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She shrugs, then walks and leans on the counter by me. “I was thinking next week. I need to start practicing again for our upcoming shows and want to be ready. Plus, I can only take so much leave before it looks like I’m taking advantage. God forbid something else happens that I need to take off for.” She sighs with a quiet groan, almost as if she’s anticipating more stuff going wrong in her life.
I tilt my head at her, then rest my hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. “Nothing else is going to happen. Well, unless Hunter passes out when Lennon gives birth because he nearly did the last time,” I say with a light chuckle. “But really, take all the time you need, Soph. You don’t have to rush back into something you’re not ready to do.”
“That’s what Mary says too,” she admits with a small smile. “I think I’ll be fine to go back on Monday. Maybe it’ll help get me out of my head for a while. Music has a way of healing the people in my family.”
I shoot her a wink, and I notice the way her lips tilt up in the corners.
“Need anything from the store?” She walks past me and pours more coffee in her cup. Her arm brushes against mine as my back leans against the counter, and that familiar electric current streams through me. By the way she looks at me with hooded eyes, I know she feels it too.
“Nah,” I tell her. “I’m good.”
I’d be better if her lips were pressed against mine, though I don’t dare say that.
“If you change your mind, you’ve got my number,” she teases.
“I do. Even got it memorized.”
“Oh yeah?” she asks playfully.
“I only have three numbers memorized, and one is my own so you should feel really special that I know yours too,” I tell her, which makes her laugh.
“Trust me, I do.” She blinks, lowering her face as if she’s trying to hide her blush.
She goes to the fridge and adds more creamer, then lets out a sigh after she takes another sip.
I check the time and realize I need to get going. I’m trying to set an example by being punctual even though I’d rather shoot the shit with Sophie instead.
“Have a good day, Soph,” I tell her after I refill my to-go mug with coffee.
“You too,” she says, looking me up and down with a cocked eyebrow. It takes all the willpower I have to walk away, and I’m not sure how I do it.
“Wait…” she calls out, and I turn around to face her. “Who’s the third person’s number?” She narrows her eyes at me as if she really wants to know.
Smirking, I shove one hand in my pocket. “Our dumbass roommate.” I chuckle.
“For all the times he’s had to bail you out of jail?” she taunts with a side-grin, and it feels good to banter with her again.
I point my finger at her, smiling. “I’m changing your contact name to Sassy Sophie now.” Then I wink, turn around, and get my ass out of there before I do something stupid like take her up against the door.
On the way to work, she’s all I have on my mind. Watching her become more like her old self each day gives me more hope than she knows.
Jerad walks over and gives me a head nod when he checks his watch and sees I’m more than twenty minutes early. “Working on another promotion so soon?”
“You got jokes before eight? Shocking.”
Jerad laughs. “Still a smartass no matter what time of day it is, I see. Morning to you too, Holt.”
I smile, happy to be here, working my dream job. A stack of files sits on my desk that I need to look over and see if we missed anything that might help solve the case. There’s been a few that don’t have any leads on suspects, and it’s critical we put all the pieces together to understand what happened. It’s going to take me the rest of the week to look over the evidence and photographs that were collected, but I don’t have any issues with it. This is what I’ve worked so damn hard for.
I flip through the photographs of the first case. Murder. DNA evidence was collected, but it didn’t match anyone in the system. Logging in to the computer, I go to the database that has the digital images stored and zoom into something in the corner of the room that catches my eye. Making sure I’m not imagining things, I hurry and flip through all of the pictures from the case. I grab the file and go to Jerad’s office. Busy typing away on his computer, he gives me a pointed look for interrupting him, then goes back to what he was doing. I swear he lives to agitate me.
