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He shifted his attention to her name tag, then met her gaze, which she quickly focused elsewhere, as if she were trying to hide something. A ridiculous notion, considering he didn’t even know her. “You must be new here, Natalie.”
“I am,” she verified as she set Richard’s fresh martini on the table, then cleared off the empty glass and soiled napkin he’d left behind. “You’ll have to bear with me. I’m slowly learning who the regulars are and what they like.”
“Well, if any of them give you a hard time, you let me know,” he said in a way that was completely lighthearted and meant to make her relax.
She laughed and tipped her head to regard him closer. “Are you a cop, too?”
“No, a PI, but the instincts are pretty much the same.” He took a quick swallow of his beer to quench his thirst, then introduced himself while pulling his leather billfold from his back pocket to pay for the drink. “I’m Cole Sommers, by the way, and you’ve probably met my brother by now since he’s a regular here, too. His name is Noah.”
Recognition flashed in her eyes, then her expression turned guarded. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I have met him. He’s quite the flirt—and a great tipper.” Her voice held nuances of gentle humor.
Cole wondered if his brother had tried to make a play for the beauty, and wouldn’t have been surprised if Noah had attempted to work his charm on her. Except she didn’t seem the type to fall for a sexy grin or a playful advance. There was a certain caution and vulnerability about her that was apparent to him as a trained investigator and he hoped Noah picked up on it and steered clear.
Opening his wallet, he withdrew a large bill and dropped it on her tray. “Keep the change, Natalie.”
She lifted a brow in surprise. “Big tippers run in the family, huh?”
He gave a shrug. “I wouldn’t want word to get out, especially to my brother, that I’m a cheap tipper.”
She smiled in appreciation, though a bit of mischief touched her features. “Thank you, and I’m sure if Noah finds out that his brother has out-tipped him, it’ll only work to my favor.”
Cole chuckled, watching the woman move on to take an order from another customer, until he caught sight of Richard heading toward their table and remembered the reason he’d come to Murphy’s tonight.
He’d been summoned.
The older man slid into the opposite side of the booth and Cole immediately acknowledged his tardiness. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
“No need to apologize.” Richard waved a hand between them, dismissing his words. “You know I of all people understand work and last-minute crises. I figured if you couldn’t make it tonight you would have called.”
Cole wondered if Richard would be so understanding about the craving he’d recently developed for his daughter, then gave himself a hard mental shake. Two years ago when Melodie had applied for the position of secretary, her father had asked him to hire her on, essentially entrusting his daughter to Cole’s care. She’d become a valued employee, and Richard had been content and satisfied knowing his daughter was working for a reputable, honorable man.
A bark of cynical laughter nearly erupted from Cole’s throat, but he managed to keep it tamped with a swallow of beer. Oh, yeah, he was one honorable son of a bitch. He’d taken advantage of Melodie when he should have had the strength and fortitude to resist her advances.
He was quickly realizing he had no self-control where she was concerned. And that was yet another personal issue that rubbed him raw since he’d always prided himself on remaining cool and collected during any situation. And especially when it involved a woman.
Scooping up a peanut, he cracked open the shell, tossed the nut into his mouth, and chewed. “I got the impression on the phone that this isn’t a normal social call. Is everything okay, Richard?”
“With me?” He stirred his martini with the green olive garnish. “Oh, yeah, I’m doing great.”
Cole agreed that Richard looked more relaxed than he’d seen him in a long time. “Retirement certainly looks good on you.”
“It’s not half bad.” He grinned, his brown eyes twinkling with animation. “I spend my days cutting it up on the golf course and most of my evenings dazzling the ladies at the country club with my dance moves and witty conversation.”
Cole laughed, amazed and delighted to hear that this man who’d immersed himself in his work as a sergeant for the Oakland Police Department for so many years was finally enjoying a social life of his own.
Richard sm
acked his lips after taking a drink of his martini, a touch of melancholy in his gaze, another contradiction to the no-nonsense attitude Cole had always known this man to possess. “You know, son, it’s taken retirement for me to realize that I never really took the time to smell the roses along the way, and I overlooked a whole lot of opportunities that could have given me a richer, fuller life.”
Surprised by Richard’s confession, Cole merely nodded and ate a few more shelled peanuts, unsure where this odd conversation was heading. Obviously the man felt the need to talk, and the least he could do was lend a listening ear.
Richard stared into the clear depths of liquid in his glass and sighed. “After Mel’s mother’s death I focused my extra time on my daughter and spent all my energy on work in an effort to ease the pain of losing Lauren. I never thought I could love another woman as much as I loved her, so I didn’t even bother to date. Not seriously, anyway.”
He lifted his gaze back to Cole, a small frown marring his brows. “Everything I ever felt for Lauren I gave to Mel to compensate for the loss of her mother. I wanted to make sure that she never doubted she was loved, and that she was raised with the best of everything. And that included sending her to a private all-girls school so she could be around friends her own age who understood the female changes she was going through, and so she’d focus on her studies instead of being distracted by other outside influences, like boys and parties, and that sort of thing. I just wanted her to have every opportunity and advantage so she’d grow into an intelligent woman who’d make levelheaded choices in her life.”
“You did an amazing job with her,” Cole said, reassuring the other man. “She’s turned into a very capable woman.” Too capable, he thought privately, especially when it came to seducing him.
“Yeah, she has,” Richard agreed proudly, though there was a thread of concern underscoring the tone of his voice. “But now I’m wondering if I didn’t make a mistake in the way I raised her. She never seemed to resent my decision to send her to an all-girls high school, but I can’t help but question if that didn’t stifle her as a blossoming young woman, or make her feel as though she was living in a cocoon with no outside stimulation, like boys and coed parties,” he added.
