One to Keep (One to Hold) (10 page)

“What have you done?” I asked, preparing to troubleshoot.

“I can’t say. But I’m pretty sure it’s your fault somehow.” He actually smiled, and took a bite of his lunch then.

What the hell?
I leaned back on the stool, frowning. “I’m not taking the blame for anything until I know what it is.”

He put the sandwich down and clapping me hard on the shoulder. “Just know it’s a good thing.” Then his voice dropped, and his eyes returned to his drink. “Once I figure it out, I think it’s going to be a very good thing.”

He seemed finished discussing his mysterious problem, and I took another bite, thinking about my not-so-mysterious problem. “So what’s happening back at the office?”

Derek took another sip of the water before answering. “Haven’t caught up with Susan yet,” he said. “I left a message for her to have our new secretary close up shop for the week. Told her we had a pretty big, unexpected case come up and not to worry about coming in. But we’d still pay her for the time.”

“Think that’ll work?”

“With no one there to train her or give her assignments, there’s no reason for her to go in. Try not to worry about it. As soon as I catch up with Sue, we’ll work out some plan for getting a replacement.”

I nodded. “At least the texts have stopped.”

“Hopefully this will just be a somewhat stressful learning experience for you.” He shocked me by smiling again, then he stood and put his napkin on the bar. “I’ve got to do some work. See you later.”

“At eight.” I stopped him. “I made dinner dates for us. Be back here at eight.”

“What?” I couldn’t figure this guy out. Now he seemed angry. Whatever. He’d get over it when he saw Melissa. She was pretty hot, if somewhat quiet.

“Two very lovely ladies I met before you came down are joining us for dinner. Trust me, you’ll like them.”

His lips pressed into a frown. “Are they here for the convention?”

“They’re here for the spa.”

Something flickered in his eyes, like vague disbelief. “The spa?” He nodded, saying, “I’ll be here,” before taking off again.

“At eight,” I repeated, my thoughts already skipping ahead to tonight and seeing Elaine again.

* * *

Dinner could not have gone better if I’d planned every second. Elaine and Melissa showed up just minutes after Derek and I’d taken our seats, and after some strange hesitation on Melissa’s part, we all were sitting and sharing glasses of cava. I wouldn’t have ordered the Spanish sparkling wine, but Derek’s choice turned out to be exactly right for the evening. Elaine’s eyes shone along with the crystal and the drinks. Everything about her was radiant and beautiful. She was amazing. Her lips parted, and I wanted to taste those lips. I wanted to hold her in my arms. I wanted her in my bed.

“So what do you do to be so buff?” She asked, touching my bicep.

“We’re private investigators,” I said, catching her hand and holding it. She didn’t pull away. “And we’ve done complete background checks on both of you lovely ladies.”

It was a joke, I didn’t even know her last name, which she was quick to point out.

“Liar!” she cried with a laugh, and if I weren’t already into her, I’d have fallen then.

At that moment, Melissa stood and excused herself. I hadn’t been paying attention to the other end of the table. She’d been talking quietly to Derek, and I couldn’t imagine he’d said anything to upset her.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“I’m just not feeling well,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’ll have dinner in the room. Please stay and finish your meal.”

“You don’t have a key!” Elaine was instantly out of her chair, and my stomach dropped. My night with her could not end so soon, but of course, she had to go after her friend.
Shit
. Melissa hurried out, and we were all on our feet. But Derek saved my night. He touched Elaine’s arm.

“I’ll check on her,” he said. “Stay and enjoy your dinner.”

“But…” Elaine looked at him for a moment and then in the direction her friend went. Her brow pulled together and she studied him a moment. “I don’t know…”

“I’ll make sure she gets back safely.”

She nodded briefly, and he took off faster than I’d ever seen him move. I didn’t care, the only thing I wanted was for Elaine to sit down again and not worry.

“He’s retired Marine,” I said with a grin. “You know how those guys are.”

Her green eyes flickered back to mine, and her face relaxed into that beautiful smile. “Always has to be the first on the scene?”

“That’s the motto,” I said, hoping to ease her mind. “He’ll be sure she’s okay. Trust me, he’s a good guy.”

“And I’ll check on her in a few minutes,” she said, lifting her glass.

We each took another sip of cava, and she rested her cheek on her hand. “How long have you two been partners?”

“Only about a month.” I placed my arm on the back of her chair. “But my older brother was his business partner for years before me.”

She sat up straighter when our waiter appeared. I ordered a steak, and Elaine asked for whatever the spa selection was for dinner. The fellow left, and she turned back to me.

“Were you a Marine, too?” Her eyes traveled to my lips, then to my chest, and finally back to her hand resting on the table.

“National Guard.” Leaning forward, I slid my fingers under hers. “My brother was a major jarhead all during high school. He signed up the minute they let him in, but I only planned to get money for college. Of course, we both were sent overseas.”

Her laugh came as easily as her smile, and my thoughts traveled ahead to when I might have a chance to kiss her.

“What was that like?” she asked.

“It was actually a lot better than I expected. I liked the teamwork, the friendships, the rush. It can be addictive. Stuart keeps going back.”

“Are you here to stay?”

Studying her lovely face, I didn’t say
definitely
. “When I started with Derek, it was that or going back. But I’m ready to focus on my life here.”

Our dinner arrived, and the server put a plate with leaf salad, couscous, cashews, and what looked like beets in front of Elaine. I had a filet mignon, asparagus, and baked potato, and I caught her eyes drifting longingly to my dish.

Once the waiter was satisfied we didn’t need anything more, I leaned forward. “What the hell did you order?”

