"Good morning," a neutral voice commented as Jack walked into the sheriff's office.
Jack hung his head in defeat. "I'm only five minutes late, Jo." He'd stopped to talk to Henry, but Jack had learned from experience that explaining to his deputy why he was late only made things worse.
"I didn't say anything," she calmly replied. Her feet were propped up on her desk as she thumbed through the latest issue of Guns and Ammo. She looked like she'd been there for hours already, and it wouldn't surprise him if she had.
Jack glanced over at her smug expression and sighed. "You're the only person I know who can pack that much commentary into a few simple words."
Jo's grin got bigger, but all she said was, "I'm very efficient." Under her breath she added, "Maybe that's why I don't have trouble reporting to duty on time."
"Ah ha!" Jack shouted, pouncing on the first openly critical thing she had said.
Jo's eyes went wide in a show of innocence. "What? Did I say anything about you?"
"Well," he sputtered, "not exactly, no, but…"
Abruptly, Jo got up from her desk. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do." She picked up her keys and began shrugging on her jacket.
Jack shifted his weight and cleared his throat, hoping there was someway to get out of this conversation with his dignity intact. Giving in to the inevitable, he asked, "Where are you going?"
Jo paused to brush a nonexistent piece of lint off her shoulder before explaining, "Beverly called to report a suspicious character in the woods behind her property. Of course, you'd know that if you'd been here when the call came in." She coolly raised one eyebrow, challenging him to come up with a comeback to that.
Jack groaned, "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"
Jo graced him with a sympathetic smile and a pat on his shoulder before breezing out the door.