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Ah, so that’s what was wrong with him. He was one of those men who always thought he knew better. “Do you see handcuffs anywhere, Mr. Jacobs?”
“Fine, what about a pat down and-,”
I held a hand up to cut him off, because there was no way in hell I’d listen to some writer tell me how to do my job. “If you have a problem with anything that goes on here, you should have read the agreement before signing up. And before you tell me how to do my job, maybe you ought to learn how to read a clock.”
He looked properly apologetic then, as he raked a hand through thick wavy hair that, of course, flopped back into place easily.
“Sorry, I was caught up in my new story.” Yeah, that charming, gorgeous smile probably made many a woman forgive his absentmindedness. But not me.
“Funny, I hear phones these days come with all types of reminders to make sure you get where you need to be, when you’re supposed to be there.” Chris’ brows dipped in confusion, as if he couldn’t understand why I might be upset.
“But you didn’t forget me, did you Daddy?”
His smile was back for Lila. “I’d never forget my best girl, munchkin. Never. How about pizza for lunch?”
“Yes, please!” She turned to me, a happy smile lit up her face. “Do you like pizza, Officer Beechum?”
“Who doesn’t? Lots of cheese and lots of veggies.” It was why I’d never be smaller than a size ten, no matter how many times I hit the gym, but I was okay with that because pizza was a gift from the heavens.
“Ew, veggies. Do all grownups like veggies?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Not all of them, no. Bu if you don’t eat your veggies you’ll be a little bitty thing like this for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?”
“No,” she said on a disappointed sigh. But like most kids, Lila didn’t stay down for long. “You want to get pizza with us? Daddy doesn’t mind, do you?”
I shook my head before her dad could even answer. “Thank you for the invite, Lila, but I have to get ready for the Pilgrim Explorers.” The next group was made up of thirteen to eighteen year olds, which meant more troubled kids and greater supervision. “Have fun and I’ll see you at our next session. And don’t forget to practice!”
“I won’t,” she promised with enough enthusiasm to fill the whole community center. “Bye-bye Officer Beechum!”
That little girl was a whirlwind, so precocious and inquisitive. It was just too bad her dad was a jerk of the first order.
Chris
“So, how does this work?”
Eva Vargas was probably the most intimidating of the three women who ran Time for Love matchmaking services, and just my luck that she was the one available when I went in for my appointment.
Her sharp gray eyes missed nothing, and I had to resist the urge to squirm when she examined me for a long, pregnant moment. “Why are you here, Chris? What are you looking for?”
“Oh.” I sat up taller and flashed a friendly smile. “I already filled that out. Online.”
“I know that, but I’d like to hear you talk about your goals with Time for Love.”
I couldn’t read Eva, and though I knew she wasn’t trying to trick me, I felt on edge. “I’m looking to find a compatible match.”
Her full lips pulled into a sympathetic smile. “There are no wrong answers, unless you have ulterior motives. Like Oliver.”
We shared a grin at how that particular story had played out. “It ended with a ring, so I’d say it wasn’t so bad.”
“For me no, but what about the other women who were genuinely looking for love?” Dammit, those grey eyes were psychic somehow, I just knew it.
“Okay fine, here’s the deal.” I gave her a quick rundown of my research needs for the new series. “I am interested in dating someone, casually. I need to go through the process so I can understand both sides well enough to write it realistically.”
Eva sat back in her chair and folded her arms, sizing me up. “Is that supposed to be comforting? That you’re researching how or why a man might want to kill the women he meets through a matchmaker?”
I shrugged, because I knew how it sounded. “Yes. I mean the type of women, and what kind of behaviors might trigger a psychopath. Does she only go out with men for free meals? Rich men? Handsome men?” I wasn’t doing myself any favors, I knew that, but I didn’t want to piss off my best friend’s wife-to-be by not being completely transparent. “I need to know if it’s the constant rejection that makes him go crazy, or is it wanting more than he can get?”
“And you can’t just call up a few of Oliver’s readers to get this information?”
