“Nothing is as important as you, Cam.”
Her sweetness was like a magnet pulling him in. He forced himself to take another step back. To stay strong.
To protect her. Kissing Evie, making her think they shared more than friendship, wasn’t fair. It would be better for her to keep her at arm’s length. The sad truth was that he didn’t know if he had anything to offer her.
She’d made a life for herself in Grand Rapids. She had friends. A career.
If things were different, maybe. But he couldn’t promise her anything. Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
9
Cam’s embrace was nothing short of amazing. Being held in his arms and kissed so thoroughly was better than she’d ever let herself imagine. Especially back when he was off-limits because he’d been dating her best friend.
Yet seeing the flash of regret in his eyes as he broke free of their kiss made her realize he might not feel the same way. She’d kissed him, not the other way around. And maybe she’d imagined the awareness sizzling between them. Not on her side, but on his.
Bending to stroke Bruno’s fur, she reminded herself that he was right about one thing. They needed to stay focused. To figure out a way to clear Cam’s name.
“I think it’s time to head to the river.” She tried to sound casual, as if his kiss hadn’t rocked her foundation. She’d felt far more during their brief embrace than she’d felt for Shawn or any of the other men she’d dated. “Unless you still want to walk to the lakefront.”
“No, actually, I was thinking about Dan Johnson.” He stared out at the water. “I didn’t find him on social media, but it occurs to me that we need to dig deeper to see if he’s ever been arrested.”
“Arrested?” She frowned, worried that he was becoming obsessed with Dan Johnson. “Why would you think he has a criminal record?”
He turned to meet her gaze. “I guess the way he treated Tammy fourteen years ago still bothers me. It was such a rotten thing to do.”
She swallowed a sigh. “Whether Dan has a criminal record or not probably isn’t relevant. Besides, if Dan Johnson had done something in the past, don’t you think Rueger would have taken that into consideration when he began looking into Skye’s murder?”
“No, because there’s no evidence that Dan was with Skye that night. I was her boyfriend, and we argued, which makes me the main suspect.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. “Humor me, okay? We’ll do a quick background check on Dan Johnson, then head to the river.”
Cam took a step toward the road, but Evie didn’t move. “Don’t you need his date of birth to do a background check?”
He stopped and arched a brow. “Yeah, although I’m surprised you know about that.”
She rolled her eyes and fell into step beside him. “The hospital does background checks on all employees. Besides, most women these days check out the guys they’re about to go out with ahead of time. I may have used that simple case search for Michigan residents a time or two.”
He frowned. “That’s smart on your part. You can’t trust anyone these days.”
She tipped her head to the side. “I trust you, Cam.”
He flushed and looked away. “I appreciate that, Evie. Come on, let’s head back to the car. We know Dan is our age, so we can try searching using just his birth year first. That should narrow our search field.”
“Okay.” She wished he could let that altercation with Dan Johnson go. The guy was a jerk, but that didn’t necessarily make him a killer. “Come, Bruno.”
Bruno stayed close to her side as they waited for an opening in traffic to cross Lakeshore Drive. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her they hadn’t gotten their sandwiches either. “I’m sure the Submarine Shop has Wi-Fi,” she said as Cam unlocked the car. “Let’s get lunch and use the computer there.”
“Perfect.” He slid in behind the wheel, started the car, and cranked the air conditioning to high before opening the back hatch for Bruno. After a few minutes, the interior temperature was bearable, and they climbed in and headed toward the high school.
Evie half expected to run into more of their former classmates at the restaurant, but none of the patrons looked familiar. They were either younger kids or families who appeared to be on vacation.
She stood with the computer tucked under her arm as Cam placed their order. Thankfully, nobody seemed to care that Bruno was inside with them. When they were given their sandwiches and soft drinks, Cam led the way to an empty booth near the back.
“Lie down, Bruno. Down.” She pointed to the floor beneath the table. Bruno crawled in and stretched out at her feet. Taking her sandwich and lemonade, she eyed Cam. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to say grace.”
“Okay.” He clasped his hands in his lap and bowed his head.
Leaning forward and keeping her voice low, she prayed. “Dear Lord Jesus, we ask You to bless this food we are about to eat. Please continue keeping us safe in Your loving care as You guide us to the truth. Amen.”
