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“Hmm…” She lifts her chin. “I like when you have me for dessert.”
Energy shoots to my dick, and our faces are close. Our lips are a breath away from touching, and I’m ready to close that gap when Doug’s craggley singing voice echoes in the hallway.
“I’m going down, down, down, down…”
Releasing her arm, I step away as she exhales a sigh. My deputy does a side step into the room, pausing when he sees us.
“TGIF and Happy Fri-yay! I’m ready to go down for the library!” He shuffles out the door, and Britt exhales a laugh as she follows him.
My mind is on that near-kiss and wondering if we’ll have a chance to get that close again tonight. I should’ve invited Ryan for a sleepover to distract my son.
* * *
“We’reready when you are, Aiden!” Britt calls from a few feet away, where she’s in a squat behind Edward, holding the side of his collar.
We’re all in my backyard. I’m standing in front of the grill minding the kabobs and the corn while Owen waits at the tree line, Zander in hand, and I grin at the sight of them playing with the dog.
“Here goes,” I call. “One, two, three…”
I give the whistle a long puff, and Britt releases the hound.
Owen yells at the top of his lungs. “Come on, Edward! Come on, boy! Run to your friends!”
To his credit, Edward leaps forward, running in a relatively straight line to where my son is jumping up and down, waving Zander over his head.
Britt stands watching with her hands on her hips, and when Edward reaches Owen, the two jump all around. Edward lifts his chin and lets out a loudRooo! noise, which makes my son laugh and do the same. Britt grins at the two of them, glancing at me. My stomach tightens, and I smile back at her.
She walks slowly to where I’m standing, climbing the steps up to our deck while Owen continues playing with the dog, running around and making Zander hop from tree to tree.
“It looks like Edward’s doing the Doggy Dash.” I use the tongs to move the corn to a platter to cool. “Are you okay with that?”
Britt’s brow furrows as she watches them out in the yard. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for him to use Zander as a lure. Edward might get excited and accidentally tear that zebra to shreds.”
“You make a good point.” Lifting my chin, I do a taxi-whistle. Owen looks up, and I motion to him. “Come here for a second.”
He runs to where we’re standing, and I point to his stuffed zebra with the tongs. “You might want to put Zander in the house while Edward’s here. He doesn’t know the difference between a friend toy and a chew toy.”
Owen’s eyes widen briefly, and he nods, yelling as he runs into the house. “Be right back, ole boy!”
The hound jumps around before dashing to the back of the yard again at top speed. Britt watches him, and even though I’ve resolved the Zander danger, her sunny disposition hasn’t fully returned.
I think about the week and take a stab at what might be bothering her. “I know we haven't made much progress on the case, but at least it’s been quiet. We can get back to digging into that Kiawah lead on Monday.”
She blinks up at me briefly. “Monday,” she repeats, but her mood doesn’t lift.
I try giving her a reassuring smile. “All cases have lulls. It’s not anyone’s fault if things seem to stall for a bit. We’ll get it going again.”
Her lips tighten, and I think she’s about to tell me something when Owen bursts through the screen door, yelling as usual.
“I’m starved!” He runs out onto the deck. “When can we eat, Dad?”
“Right now.” I move the kabobs onto a platter and carry them to the picnic table. Owen grabs a juice pouch from the refrigerator, and I reach over his head to grab a fresh beer, glancing back at Britt. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure.” A weak smile curls her lips. “I’ll take one of those.”
The nights are growing warmer, and as the sun sets, Owen hops up and turns on the twinkle lights lining the columns. I light the citronella lanterns, and we’re surrounded by a soft yellow glow as the sky turns from yellow to orange-red, pink, and purple.
The scent of grilled vegetables combines with the late-evening scent of sweet olive, and a tempting thought enters my mind—this might be perfect.
