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“Just not when and who dated when you were younger. Gurrrl,” Miles said, dragging it out. “I don’t want to ever relive those years.”

“I don’t have too much to complain about,” he said.

Miles’s eyes looked him over like he often did in that playful way that had him laughing. “I bet you didn’t.”

His phone buzzed and he looked down at the text for a case, then texted that he’d be back in the office in an hour.

He’d picked Bella up when she normally got the bus home. She would have taken the bus in the morning, but he didn’t trust her to not miss it half the time.

Last year she had to get on it earlier than when he left and ride it for almost an hour before school started, but she at least got dropped off first at the end of the day.

This year, she was picked up at the end and since it was the same time he was leaving, it wasn’t out of his way.

She got home a little later than she wanted, but there was no way he could pick her up daily and she didn’t have any other ride.

While he sat there, he thought of Marly again.

It was hard for him to not remember what they’d had years ago.

And what they’d done less than a week ago.

He’d pushed the lines more than he had before.

He would have never done it if she hadn’t given off every indication that she wanted it.

He’d crossed a boundary that day. Maybe more than one. And he hadn’t done it blindly. He’d felt it. The unmistakable and mutual awareness humming between them. He read suspects for a living. He knew when someone wanted him to stop.

Marly hadn’t.

That was the problem.

He should have shut it down. Should have compartmentalized it the way he always did. Filed her away under past and off-limits and don’t touch. Keep it professional.

Then turned it friendly. Turned it funny. Maybe add in a laugh or two like normal.

Instead, she’d wedged herself right under his skin, forcing him to go toe to toe with her.

And in the end, she won. She knew it too.

Handed over her card with her number and he’d done nothing more than stare at it.

The urge to reach out had been plenty.

More times than he could count he started to text her, then stopped.

What was he going to say?

“Let’s start where we left off?”

That sounded ridiculous to him.

She’d been a girl back then. All elbows, knees and bright smiles. Too smart for the room and fully aware of it. She dared him to keep up. Dared him to look at her like he wasn’t already doing it.

She pushed him when few others had.

But he’d done it right back.

Her comfort zone was what she could control. Things she was good at. Things she wanted to learn.