Free Shifting Dreams by Elizabeth Hunter

things.”
    Someone had been on the phone with Albuquerque. “Oh?”
    “All good.” Devin offered him a slow nod. “Very impressive record, Chief Gilbert. You have quite the reputation in New Mexico.”
    “Thanks, but I’m happy to be in a smaller town now.”
    Devin shrugged a shoulder. “Hard to imagine you won’t get bored.”
    Just then, Jena stalked past, grabbed his cup, refilled it, and nodded at Devin.
    “Hey, Dev. The usual?”
    “Yep.”
    “Coming right up.”
    Caleb tried to catch her eye. She finally looked at him sideways and he winked. He bit back a laugh and smiled when she sneered. “Thank you, Jena.”
    “Your burger is almost ready.”
    “Can’t wait.” It was probably wrong how appealing he found her when she was irritated.
    Devin glanced between Jena and Caleb, whose eyes were glued to the backside of the curt woman. Caleb heard a low chuckle.
    “Never mind,” Devin said. “Maybe you won’t be bored, after all.”

    Caleb was halfway through a really excellent burger after inhaling the Jena’s coleslaw. The woman could definitely cook. And give orders. And run a very tight ship. None of these qualities were making her any less attractive. When he met her, he’d been looking for a fun distraction, but he didn’t usually think about distractions quite this much.
    It was a little worrisome, but he tried not to think about it.
    He liked the diner. It had a relaxed atmosphere that fit the town. Eccentric, with a mix of traditional diner food and more exotic specials. He liked the burger, but was starting to regret not trying the carne asada tacos that Devin had ordered. The smell of earthy spices mingled with the aroma of frying beef and potatoes.  
    Caleb was talking shop with Devin when a small tornado entered the place. It whirled and clattered, throwing a cloud of dust, backpack, and bike helmet as it spun onto the seat between Devin and Caleb.
    “Hey, Uncle Dev!” The whirlwind settled into a small boy that Caleb would put around six or seven years old. Bright green eyes looked up at him and a quick, friendly smile lit up the boy’s face. “Hi! Are you the new policeman?”
    Caleb decided he liked the small whirlwind. “I am.” He held out a hand for the boy to shake. “Caleb Gilbert.”
    Jena broke in. “And you can call him Chief Gilbert, Bear.” Jena bent over the counter and kissed the boy’s forehead. So this was one of her boys? He looked nothing like her. Must have looked like the dad. “Want a snack? And where’s Low?”
    “Out talking with Kevin about… stuff.”
    A look passed between Devin and Jena. A silent conversation that Caleb had no part of. Interesting.
    Devin rose from the bench. “I’ll go check on ‘em. Bear, guard my seat.”
    “Okay!” The small boy settled onto Devin’s stool, sneaking glances at Caleb when he thought he wasn’t looking. Finally, Caleb broke the silence. “Bear? Is that your name?”
    “No. My name’s really Aaron. But when I was a baby, Mom called me Aar-Bear. Now they just call me Bear.” He giggled. “Even though I won’t turn into one or anything.”
    “Well, I guess not.” Caleb laughed. “But it’s still a cool nickname. What grade are you in?”
    “Second. I’m in Mrs. Strickle’s class.”
    “So you’re… seven?”
    Aaron’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Do you have any kids?”
    “Nope. But I have a lot of cousins who do.”
    “That’s cool.”  
    Jena slid a plate of cut apples and cheese slices in front of Aaron before she rushed away. The diner was in the middle of the lunch rush. She was barking orders into the kitchen and sadly, had no time to be irritated with him.  
    Suddenly, a thought occurred and he turned back to Aaron. “Hey, shouldn’t you be in school? I don’t want to have to arrest you for truancy when we just met.”
    Aaron giggled and bit into an apple. “Nope. Half days on Fridays.”
    “Well, that’s pretty cool.”
    “I know. Mom has to work, so we hang out here. Or