Page 14 of Made of Steele
Her sister looked up from her laptop. “So youdoremember where you work.”
“Sorry. Had an early meeting that I forgot about.”
“Not like you to forget anything.” Mackenzie tilted her head, her blond hair worn straight and cascading over her shoulder. The only blond in the family, she took after their mother. In hair color, sure, but she was shorter like their mom too.
“Guess last night threw me off,” Teagan admitted. No lie there.
“Any more thoughts on what’s going on at WOC?”
“I plan to head over there in a few minutes to check in with our guard. See if they might know anything.”
Mackenzie narrowed her grayish-blue eyes, also like their mom’s color. “Wouldn’t they have said something if they did?”
“If they knew what they were seeing, but maybe they witnessed something that they didn’t know was important.”
“It’s a long shot.”
“Yeah, but I have to do something.”
“I get it. If some creep tied me up and gagged me, it would be my main focus until he was found and made to pay.” As a former state police detective, Mackenzie’s thoughts often mirrored Teagan’s. Not that Mackenzie’s personality was similar. Not at all. She was a deep thinker and philosophizer. She was nearly as driven as Teagan, but Teagan always figured that was due to middle child syndrome, where the middle child sought more attention because they felt neglected.
“Do you even know anything about antiquities to pick up on any leads?” Mackenzie asked.
“Nothing.”
“Gran and Grandad’s brains are filled with all kinds of things. Maybe check in with them.”
“Sounds like it might be a good idea.” One Teagan wouldn’t follow. Her grandparents, more than anyone in the family, had a way of getting information out of their grandchildren. Teagan would likely tell them about Drew. Not only couldn’t she reveal his identity, but she didn’t want them to notice the unwanted romantic vibes she would likely put out either.
“Go. Do your thing.” Mackenzie waved her hands. “There’s nothing urgent here.”
“Thanks. I’ll check in later.” Teagan stepped down the hall to Peyton’s office, saving the office her uncle and dad shared at the end of the hall for last. Peyton had a beautiful corner office overlooking Mount Hood. Mackenzie could’ve chosen this space, but she’d imagined herself staring over at the mountains, lost in thought instead of working.
Peyton was on the phone so Teagan simply waved and stopped at the end of the hallway to look out the window facing Mount Hood before going in to see her dad and uncle.
All she had to do was think about some of the looks Drew fired her way today, and her heart skipped a beat. Like this moment. Her attention should be on getting out of here without blowing his cover, but his ultra-blue eyes fixed only on her came to mind. Then those eyes relaxed into a soft blue lake as he tried to make up for last night. He’d smiled. Laughed.
Nice. So nice. She had it bad already, and she would betray herself all right.
“You always look at mountains that way?” her dad’s voice came from his doorway.
He leaned against the doorjamb. He wore a green polo shirt, khaki pants, and he’d styled his thick hair the same color as hers with gel. She almost laughed when she remembered her mom making him learn to use gel and how he’d hated it at first. He’d wanted to keep the buzz cut he’d worn for the many years he’d been on the force, but their mom had encouraged him to make a change.
“Well?” His look grew more pointed, like one of the awls he used in his leatherworking hobby that he’d started after he retired from the force.
She needed to play dumb. “What way?”
“Like you want to marry them.”
“Dad. Really!” She erased Drew from her mind and gave her dad a playful punch to the shoulder. “You’re letting your imagination go wild in your old age.”
“Might be getting old, but I still know what I see.” He eyed her. “You dating someone? Or thinking about it?”
She couldn’t say no as hopefully, within an hour, she’d be scheduled to go on a date with Drew. “I need to get over to World of Crafts for an inspection. I don’t have time to stand around. I have work to do.”
He stood back and eyed her. “Uh-huh, so do we, but we answer the questions put to us.”
She gave him a hug. “Love you, Dad. See you later.”
