Page 14 of Kidnapped in Dark Waters
She stared at him and he laughed. “Stop, you’re looking at me like I’m a species from another planet,” he said.
“I’m trying to figure out what kind of a man enjoys crouching down in a swamp for two hours,” she replied.
He laughed once again. “Okay, I’ll admit, I kind of hated that part of the evening, but before that I enjoyed the conversation we had.”
“What’re your plans for the rest of the afternoon?”
“I don’t really have any. I hate not having a schedule. I like routine and structure.”
It was her turn to release a laugh. “Then you’re dancing with the wrong partner. The only schedule I keep is my work schedule. Other than that, I have no structure. Don’t you have to go in to do regular police work?”
“I took two weeks of vacation time, so no, I’m not working my regular job at the moment.”
She stared at him once again. “You took your vacation time so you could sit in the swamp with me every night?”
“Daniel and I figured it would be easier that way,” he replied.
“Now I feel really guilty. Surely you had better things to do on your vacation.”
“Actually, I didn’t have any plans at all for it, so please don’t feel guilty about a decision I made,” he replied.
At that moment Sunny returned with Luke’s drink and their food. “What else do you do with your time when you aren’t waitressing or hunkering down in the swamp?” Luke asked. His beautiful green eyes pulled her in.
“I like to read and spend time with my sisters. I enjoy visiting with people and sometimes I have little gatherings of friends at my place, although I haven’t done that since the murder.”
As always, her heart squeezed tight with grief as she thought of the mother she had lost. “When Sunny and I are off at the same time we like to shop together. What about you? What do you do in your time off?”
“I also like to read, and occasionally me and a couple other men get together and have a beer at Jake’s Place.” Jake’s was a small bar on the north side of town.
“I’ve never been there,” she replied. “My sisters and I always enjoyed going to the Voodoo Lounge.” The Voodoo Lounge was a large bar with a big dance floor where lots of single people gathered on Friday and Saturday nights.
“Jake’s is your typical dive bar. The drinks are strong and the food is greasy, but it’s a good place just to unwind and talk. If you want, I could take you there one night.”
“That might be fun,” she replied. What exactly were they doing? They were talking as if they were a couple and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
As they began to eat, they small-talked about things going on in the town and the people they both knew. Dominique found herself enjoying his company. He was not only easy on the eyes, but he also had a good sense of humor. He was very easy to talkto and then there was the simmering burn of physical attraction she had for him.
She had to keep reminding herself that she was just a job to him. He was probably cozying up to her in hopes he could talk her out of her plans with Pierre.
Well, that certainly wasn’t going to happen. Until the police had somebody under arrest for her mother’s murder, she intended to continue to shadow the number one suspect in the case.
“What are you doing after lunch?” he asked when they were finished eating and waiting for Sunny to bring their tabs.
“Going home and I think a nap might be in my plans,” she said. “What about you?”
“Same,” he replied.
At that moment, Sunny appeared. Luke tried to pay for Dominique’s lunch, but she wouldn’t allow it. Minutes later they walked out of the café together.
“This was pleasant,” she said.
“It was very pleasant,” he replied, his eyes sparkling brightly. “Then I guess I’ll see you tonight.”
“Same place, same time,” she replied. “I’ll see you then.”
They parted ways to go to their cars. As she drove home, her thoughts were filled with the very handsome man she had just shared lunch with. Luke Madison. She hadn’t expected to like him as much as she did.
She was definitely in the market to find that special man who she would love and who would love her. She wanted a husband and she wanted babies, but she knew Luke was nothing like the man she eventually wanted to be with forever.
