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“Depends on why you’re here.”
He shrugged. “For the Scotch, of course. You said I could come by anytime. Unless, of course, there’s another reason I should be here?” His voice took on a hard edge, but Sunny couldn’t tell if it was real or pretend.
Either way, she wasn’t risking it. “Sure. C’mon inside.”
After a quick tour of the house and grounds, Sunny took the detective into the living room that was just off the foyer. It had a stone fireplace that took up the entire east wall and windows that overlooked the frosty woods. She lit the paper beneath the layers of starter logs always waiting, then poured the detective a glass of the four-thousand-dollar Scotch and pressed it into his thick hands. It was best to keep him here, warm and liquored up, and nowhere near Roger’s cabin, which housed the Maltese. Just in case he’d heard anything.
“Thanks.” Sean stared into the fire as he took a sip. “This room is almost as amazing as this Scotch.”
“I like it, too.” Sunny went behind the bar and poured herself a glass of red wine. “Did you enjoy Thanksgiving?”
Sean rubbed the back of his neck. “Sure.”
Sunny sipped at the cabernet. “You rub your neck when you’re lying.”
He fixed her with his appraising gaze, which seemed to always live just under the surface. “Now you sound like your sister.”
Sunny could picture it. Cici noticed everybody’s habits, posture, gait. It was difficult to be in public with her without her wanting to fix someone’s rounded shoulders or pronated feet. “Just saw my sister. She’s at the gym, making progress with your buddy.”
Sean finally smiled. “It’s a good thing your sister is stubborn. Or so she seemed when I met her. She’ll need it, with Rhett.”
“Oh, she’s stubborn, all right.” Sunny sat on the couch, right where she’d nestled into Pete’s lap on Thanksgiving night. When she’d woken, the sun had been bright and Pete was gone, which had given her an empty feeling she hadn’t expected.
Sean threw back his Scotch and helped himself to more from the bottle Sunny had left on the bar. “By the way—” he reached into his back pocket and withdrew a piece of paper “—I have something for you.” He handed it to her as he sat next to her on the couch.
“What’s this?” Sunny’s stomach tightened back up.
“A restraining order,” Sean said casually. “From Janice Matteri.”
Her pulse thudded in her ears. The wine burned the back of her throat.
“This is a preliminary protective order,” Sean went on, as though they were discussing the weather. “Basically, you have to stay away from her and her grounds for a period of time. There’ll be a hearing to determine whether or not she’ll be granted a permanent order.” Sean sipped his Scotch. “I brought it over myself, so we could talk.”
“I see.” Sunny slugged her glass of wine. “And did Janice Matteri say why she was obtaining this order?” She dropped the paper on the couch, without looking at it.
Sean narrowed his eyes, which deepened the gray hue of his irises. “She claims you stole two of her dogs over the holiday. Her nephew was staying at the house. His story—” a small grin played around Sean’s mouth “—is a lot more interesting.” He sipped his drink again and swallowed with a satisfied sigh. “He claims he caught you in the act and you took him down with some fancy martial arts moves.”
Sunny rose up and crossed slowly to the bar. She said nothing, gathering her thoughts as she poured the wine. Part of her was relieved that the man Pete had taken down hadn’t even seen him, apparently, and thought Sunny responsible. The other part of her was calculating how much Sean knew and what to say next. “If this is true—” Sunny spun to face the detective “—then why aren’t I under arrest?”
“Oh, they’re not pressing charges.” Sean set his glass down on the coffee table and folded his hands together, between his knees. “Janice Matteri just wants you to stay away, permanently.”
She’s afraid, Sunny thought.She knows she could go to jail herself for abusing her dogs.“That woman is a lunatic. Her nephew was probably strung out. That whole family is bad news. Like I told you before, you really ought to check into her operation. Not mine.”
“Maybe.”
Sunny leaned back against the bar and opened her arms. “Do I look like the type who could take down a fully grown male?”
Sean rose from the couch and approached her, his gaze steady on her own. “Depends on what you’re using.”
“You have some nerve.” The wine had gone to Sunny’s head. “Pretending you wanted to share my expensive Scotch when you really came out here to give me some silly protective order. You know who needs a protective order? Janice Matteri’s dogs!”
Sean halted, just inside Sunny’s personal space. “I wasn’t pretending that I wanted your Scotch.” His eyes glinted. “All of this could’ve gone a very different way. I came out here to make sure it went the gentlest way possible.”
“Am I supposed to thank you?” As soon as the words left her lips, Sunny’s eyes closed. Why could she never stop her mouth? If Cici were here she’d be shaking her head.
“Do you want to thank me?” Sean’s voice came close to her ear. His breath danced over her cheek.
A little shiver zipped down Sunny’s spine. Her eyes opened. Sean had closed the space between them. His hands went to the bar, on either side of her body.
“What happens if I say no?”
Sean shrugged. “Nothing. I leave.”
“What happens if I say yes?” Her voice lowered, the words coming of their own volition.
Sean leaned in close and brushed his lips over her cheek, toward her mouth. He stopped there. “I don’t know, Sunny. Do you want to find out?”
