obviously asked you to come for your muscles. Clearly you are the brute strength I plan on using.” She signaled as she turned a corner sharply, and Issy reached up to grab the oh shit handle and let out a slight gasp. “You need to relax! I’m an excellent driver.”

  “Says the woman with the most speeding tickets to her name.”

  “That’s right, speeding—not crashing!” Chloe grinned as Issy rolled her eyes.

  “Anyway, what exactly are we doing today then, assuming we make it there alive…?” Issy changed the subject.

  “I want to paint my shed and make a rock patio… so we are buying brushes, paint and rocks.” Chloe listed the items on her fingers. “Oh, and a firepit thing, assuming it will fit too.”

  “How big is your rock patio going to be?”

  “However big the rocks will cover… I can ask someone at the store for that… right?”

  “Sure?” Issy shrugged. “And what colour are you going to paint the shed?”

  “I want to paint a mural of enormous flowers on the side, to really brighten up my backyard. So… all colours are welcome.”

  “Ok… well, I’ll help you do the rocks and load and unload everything, but then I have a date planned with Dean tonight.”

  Chloe bit back a grimace. She was not Dean’s biggest fan. He came off a little smarmy when he met them, as if Issy’s friends were beneath him. “Yeah, that sounds great. As long as you help me with the rocks, that’ll be the worst part of the problem, I should think. Also, I really do appreciate your help though, in case I haven’t mentioned that yet.” She grinned at Issy.

  The hardware store wasn’t overly busy when they got there so the girls were able to get help figuring out how many bags of rocks Chloe would need, they picked out patio stones and after much texting and photo sending to her brother, Chloe could also get the patio fire table purchased as well. The paint choices took the most time. Colour was a personal thing for most people, but for Chloe, the problem was she loved all colours.

  *****

  “You know what you didn’t buy?” Issy asked as she lay in the grass. They’d just finished emptying the last bag of rocks. The rock patio was complete.

  “No… what’d I forget?” Chloe was lying crosswise to Issy with her head on Issy’s stomach. They both were exhausted and looking up at the clouds floating by.

  “Chairs.” Issy laughed.

  “Yes, I supposed that would be more comfortable than lying here? But at least I don’t have a dog so we don’t have to worry about poop. That’s a win.” Chloe shrugged. “I don’t think they would’ve fit in the car. I’ll have to get Chad to pick them up.”

  “How was family dinner the other night? Do you like the new girlfriend?” Issy knew how possessive Chloe could be about girlfriends.

  “Oh, she’s not a thing, we had to go along with Chad’s latest story… he’s going undercover.”

  “I can’t believe your family goes along with these things.” Issy laughed and moved to get up, rolling Chloe’s head off of her.

  “Yeah it’s kind of ridiculous but just think of all the stories we’ll have to tell his real true person.” Chloe shrugged and sat up. “Thanks again for helping with the rocks and stuff. I think I’ll spend the rest of the day trying to put the fire pit together and drawing the flowers on the side of the shed.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Can you drive me home first?”

  “You bet!”

  The girls scooped up the remnants of their hard work and tidied up the backyard. After which, Chloe drove Issy home for her hot date with Dean.

  Chapter 3

  “Dispatch to all units, there’s a complaint of graffiti and vandalism at nineteen-eighteen Carbunkle Way.”

  Scott picked up the call. “Dispatch, I am halfway there, unit 203 en route.” He was running solo this week. Chad had pulled the short stick and had desk duty for the week.

  He pulled into the driveway and could hear the yelling coming from the backyard of the residence. He unclipped the holster belt over his gun and approached cautiously. It sounded like two cats fighting. As he got closer, he heard the words.

  “I’m sorry, but I can paint whatever I like. It is my shed after all!”

  “Well, it’s graffiti! The police will tell you!”

  “You called the police?”

  “As a matter of fact, I see the man in blue now!”

  “What?!”

  Scott stood dumbfounded at the entrance to the backyard. On one side of the fence was an older woman with rollers in her hair, yelling at none other than Chloe Dawson, in a skimpy tank top and shorts with spatters of paint all over her.

  “Excuse me, ladies…”

  “No! This is between me and Ms. Barnaby.” Chloe snapped at him. Her cheeks were flushed in anger.

  Does she even recognize that it’s me? Does she talk to all police like this?

  “No, I’m afraid that she’s called in police assistance. There’s been a complaint of graffiti.” He tried to explain calmly and deflate the situation.

  Chloe looked from Scott to the neighbour and back again. “Oh, officer, there must be a mistake. It can’t be graffiti if it’s on my property. Currently, I’ve painted nothing offensive, and it’s nowhere near her property line.”

  Scott watched as she adopted a smile that said hell was going to freeze over. He was familiar with Chloe’s feisty temper, having borne the brunt of it on numerous occasions over the years.

  “Officer, would you like some tea… I’d offer you a place to sit, but I forgot to buy chairs. Mrs. Barnaby, I’ll escort this fine officer back to his car.”

  “No, ma’am, you can’t escort me to my car until this matter is settled. How about we all take a step back from the situation? I’ll speak with Mrs. Barnaby first, and then I’ll come back to discuss this with you?” Scott wasn’t sure how this was going to go. He was pretty sure he had a conflict of interest, but not in the ways of the law…

  Chloe nodded her acceptance as the neighbour puffed with importance at getting to talk to the officer first. Scott watched Chloe flop down on the grass to stare pensively at the sky.

  “Now ma’am, I’ll meet you out front, and you can make a statement.” He walked back along the one-car garage of Chloe’s house and met the neighbour out front.

  “Ma’am I’ll need your name, please.”

  “I’m Mrs. Florence Barnaby,” she trilled out.

  “And what, exactly, is the nature of your complaint?” He didn’t want to point out the obvious, that Chloe was clearly only vandalizing her own property, which meant she was just redecorating.

  “That young upstart just moved in a few months ago and now she’s vandalizing the shed!”