Page 19 of Shadow of Doubt
Was it their turn to keep a secret? Something she might be interested in and would ask about except she wanted to keep Colin moving? She found ham and Swiss cheese slices and mayonnaise, mustard, and lettuce.
“Ham and Swiss sandwich okay?” she called through the cut out in the wall.
“Sounds good, but make it two of them.”
“Mustard?”
“Just mayo, please.”
She leaned further into the opening. “And you, Dev? Want a sandwich?”
“Nah, I’ll eat with you and Mom when she gets up.”
Brooklyn took the items to the small island with a worn butcherblock countertop and located bread in an old-fashioned, mustard-yellow bread box. The cabinets were flat-front oak, the countertop worn white laminate, and the room was painted a cheery pale green. Despite Nick’s call, the cabin vibe relaxed her. It reminded her of a cabin her family rented on vacation when she was little, and she hummed as she worked.
Colin stepped into the room. “I know what you’re doing.”
“Making you a sandwich?” She batted her eyelashes at him as if innocent.
“Avoiding that talk I wanted to have, and batting those eyelashes at me won’t change things. You’re just postponing it to later in the day.” He went to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water, then to a basket on the counter to pick up a single-serving bag of potato chips.
She looked past him at Dev, who was assessing them with the eye of a former deputy. In case Colin didn’t say anything, she didn’t want to raise his suspicions too.
“Are you sure you don’t want a sandwich, Dev?” she asked.
“Sure, why not? I could use a lunch appetizer.” He laughed and slid onto a stool at the island. “Just mayo for me too.”
“You know you don’t have to wait on us.” Colin grabbed a zipper bag and bagged the first sandwich. “It’s not part of the job, and we don’t expect it.”
“Speak for yourself, man.” Dev laughed.
She laughed with him. “Colin is right. You do like to joke, and I for one like it.”
“Most of the ladies do.” He blew on his knuckles and rubbed them over his chest, then burst out laughing. “Seriously, haven’t had a woman in my life for so long that I’m not sure what you all like anymore.”
“I don’t think things have changed much.” She moved on to preparing Dev’s sandwich. “Respect, being treated equal, and Christian values go a long way for me.”
“Good to hear I’m still relevant then.” He grinned.
She slathered mayonnaise on the thick wheat bread. “So why the break? Your choice?”
“Yeah, but unless you’ve got days to listen, I won’t bother starting on that topic.”
“Not that long of a topic,” Colin said, but didn’t elaborate as he shoved his lunch into a paper bag.
“Fine. Might as well tell you before he does. I got left at the altar, or nearly the altar, a couple of years ago, and I’m still not ready to get back on the dating horse.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She rested a hand on Dev’s. “That’s gotta sting.”
“The sting is over, but yeah, well, you know.” He shrugged, his expression the most serious she’d seen to this point. “At least I got into the game once. Not like this lunk.” He jabbed a thumb at Colin.
“I’ve dated.”
“Not seriously. I’ve heard of sitting on the fence, but he’s been glued to it for years.”
“No. Not seriously.” Colin picked up his food. “I’ll be back by seven. Big mouth here can cook dinner for Mom if you don’t want to.”
“Okay,” she said, wanting desperately to ask why he was a fence sitter when it came to relationships. She could ask Dev, and he might tell her, but that would be going behind Colin’s back. She didn’t want to do that, because believe it or not,she thought she might have developed some feelings for him already, and she wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.
