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Don’t ask.“Anything interesting?” She’d only recently started calling their boss by his first name, and she had seniority. Maybe it was a guy thing. Hayden also slapped Charles on the back, something she’d never do.

He set something entombed in paper wrapping inside the microwave. After setting the timer, Hayden leaned back against the counter. “He asked me to keep it confidential.”

“I see.” Something almost as tangible as a punch to the stomach hit Violet with the simultaneousding!of the microwave. Hayden wasn’t alreadyleavingthe station, was he? He’d barely arrived. Sure, he might irritate her, but she’d grown . . . accustomed to him.

Like that makes any sense.

“No worries. It’s only confidential for now.”

That’s what you get for asking.

Violet sat lost in thought as he checked on his food and removed it from the microwave. Whatever it was smelled delicious. Considering the man was a human carnivore, it must be some kind of meat.

After grabbing a paper plate and the lunch bag, Hayden sat opposite her and pulled out two slices of thick bread from a plastic bag. Then systematically squeezed the contents of four small packets of spicy brown mustard onto the bread.

“Something tells me you’ve done this before.”

Hayden unwrapped the juiciest slice of meatloaf she’d ever seen, and her mother had woncontestsat the statewide level for her “special recipe” meatloaf. “If what I discussed with Chuck pans out, you’ll be hearing about it soon enough.”

Not what she meant, but she’d go with it. “As long as it’s not something detrimental to my health or well-being.”

“Hold that thought.” When he bowed his head in prayer, a few strands of light brown hair stuck up on the crown of his head, reminding her of the blond cartoon troublemaker Dennis the Menace. He looked adorable, even a little vulnerable—two adjectives she’d never associated with Hayden Brooks.

Finished with his prayer, he caught her staring. “Stop drooling over my meatloaf.” After sandwiching the meatloaf between the two slices of bread, he took a big bite. Shaking his head with a satisfied grin, he chewed and swallowed it down. “Mmm,mmm, that’s tasty!”

Violet sucked in her cheeks not to laugh. “Is that all you have to say for yourself?”

Hayden stopped midway to his second bite. “Are we talking about what Chuck and I discussed or my food?”

“Both, I suppose.” Her leftover potato soup lost its appeal, and she capped the container.

Darting out of his chair, he grabbed a paper plate along with a knife from the utensil drawer. “Let no one say I don’t share my bounty.” Plopping down on the chair again, he poised the knife above the middle of the sandwich and made a quick, clean slice. When Hayden tried to give her the half he’d already started to eat, she shook her head. “No boy cooties for me today, thanks very much. And I don’t need half!”

“Sure, you do.” He pushed the plate with her half sandwich in front of her. “I’ll have you know my particular brand of boy cooties happens to be primo.” Narrowing his eyes, Hayden rubbed the fingers of one hand together.

“I haven’t heard the wordprimosince middle school.”

“Well, I haven’t heard the wordcootiesin decades, and I’m around kids a lot.”

“Yes, I know.” She’d heard anecdotes about half the team members in the past couple of weeks. Hayden invested himself in those teenagers, kicking her grudging admiration for him up a notch.

“I have a method to my madness.” Swallowing another bite, Hayden angled his head at her portion. “Don’t be shy. You begged me for it, so eat up.”

After taking her first bite, Violet fought to restrain her moan. The meatloaf was unbelievably delicious, but moaning wouldn’t be advisable around Hayden. She’d never hear the end of it.

“Admit it.” His grin emerged. “Not bad, huh?”

“Don’t tell my mom, the meatloaf queen of Arcadia Valley, but it’s…well, this sandwich is pretty much perfection, Hayden.” Using her pinky, she wiped the corner of her mouth. “Please don’t tell meyoumade it.”

“See,” he said around another bite, “this is why there’s tension between us. You don’t trust me.”

“Tension?” That was the lesser of two evils since she preferred not to dissect his last statement.

“Don’t tell me you can’t feel it.”

After taking another bite, Violet licked her lips. “All I’m talking about is the sandwich. I don’t know you well enough to know your food habits—cooking, consumption, or otherwise.”

Hayden’s blue eyes searched hers. “Then we should get to know each other better.”

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