The Hurt Locker

Two lovers who were strangers

It had been a typical day for Alex Romero. He dealt with a couple of robberies and break-ins and headed off to the local bar. It seemed to be his daily routine these days. He'd grudgingly head to work, deal with the multiple assholes who lived in White Pine Bay, then stumble into the local bar to wash it all away.

He was sitting at the far end of the bar drinking his scotch when he spotted an unfamiliar face. Alex had lived in this town his whole life—he knew everyone, but not this woman. She was a beautiful blonde woman, untouched and unburdened by the life of White Pine Bay, yet she had a sadness about her. She didn't seem too damaged—she was probably just having a bad day. She seemed more refined than the other women Alex knew. She was dressed nice for some shitty bar down by the docks. Her hair was curled, her make-up done. She was perfection...if perfection could ever be obtained. He'd never seen another woman like her. He—

"What the hell are you looking at?" Her eyes were daggers to him.

He had been staring too long. He fumbled for words. He didn't wanna seem like a creep—or worse like the other men in this town. He was different; he needed her to know that. "Sorry." It was all that came out.

She rolled her eyes and left a seat between them. Who the hell was this guy to judge her? She'd had enough of everybody at this point. She needed to unwind, not be gawked at by some loser in a sheriff's uniform. She kept her eyes ahead as she ordered her martini, hoping to hell he'd leave her alone. But she found herself glancing over at him after receiving her drink. He was obviously embarrassed.

He was humiliated. He should have just got up and left, but he didn't—he stayed. He sighed deeply, downing what was left of his drink. He always made a fool of himself around women he found attractive. But she was staring at him now. Someone's indecisive. He stared at the wall in front of him. "What?" he grumbled.

Shit. He noticed. "Nothing." She bit her lip. He was handsome. He had nice bone structure—and nice hair. She took a sip of her drink, hoping it would calm her. She wouldn't look at him this time. "Do you usually come here after work?" Silence slowly settled in. She glanced over at his confused expression. "Your uniform?"

His eyes dropped to his clothes. "Sometimes. I guess." He didn't want to seem pathetic. He'd just met the woman. He shrugged, watching as she took another sip of her drink. "What about you?"

She sighed. She didn't expect him to ask. No one ever really took interest in what she did. She tried not to think about all the shit Dylan put her through that morning. She hated to say it, but she hated him sometimes. "Long day."

He huffed. "Tell me about it." He liked her already. He stared at her for a while. She was lovely in all respects. Far more lovelier than anyone he's ever met.

He was staring again. She didn't mind though. She liked it. She appreciated it. She stuck out her hand, giving him a smile. "I'm Norma."

He took her hand. Her skin was so soft. He tried not to notice. "Alex."

She widened her grin. She knew he was admiring her. "So you're the sheriff?"

He allowed himself to smile at her. "Yeah." He was proud of what he did for a living. It came with a lot of bragging rights. "You new here?"

She nodded. "We just moved here a few days ago. Bought that motel on highway 84." She was proud of herself. She finally owned something that was hers, even if she did buy it with her husband's insurance money.

He raised an eyebrow. "We?" Of course she's married. That would be his luck. He never had much success with women. If it's not his job that gets in the way, it's something else.

She smiled at this. "Me and my sons."

So she's not married. He played with the empty glass in front him, briefly looking over at her. "So what made you move to White Pine Bay?"

She sighed. She couldn't tell him the whole truth—he'd go running for the hills. But she felt obligated to tell him the partial truth. "My husband died." She swallowed at the thought of what really happened. "I needed a fresh start."

He looked at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry." He regretted asking.

She gave him a small smile. "It's all right. It's been a few months." She took a deep breath. She could feel some things rising up to the surface, but she quickly pushed them away. "We're still trying to get over it, but we all have to move on sometime. And it really is a nice town."

She doesn't know the half of it. "Yeah. I guess," he mumbled.

She sensed his tension. He obviously didn't like living there, or he just had a funny way of showing it. "Have you lived here long?"

"My whole life." It was pretty pathetic actually. Most of his friends moved away—moved on with their lives. But not Alex. Nope. He became the sheriff of this wonderful place. He glanced over at her as she finished her drink.

She smiled at him. "It can't be that bad."

He laughed a little. "You'll see." He stood up and opened his wallet, placing a couple of bucks down on the counter. "I'll see you around."

And he did. Sure enough the next few days, he saw her everywhere he went. He ran into her at the grocery store, the gas station, everywhere. He couldn't shake her. They had become closer since they first met and after about a month they started seeing each other. They were having the time of their lives. But Alex couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she was hiding something from him. And being Alex...he would get to the bottom of it.