Page 18 of Night Prey
The doorbell rang, but she waited a few seconds before answering. She didn’t want him to think she was standing around waiting for him, when that was exactly what she’d been doing.
She opened the door, and he held up two bags of takeout from a local restaurant that she loved. “I figured we could have lunch while we talk.”
“Bribery?”
His eyes narrowed. “No bribe. Just thought I could help.”
“I appreciate your kindness.” She stepped back. “Excuse the mess. I started remodeling the place to return it to what I remember from when I was little.”
“I’m surprised you can remember much.”
“I vividly remember walking through the house the day we left, memorizing each little detail down to my dad’s slippers sitting by the door over there.” A night without sleep meant tears she could often control threatened to break free, and she took a breath to extinguish them. “This way to the kitchen.”
She led him through a small dining room with garish flower wallpaper to an equally brash kitchen with cranberry countertops and black cabinets.
“Oh, wow.” He looked around and set the bags on the counter and started removing containers of Mexican food. “This looks recently remodeled.”
“Is that your diplomatic way of asking if I’m responsible for this?”
“You caught me.” An easy smile that drew her closer spread across his mouth.
Their gazes connected, but the lighthearted moment quickly changed, the air charged, and she had to take a deep breath to keep from moving closer. She whipped her attention to a cupboard and got down plates to set them next to the bags. “There’s enough food here for a family for a week.”
“I didn’t know what you’d like, so I got an assortment of tacos and wraps. I figure that will give both of us leftovers.” He handed her the receipt. “Take a look at what I got and choose what you want.”
She read down the long receipt and searched the bag for a street corn chicken taco, adding it along with spicy rice and avocados to her plate. She cut a fiesta wrap in half and slid it beside the rest of her food. The tangy scent had her stomach rumbling. “Don’t judge me for the quantity of food. I haven’t gotten food from here since I moved back to this side of town, and I can’t wait.”
“No judgment as long as you return the favor.” He piled his plate with two wraps and two steak-and-queso tacos.
“Let’s head to the dining room.” Sitting next to him on counter stools would be too close. She grabbed a bottle of water from a bag and led the way. She sat at the head of the table so he would sit at the side so she could face him as they talked.
She offered a prayer for the food then dug in. The minute the spicy flavor hit her taste buds, she forgot all about the night in jail and Ian’s reason for being there.
“So good.” She took another huge bite of the taco, and an explosion of flavor burst in her mouth.
“You look like you were hungry.” He polished off half a taco in one bite.
She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I didn’t realize how much. Thank you for thinking of it.”
He took a long pull of his water bottle. “My pleasure.”
She could almost pretend they were on the date she’d always imagined they would take in high school. She’d imagined dating him back in the day, when she’d thought he’d have taken her to a dive with great food and maybe people who were different than she was, people who went with his bad-boy vibe.
He set down his bottle and turned it in circles. “I couldn’t help but notice your Mustang out front.”
She smiled. “A ’64, just like the one my dad owned. I loved riding in that car as a kid and always told him I would own one just like it. I bought it a year ago.”
“Is it your everyday car?”
She nodded. “Why?”
“Not the safest vehicle to be driving on a regular basis. No shoulder belt. No airbags. And it wasn’t made to withstand a crash like today’s cars are.”
Crash. Right. Like her parents’ accident. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
“I saw a lot of crashes when I was a patrol officer. Makes me think about the vehicles people drive.” He shook his head. “But I’m not here to lecture you on car safety. Tell me more about the guy who shot Junior.”
She flashed her gaze to him. “You sound like you believe me.”
