Free Rookie Mistake (California Dreamers #4) by Dakota Madison Page A

you could get a statement from the manager while I write the citation.”
    As Cody works with the manager I do the paperwork on our shoplifter.
    ***
    Cody hasn’t said much to me all afternoon. He seems to be completely lost in his own thoughts.  
    Just as I’m about to try to start a conversation I notice a grey Mercedes inching down the road at a snail’s pace. It’s going so slow that the drivers in the cars behind him or her are honking their horns.
    I turn on the cruiser’s lights to pull the car over.
    When someone is driving that slowly it’s often because the person is drunk and is trying really hard not to do anything wrong.
    But we’re in a shopping area with a lot of big box stores, not many bars, and it’s the middle of the day.
    The other option may be an old person who is being extremely cautious. That’s much more likely in this area and given the price tag on a car like that.
    We run the plates to see who the owner is: Jackson Drake, the novelist. He’s supposed to be a recluse who never leaves the house.
    As we head toward the car Cody begins to sing Ticket to Ride by the Beatles, only he’s substituted Ticket to Write for Ticket to Ride .
    Funny.
    I’m not surprised to see it’s Ms. Malone driving.
    “License, registration and proof of insurance,” I recite when she rolls down the window.
    The poor young woman is shaking so badly she can barely remove her wallet from her purse. Taking the registration and insurance cards from the glovebox proves to be even more of a challenge.
    “You’re the girl with the cat.” Cody points in her direction. 
    “Did you just call her a girl ?” I glare at him. “ Woman is preferred, or you could just refer to her as the person with the cat . Why even make reference to her gender at all?”
    “Why do you have to be like that?” he fires back.
    I cross my arms in front of me and stare into his eyes. “Be like what?”
    “So politically correct all the time.”
    “Politically correct? Try being a female in a male dominated profession. You wouldn’t last one day.”
    He rolls his eyes at me. “Don’t be so melodramatic.”
    “It’s not melodrama . It’s the truth.”
    I’m not even sure why we’re bickering like an old married couple. It’s unprofessional and embarrassing.
    When Ms. Malone clears her throat in an effort to gain our attention I’m even more humiliated.
    “I am the person with the cat ,” she states. “I work for Jackson Drake. I’m his personal assistant. This is his car. I was running an errand for him.” She lifts up a plastic bag from the office supply store as if she’s trying to prove her point.
    “Do you know why we pulled you over?” I ask. It’s a routine question that we ask nearly everyone we pull over for a traffic violation.
    She shrugs.
    “You were driving too slowly,” I inform her.
    Her eyes go wide. “I didn’t know that was a thing.”
    “Hazardous driving,” I explain.
    She gulps. “I’m sorry.”
    “We can let you go with a warning this time,” I tell her. “Just make sure you keep up with the flow of traffic.”
    “I will,” she promises. “Thank you.”
    When Cody opens his mouth I point a finger at him. “Don’t say another word. We’re done here.”
    “Fine,” he spits. He looks anything but. He’s shooting daggers at me.
    As soon as Ms. Malone rolls up her window and pulls away Cody says, “Why do you have to do that?”
    “Do what?”
    “Put me down like that?”
    It’s a good question. I have no idea why I’m doing it. I’m really confused and lashing out for no reason. “I’m sorry.”
    When Cody closes the distance between us my entire body tenses. “Is all of this because you want me?”
    I can feel his breath on my neck as he whispers in my ear.
    My heart is thundering in my chest. I do want him, but I know I can’t have him. That really is the bottom line.
    “We’d better get going,” I sputter.
    His eyes don’t leave mine for several long moments and I