Free Bare (Miss Demeanor Series Book 2) by Angela Ford Page A

She’d fought with the key for the past year. Everything was old, but she loved the little blue house with white shutters. It was hers—well in another week, it wouldn’t be. She’d renovated the inside two years ago and replaced the roof the year before. But there was always something to fix and for the past few months since her decision to sell, she’d done most of the small repairs herself. Being single in a small town sucked, there weren’t a lot of choices.
    Shay closed and bolted the door. She chuckled as she remembered the excitement on her shift earlier that night. She tossed her keys on the table and climbed the stairs. A hot shower was the first thing on her list. Shay slipped into a pair of comfy sleep pants and an old T-shirt. She combed through her damp hair with her fingers and tied it into a high ponytail. Her feet slapped against the hardwood steps as she made her way back downstairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed a cold beer from her fridge and noticed the pizza she’d ordered the night before. She lifted the box and discovered there were a few slices left—perfect. The only meal she cooked was brunch. She’d worked four o’clock to midnight for five years. The afternoon shift kept her awake until two in the morning and in bed until ten. On her days off, she went to her mom’s for dinner.
    She turned her television on to the trusted channel that showed reruns of her favorite crime shows. She always found excitement there. Nestled in her big comfy chair, she pulled the ottoman closer with her feet and rested her legs. She reached beside her for her laptop and pulled it open. Another part of her routine she looked forward to: her Lady Cop chat room.
    “Hey River.”
    Shay had met River in the chat room, along with a couple of other lady cops she’d become friends with—Maile and Cassie. They’d finally decided to meet in person five months ago. Each friend had tired of the small-town cop jobs, mainly because they hadn’t been able to climb the ladder through the ranks. Shay and her lady cop chat room friends met for a week’s vacation and came up with the plan to open their own business.
    River’s Uncle Mike graciously offered to let them stay at one of his properties. An extravagant one at that; he spoiled them with a holiday of pure relaxation. Shay and her friends were treated with aromatherapy massages and afternoons by the pool. Though they experienced a spectacular view of Seattle’s skyline at Mike’s resort, they couldn’t resist the opportunity to venture out and explore Seattle.
    Shay listed her home and it sold quickly within a month but waited to resign until she had completed the necessary work to become a private investigator. She told no one, not even her mother. Shay told the white lie that she’d tired of fixing an older home and wanted something newer. She knew if her mom knew the real story, she’d try to talk her out of it and tell her she was making a reckless decision. But she knew her mom would just miss her.
    River found affordable apartments for them so they could get their business off the ground, all thanks to River’s Uncle, Mike—a friend of River’s father but more like family, she told them when she introduced him. Mike Dunbar urged all of them to call him Uncle Mike as well. He owned the apartment building along with many properties in Seattle. He also helped make the agency happen as their silent partner. The women were indebted to him.
    “How was your shift Shay? Any excitement on your beat?”
    Shay laughed at River’s sarcasm. Her friend knew nothing happened in Connell, just as Shay knew nothing happened in her small town of Bear Creek.
    “Actually, River, I did have a touch of excitement tonight.”
    River laughed when Shay filled her in on the half-naked teens in the pharmacy.
    “Did you call his father?”
    “Nah, I just made them sweat and scared the shit out of them. I’m sure next time they decide to have hanky-panky after hours;