The Bad Boy's Reward

Chapter 6: Meeting the Sheriff

June's POV

“Oh, my gosh! June, you’re amazing!” she exclaimed with her jaw slightly agape.

“I’m not that great.” I shook my head, because I was not used to getting compliments, so I was definitely not used to accepting them.

“Are you kidding? That was great! You should sing at the open mic night!” she said, sounding excited at the idea.

“No!” I quickly blurted out, a little too harshly. “It’s just, my dad, he doesn’t know I’m still singing and I don’t want him to either.”

Tiff’s expression softened as she looked at me. “It must be hard being the Sheriff’s daughter.” She frowned, showing me great sympathy. It was more than I expected.

“It can be.” I stared down at the pinecones that littered the ground, not wanting to let Tiff see the real turmoil going on inside of me.

“How about I stay for dinner? I want to meet your dad.” She smiled.

“I don’t know, Tiff. My dad can be a lot to handle.” I shook my head, staring up at her sweet face. Her hair shined with its millions of colors in the sunlight, only causing me more doubt. Dad would make instant assumptions about her by the way she looked and who she associated with. He wouldn’t say anything rude to her, but he’d definitely chew my ear off after she left. My curfew would probably turn into a grounding.

“I think you forget who my parents are.” She gave me a half smirk, amused by me. I actually had forgotten for a moment. Having spent all day with her, I had forgotten that she was the black sheep of the mayor’s family.

“I actually did. You’re nothing like your family,” I said with a smile, but she suddenly looked disheartened by my comment. “That’s a good thing, Tiff. Your family is all stiff with their plastered smiles and constant yammering about how great this town is or how amazing your father is doing as the mayor. I prefer your genuine smiles and bubbly exterior to your brother’s arrogant self.” I rolled my eyes, thinking of our star pupil Tyler, or as everyone calls him, Ty. Tiffany laughed at that, flashing me her smile again.

“Thanks, June. I think I like you more now. The point I was trying to make is that I know how to work people, being the mayor’s daughter and all.”

I watched as she grabbed the hair tie around her wrist and strategically tied her hair in a way that hid every colorful highlight. Her platinum blonde hair made it hard to fully hide them, but it appeared like faded dye now.

“Well, okay then. I guess you’re staying for dinner. Speaking of which, I should probably get started on that.” I hadn’t noticed it was already five, having had too much fun with Tiff to pay attention to the time.

“I’ll help, although I don’t have the most experience.”

We headed in and I pulled everything out for a quick spaghetti and meat sauce dinner. I had Tiff help me cut the peppers, onions, and garlic as I got the water boiling and the ground meat cooking. I could hear Dad waking up and starting his shower, knowing he’d be down in 15 minutes. Tiff made cooking fun as well, helping as much as she could, but keeping the conversation going the entire time.

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. Tyler can be a real butt sometimes.” Tiff rolled her eyes, telling me all about the troubles of having siblings.

“I have a step-brother, Liam, but we don’t talk or know much about each other. He lives with my mom in Boston, and we keep out of each other's way any time I go to visit, which isn’t often.” I shrugged, rinsing out the pot I had used. Tiff took it from me and placed it in the dishwasher just as Dad entered the kitchen.

“Why, hello there,” Dad greeted her with a smile, but it was the smile he placed on his face when he was unsure of someone. “I didn’t realize we had company, Bug.” And here we go, a lecture for later about the necessities of letting him know who will be in the house.

“Hello, sir. I'm Tiffany Daniels. Having seen your daughter save someone's life last night, I just had to befriend her. I hope it's okay that I stay for dinner. I am sure you would like to get to know me better as your daughter's new friend." Tiffany didn't falter as she greeted my father, impressing us both.

"I know who you are, dear. You're Rodney Calester's girlfriend. The one who's been keeping him out of trouble for the most part. What's he up to tonight if you're here?" Dad asked, fishing for information.

"Your guess is as good as mine, sir. He promised to stay out of trouble, though. But that wasn't a question about me now, was it?" Tiffany called Dad out without a second thought, causing me to smirk in amusement.

"You're right, it was not. So, tell me, Tiffany, what do you do for fun?" he asked, taking his seat at the table. I brought out the spare chair we kept for company for Tiff to sit between Dad and I.

"That's easy. I mainly hang out with Rodney. When we aren't together, you can find me either at the cove swimming and exploring or at Daffodil's Bakery listening to music and reading," she answered with a smile. "And you, sir? What do you do for fun?"

Dad coughed, almost choking on his spaghetti. Neither of us were expecting her to ask him questions in return. I don't think anyone had ever been so bold. It astounded the both of us. The way she asked wasn't rude or offensive, so Dad didn't have a problem with it. It just took him by surprise more than anything.

"Who says the Sheriff has fun?" he asked, being playful, which let me know he liked her. Score!

"Surely you're not the Sheriff 24/7," she argued with a small smile.

"He's always the Sheriff," I responded, having learned that long ago. "He's just the Sheriff, plus my dad. Or the Sheriff plus the customer. The Sheriff hat never comes off."

"That must mean you enjoy what you do so much. You can't stop even for a second," Tiff said, staring down at her food. "My dad wears a few too many hats."

I had never thought about the joy Dad's job might bring him. The way Tiff said it made me think of how I felt about writing music. Do me and Dad have the same passion, just for different things? It definitely gave me something new to mull over.

"I can only imagine. He is the mayor, after all. They tend to do many things."

Dad had come home complaining about ol' Mayor Roy a handful of times. He was only holding back on the topic because Tiff was his daughter. Otherwise, we'd be hearing a whole rant about his policy changes to law enforcement that Dad absolutely hated.

"He has a tendency to dip his fingers in pots he has no business being in," Tiffany replied as she took a bite of the food. "This is delicious, June. You're a great cook!"

From there, Dad slowly dipped his toes into his harangue pool. Seeing that Tiff agreed with some of his points, he ventured further into his rambling. Eventually, he was in full spiel, and she was right alongside him. She just cemented this friendship.