“Seriously.”
His stomach grumbled again, this time loud enough for JJ to hear. It pulled a smile from her.
“Thought maybe we could grab some dinner before we head back to the apartment?”
“You’re speakin’ my language, Detective.”
Yes, he was sure he was. For the past couple of weeks, JJ’s attitude toward him had changed. She’d shifted into friendship mode, and he could almost believe she was sincere in it. And while he appreciated the effort, even enjoyed talking to her, Baz couldn’t get past the feelings he had for her. He wanted something he knew she didn’t, and since he wasn’t willing to lose her, he’d adopted the same outlook: they would be friends.
“I can finish this up at home,” she said, undocking her computer.
“The diner?” he suggested while she tucked her laptop into her bag.
“God, yes. I heard they brought chicken livers back on the menu.”
Baz stopped, his nose instinctively scrunching up. “Nasty.”
“Oh, but they’re not,” she insisted. “You’ll have to try them.”
He was shaking his head as they walked down the stairs.
She rambled on about chicken livers, French fries, and cream gravy all the way to his truck. Once inside, she moved on to dessert while Baz listened with half an ear.
He had to admit, he had grown fond of this new development in their relationship. It was nice to not have JJ looking at him like she wanted to singe him with laser beams coming out of her eyes. But at the same time, he got the feeling there was more to this than she was letting on. More than them merely moving past his indiscretion.
Ever since the night she was attacked in her house, JJ hadn’t been the same. She found one excuse after another not to be alone, and he was beginning to think she was scared.
Not that he necessarily blamed her. She had been through a serious ordeal, one she had pretended at the time was nothing. Being bashed over the head and knocked unconscious, then drugged and doused with blood was not nothing. It was major but she still wouldn’t discuss it, keeping it all inside. He figured that was the main reason she was focusing so much on him.
His cell phone buzzed on the center console, the screen lighting up.
JJ looked over at it at the same time he did, but she quickly looked away. Baz tapped the button to send the call to voicemail.
“You’re not gonna talk to her?”
“Not right now.”
JJ was silent for a minute, maybe two, but then the questions began.
“She doin’ all right after the storm?”
“Seems to be.”
Truth was, Baz hadn’t gone to see Molly in a couple of weeks. He didn’t care to see her, didn’t want to spend time with her. The only reason he was doing it at all was the fact that Molly was pregnant. And according to her, the baby was his.
In fact, she was exactly seven weeks pregnant, a fact he knew because Molly had sent him a meme noting it. Every week she sent them with hearts and flowers andMolly + Sebastian = babyas the heading.
The only problem he had was that she wasn’t interested in proving it with hard facts. And since he felt like a shithead for even insinuating she might be lying, Baz had decided to embrace it. No, he didn’t want a life with Molly, but he had every intention of taking care of his child. He had even told Molly he would share the news with his parents after the first trimester.
“I’m gonna start lookin’ for a place soon,” JJ said as he was pulling his truck into the parking lot of the diner.
It was the same thing she said every couple of days, as though she thought he needed to hear it. Usually Baz would nod and offer to help if she wanted him to. This time, he decided to go with the truth.
“I really wish you wouldn’t,” he told her, focusing on the parking lot. “I like havin’ you around.”
And yes, he said it because he knew JJ needed to hear it.
Plus … well, itwasthe truth.
