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I nod earnestly. “I know. I’m so pissed at myself. But you heard me. I leveled with Mark.”
“Eventually.”
“Yeah…eventually. I don’t have a billion dollars coming my way. I need my job.”
“Don’t toss the will in my face.”
“Fine, but Idoneed my job. You know it’s not a good thing for a detective to be in a relationship with a suspect. I know you’re not one. I told you that and you know I told Mark that. Buthethinks you are and he’s my boss.”
I glance down at the glossy hardwood floor at my feet. “I don’t know what this is between us, but I like it. It’s…different. While I feel like I’ve known you forever, I haven’t. And you don’t know me.”
He’s quiet—too quiet—so I push on.
“Aren’t I entitled to one mistake? Are you going to tell me you’ve never fucked anything up?”
He still doesn’t reply.
Moments pass, and just as I’m about to give up, Chance Bridger walks toward us.
“Hey, Sadie. What are you doing here?”
“I just came to talk to Miles.”
“Update on the case? Serving a warrant?”
I shake my head. “No. Nothing like that.”
I don’t elaborate. It’s one thing for me to come clean with Mark when he caught me and Miles together. It’s another with Miles’s brother. I don’t know what Miles has shared about us and I don’t want to mess things up further.
“Well, dinner’s ready. You want to join us? Louisa makes enough to feed an army. We always have leftovers.”
I glance at Miles. His expression is noncommittal. I don’t want to leave. I want to stay and have Miles accept my apology.
“Uh…yeah, okay. That’d be nice.”
“Come on in. We eat in the kitchen.”
I’m not sure why Chance is being so nice. He wasn’t thrilled when Mark and I showed up yesterday morning. None of them let us in the house. While I wasn’t going to go snooping, they were right about Mark. He would have taken the opportunity to ferret out any kind of weakness or sign of guilt he found.
From what I could tell—although I didn’t take any real time to look around—the house wasn’t going to have a smoking gun or a blood-covered rock or some other kind of murder weapon lying around.
I have to assume Chance’s dislike is for Mark alone. Whatever the reason, I’m thankful he’s given me the opportunity to stay.
I follow Chance, and I assume Miles follows me. I don’t dare look over my shoulder.
“You know Austin,” Chance says, “and this is his girlfriend, Carly Vance. Carly, Sadie Hopkins.”
“Hi, Sadie.” Carly smiles.
I’ve seen her before, and then it clicks. “Vance. You’re the mayor’s daughter.”
She nods. “I am, but I work here as a vet tech.” She lifts her gaze to Austin. “And this big guy is mine.”
Ah, the girlfriend. They look sweet together, and in love. That was fast. Austin has only been in town as long as Miles.
“Won’t you sit down?” She pats the chair next to her.
Perfect. An ally. Maybe. Someone who understands falling for a Bridger man happens fast.