Her loud laugh was unexpected and awesome. I fell a little bit more, if that was even possible, as she quickly put her slim hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry!” she said, shaking her head. “I was thinking the same thing!”

I couldn’t help but laugh, too. “What is it?”

“I think this is what they call
raw foods
,” she said, finally regaining some control. “Isn’t it the worst? We’ve been getting it all week.”

“Are you on a diet?” I cut a thick slice of steak and studied her trim waist before putting it in my mouth. It was perfectly cooked, slightly salty, and had the texture of velvet.

She shook her head and stirred the couscous with her fork. “It’s part of the spa regimen. Cleansing or something.”

I put my fork down. “You’re not going to eat that.”

Her guilty expression told me she just might. “I had a hamburger and fries for lunch,” she whispered. “Melissa and I sneaked out.”

Picking up my knife, I cut another thick portion of steak and slipped it onto her platter of rabbit food. “Have some of this. They’ll never know.”

“You’re a bad influence.” She bit her bottom lip before forking the steak and putting it in her mouth. Then she leaned back and groaned. “That’s amazing!”

“I might enjoy watching you eat my steak more than having it myself.”

“I’ll help you decide.” She scooted closer, and I was ready to pass my plate to her.

“We’ll split it,” I said.

Her soft blonde hair spilled around her shoulders, which were bare in the strapless dress she wore, and I thought of a half-dozen other ways to get that groan from her again. Fun ways.

The rest of dinner was spent discussing her work as a middle school English teacher, a profession I still couldn’t envision her doing.

“Sixth graders are the best,” she said, her eyes drifting thoughtfully. “Seventh is the most challenging.”

“More than eighth?”

“Yes. Eighth graders are getting ready for high school, they’re nervous and sentimental… Seventh is like the middle-child years. Lots of attention-grabbing.”

We finished my steak in half the time, and I sat back, enjoying the wine and lightly touching the skin on her upper arm as my hand rested on the back of her chair. She leaned toward my touch, and I was ready to ditch the bright, white dining room for something more intimate.

“Let’s take a walk,” I said, signing the bill.

“Oh, you didn’t have to pay for dinner!” She reached for me, but I caught her hand, lacing our fingers. “I’m not letting you pay for that plate of… whatever it was.”

“Raw foods.” She picked up a peppermint as we stood.

Our hands parted as she led the way through the restaurant, and all I could think of was touching her again. I hadn’t been able to stop finding ways to touch her the entire meal, but she didn’t seem to mind. Actually, I’d noticed her touching me the few times my hand left her.

When we were finally outside the restaurant in the wide hall leading to the conference center, she stepped toward me, catching the crook of my arm. I pulled her close and led us out the side door into the warm night. A wide path ran around the perimeter of the golf course near the hotel, and I knew from my first night here it led past a series of fire pits down to one of the smaller pools.

We stopped at a first that was unoccupied and watched the flames a moment. Like all the others, chairs and a loveseat were situated around it, and Elaine slid her hand down to mine, gently pulling me to take a seat.

The small orange coals were warm, and she turned so that her back was against my chest on the loveseat. My arm was over her shoulders, and I lifted a golden lock of her hair, sliding it back and forth.

“So what took you from military man to private eye?” She asked, watching the glow.

“I used to know the answer to that question,” I said. “Now I think I’m changing my mind.”

Her brow lined. “Why?”

“In the past it was about the excitement, the adventure. Then it became more about nailing bad guys and bringing them to justice.”

She reached up and threaded her fingers in mine. “And now?”

I exhaled, thinking about how the past year had been, how fragmented I’d felt. “Now I haven’t quite decided.” I didn’t want to talk about my shitty year. I wanted to know everything about her. “So did you always want to teach?”

I felt her laugh as she shook her head. “Actually, no. The truth is, I was going through a rebellious phase.”

My brow lined. “What does that mean?”

“My dad wanted me to be a lawyer, just like him and my brothers, and everyone else in my family.” Her tone changed, and for the first time, she was not so cheerful. “It was my way of taking control over my life.”

“Sounds like you have a problem with the law.” I gently poked her ribs.

She relaxed again. “I just have a problem with being ordered around.”

“A sign of latent criminal tendencies.” Her elbow came back sharply into my side and I grunted, “Violent criminal tendencies.”

“Patrick!” she cried, and I laughed.

“No, I understand. It was your life, your future.” She was still leaning against me, and my hand was on the bare skin of her upper arm. “Trust me, I’ve never responded well to taking orders.”

“That from a guard?”

“There are different types of orders. And different sources delivering them.”

“I couldn’t have said it better.” She sat forward and turned to me, reaching for my hands. “Let’s walk some more.”

I let her pull me up and we started down the path again. After a few moments, her hand moved to my arm, which I bent to hold it. “So what’s so bad about being a lawyer?” I asked.

She sighed. “Nothing. It just wasn’t what I wanted to do.”

“You wanted to teach.”

“I didn’t at first, it was the only thing I knew to do. Then the more I did it, the more I loved it.” She shrugged as we continued. “Every year, I had a new group of kids I fell in love with, that I watched grow and learn and become more confident. I wish some people understood that.” Her tone was irritated again. “It’s not about the money or the recognition, it’s about making a difference. Insisting you’re right all the time and bullying people won’t change anything. You have to do something, be a part of the solution.”

I stopped, and she stopped as well. Her green eyes met mine before she blinked down quickly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize! It’s impressive how much you love your work. It sounds like you’re the best kind of teacher, and I’m sure whoever you’re thinking about probably knows it.”

She stepped forward and kissed my cheek. “Thank you,” she said. “Now I want to know more about you! You have an older brother?”