Crashing Waves (Wayhaught Love Story)

Chapter Three: Second Chances

Nicole   
    Nicole nervously chewed on the hangnail that had been bugging her for weeks, as she waited outside the office of Sheriff Nedley. She had just finished her interview for an officer position and was asked to sit outside while they decided. Her fate was in the hands of Purgatory's police department. This wasn't the first interview Nicole had been to. She was from Toronto and had applied for numerous positions in the city. Denied time and time again. Each time the excuse was made: "With your record, we just don't think you'll be a good fit." Email after email. Finally, she had come across a job posting for a small town called Purgatory. She called Sheriff Nedley right away and sat up an interview. She drove several hours here with her belongings in the back of her old blue pick-up truck. She thought back to the moment when she pulled into town. The hairs on her arm had stood up and her heartbeat accelerated. Something was weird about this place, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She hoped that it was just weird enough to accept her as a police officer.

    Her attention was brought back inside police department, when the door next to her opened. Nedley smiled and said "Come on in, Miss Haught." She stood up and followed the man into his small office. She sat down across from him in the light brown chair that looked like it may have been as old as Sheriff Nedley himself. He held her resume and interview notes in his calloused hands. "I talked with the mayor on the phone, and she agreed. We are pleased to welcome you to the Purgatory Police Department, Officer Haught."

    Nicole couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. Her eyes lit up and she immediately stood up, grabbed Sheriff Nedley's hand and exclaimed "Thank you so much! I promise you won't regret this!" He laughed and she sat down again. He reached beside his desk and grabbed a folded up blue uniform with a shiny badge on top.

    "Here ya go." He handed the pile to her. "Now, you won't get your gun until you've shown me you can handle it." He stated. "I do this with all the new hires. We don't need trigger happy officers in this town. We have enough to deal with." He glanced down, and Nicole wondered what he was talking about. The town seemed small. There couldn't be that many criminals? Right? This wasn't a city. So how bad could it be?

    Nedley stood up and walked over to the door of the office. Nicole followed. He pointed at the desk outside of his office. "That will be your desk. Now, you can decorate it all you want, but just make sure it looks clean." He sighed glancing at another officer's desk that looked like a tornado had swept across it. "Just don't be like that guy, okay?" Nicole nodded, making a mental note that the other officer wasn't very well liked by the sheriff. Nedley glanced out the window at Nicole's blue truck with the bed of truck overloaded with boxes and furniture. Nicole had tried to strap down a tarp on top, but the wind had blown it all over and had left most of her belongings uncovered. "Go home, get settled, and you can start in the morning. We will get your cruiser checked out to you then." Nedley stated. He leaned against the door, and wiped his head with his hand. He looked worn out. She wondered why.

    Nicole thanked the man again and walked outside in the sun. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back to feel the warm sun rays against her cheeks. She took a deep breath and whispered, "You did it. You finally did it." She laughed and then quickly opened her eyes hoping that nobody was around to see a grown woman laughing to herself. She didn't need anybody thinking she was crazy. This was her opportunity to prove herself. Her history wouldn't stand in the way here.

    She glanced down the street, and saw a big moving truck bumping over the potholes. She watched as the truck sputtered down the street. It was loud enough to scare birds from their resting places and a cat darted into an alley. As the big truck passed her standing outside the police department, she caught a glimpse of a girl about her age in the driver's seat. She had beautiful light brown hair and petite features. She looked frustrated and Nicole wondered how far she had driven in such a loud vehicle. The girl glanced out her window and made eye contact with Nicole. Nicole quickly glanced down and the truck continued on by. Her heart sped up and her cheeks warmed. "Wow." She mumbled to herself. She didn't know who the girl was, but Nicole thought that she was beautiful. Right now though, she needed to focus on getting to her apartment and getting unpacked. Tomorrow was a big day. Possibly the biggest day of her life.

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And just like that, the third chapter is done!!! I loved doing Nicole's POV and can't wait to do more. What do you think Nicole's past entails? What could keep her from getting hired?