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Chapter Fifteen
Beau hadn’t expected to sleep the night away with a girl in his arms while reclining in that surprisingly comfortable old chair. A threadbare one where the original material had worn away over the years. Didn’t matter, not when he’d held such precious cargo.
He’d known from the first moment he’d met Loretta Page that this female possessed something critical for a man like him and it wasn’t all sex appeal… although there was plenty of that in spades. Her intelligence couldn’t be faulted, and neither could her bravery. The spicy mix of hands off and hold me close drove him crazy.
Used to women who gave him the come-on and meant it all the way, he didn’t know how to deal with her jumbled personality. His blond curly hair, muscled figure, and hard-assed attitude had always made him a hit with the ladies. Add in how ridiculously blue his eyes were – he’d heard that a thousand times – and he looked good.
Women liked him. Challenged by his I-don’t-give-a-rat’s-ass-attitude, many made a play for him. If he felt in the mood, he might amuse himself for a night or two. Never longer.
And, for years, as a personal law, he didn’t mess with a coworker. Because of that solid rule, his working life had been a lot less dysfunctional than many of his friends at the Bureau. He’d seen numerous relationships grow, wither, and die because of the everyday stresses the job entailed.
He took another sip of his morning coffee at Starbuck’s closest shop and continued eating his muffin. On the other hand, maybe if he started a relationship rather than his usual one or two-night friendships, he’d pick a girl who could cook, who’d make him his morning coffee and provide the muffins.
His memory slid to the day before when he’d had breakfast with Lori. Her French Press coffee had been delicious and so had the scrumptious toast.
Or had it been the company?
Man, you’ve got it bad.
Time to move on.
Easy to say. If he hadn’t of held her in his arms all night, cuddling her, like he’d done years ago with little Mellie, he might be able to shake off this strange attachment.
Thinking back to the occasion he’d never forgotten, when he’d been called by Luke’s housekeeper who’d been babysitting Mellie, he sunk back in time and again felt the overwhelming love and need to protect the little one in his arms.
Poor toddler fighting to breathe from an asthma attack had scared her old nanny, and she’d turned to him for help, having been left his phone number as the person to call in case of a problem.
When Mellie seemed worse, he’d been the one to take her to the hospital, slip onto the bed when she refused to settle and cuddle that little angel for hours until Luke and Rachel had flown back from their business trip.
First time in his life, he’d realized that he, Beau Jonathon Walker, held no importance in comparison to the precious angel. Damned if he hadn’t felt the same last night.
Jesus, Walker. You’re losing it man.
Time to get out of this lazy, comfortable, celibacy zone and start dating again. Finally, he admitted, he’d forced his body under control numerous times last night. Which had to mean he was horny and in need of female companionship. Right?
Feeling eyes on him, he searched the area. A young sweetheart had him in her sights. Seeing this, he used his special smile and when she smiled back, he motioned joining her. She nodded happily. He rose, picked up his mug and muffin, and crossed to the other table.
So easy…
Chapter Sixteen
Lori dressed carefully, not wanting to stand out in any way. She played down her femininity and went for the FBI-suit-look giving her a professional cop appearance. Approaching the high school with the slip of paper Mellie had given her the night before, she expected to be admitted easily. Having phoned earlier to get permission to visit with the student, she’d covered her bases.
Once the school secretary had understood that it was merely a search for information on another student, she helped smooth the way. Deciding it would be better to wait until the second bell-to-class had rung, Lori approached the office, passing students lingering by their lockers, dawdling, and in some cases, meeting others to carry on conversations that would most likely get them into trouble for being late.
Grinning at the behavior she herself had pulled many times, she headed to the office where she found a young student lurking in the hallway, playing on her phone.
First thing, she flashed her badge and the woman behind the desk nodded toward the waiting teenager. She approached slowly so as not to startle the girl. “Hi! Are you Chrissie Jordan?”
Jumping slightly, the older teen answer warily. “Yes. They said you wanted to ask me some questions about the girl who shot up my sister’s school a few days ago.”
“Yes. Would you prefer we had an adult present? I just have a few questions.”
“No. I’m fine. What is it you want to know?”
“Melinda Kozak – a friend of your sister’s – said that your sister told her that you and Jessica spent some time together. Were you friends?”
Seemingly relieved, Chrissie answered quickly. “Not at all, though I did try to get to know her. Jess was weird. Likereallyweird.” Chrissie wrinkled her nose and added, “Up close, she smelled bad. Didn’t barely know how to… like, converse with someone. You gotta understand, we’d just moved to the city. I wanted to meet people. Since Jess seemed shy, I made an effort, invited her to my house, but she wasn’t comfortable at all. Left early and seldom met my eyes when I’d say “Hey” in the halls, so I stopped. Later in the year, she began dressing more like a boy, even got her hair cut like some of the guys at school. Then she quit. Haven’t seen her this year at all.”
