Page 39 of What Started In Deception

She sighed now as she looked toward the lights starting to turn on downtown.

“What are you thinking about?”

She met his gaze. “That we have a great view. That we’re eating awesome food. This is kind of a perfect evening.”

He paused with the next bite on his fork, understanding that this was Lydia Monroe entirely relaxed. It thrilled the hell out of him that he was privy to such a moment. “We’ll take a perfect evening.”

She smiled at him before she twirled more spaghetti onto her fork. “Thank you again for cooking for me.”

He liked it. Making her meals. Spending time with her. Watching her smile with the same easy friendliness in her eyes that he remembered from the day they met at Marney’s store. “Yeah, it’s no problem.”

She took her bite. “How was your meeting with your case agent?”

He shrugged. “It was pretty low-key. There’s not a lot going on yet, so we didn’t have much to talk about. Mostly, it was just a check-in.”

She nodded, adding more pasta and sauce to her fork.

He went after some of the greens in his bowl. “How was your day yesterday?”

She chewed and swallowed before she answered. “It was good.”

“Did you do anything exciting?”

She shook her head. “Mostly, I just relaxed. I read a little and organized some of the stuff that I brought home from my classroom. I also cleaned up several of my computer files to get things ready for next school year.”

He raised his brow. “That’s how you relax?”

She grinned as she nodded. “Being organized and prepared is very relaxing. I already know that August Lydia deeply appreciates my efforts.”

He laughed, forever getting a kick out of her. “It sounds like a day well spent, then.”

She nodded, still smiling. “Definitely.”

“I almost forgot that I have something for you.”

“Oh yeah?”

He nodded, reaching into his pocket, sliding a key across the table.

Her smile dimmed, turning into a frown. “What’s this for?”

He shrugged. “You would have a key to my place.”

She stared at it. “I can’t think of a reason why I would need to get into your condo. It’s not even your condo.”

She spoke the truth. And it bothered him for some reason that the gesture felt empty—like they were checking off another box on the fake relationship checklist.

He and Lydia were rolling through the motions, but they didn’t mean anything. “I can get you a copy of a key to my place in DC.”

“I’m good.” She toyed with a mushroom in the sauce left on her plate. “I imagine you think you should have a key to my house.”

He shrugged. “Only if you want to give it to me.” But it surprised him that he wanted her to want to give him one.

She shrugged this time as she looked at him. “I imagine you can let yourself in whenever you want anyway.”

He shook his head, slightly annoyed that they were back here again. They were one step forward, two steps back in the trust department. They’d laughed and joked when she first got here. They’d shared a couple of nice evenings together. Now, they were back to this. “Not without a warrant. I don’t plan to enter your house without you knowing about it.”

She held his gaze for several seconds. “All right. I guess I can get you a key.”