The Man Behind the Badge. Sharon Archer

forward to open it for her. ‘Drive carefully, Kayla. See you when you get back next week.’

      Not if she saw him first. She slipped into the seat and managed to slide the key into the ignition.

      ‘Bye, S—’ She gulped the rest of the word when his eyes narrowed. ‘Goodbye, Tom.’

      He towered in the opening, one hand on the roof and the other on the door, as though he might say something more. But in the end all he said was, ‘Bye, Kayla.’

      He stepped back and shut the door gently.

      As she stopped in the driveway to check the way was clear, she caught sight of him in her rear-vision mirror.

      Thank goodness she drove an automatic car. It would just be the last straw to grind the gears or bunny-hop out onto the road under his watchful eye.

      She didn’t quite know what to make of Tom Jamieson.

      But one thing was certain: he was a serious handicap to her enjoyment of Dustin.