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I held up a hand to stop him, standing as well. “Worth—”
“I just can’t. I can’t. I’m sorry.” Voice breaking, he stepped away from the table. “Chase whatever leads you and Holden want, but I’m done.”
And with that, he was gone, striding off, past the crowd at the register, not stopping until he was outside the double glass doors. I collapsed back into my seat, not sure what the heck had just happened.
“Oh my god, Monroe.” Knox held up his phone. His eyes were big, like Wallace’s when he spied a treat. “The mass-level marketing murderer—that’s what they call him—did a year of college in Vancouver, Washington. That’s not that far from Safe Harbor. And he got kicked out for harassing and stalking a fellow student.”
“Show me.” I grabbed his phone, taking notes on my own as fast as I could type. “Hell. I need to call Holden. But we’ve also got to get changed for the wedding and reception.”
“I’m on it. I’ll handle finding us a ride and all the other details. You focus on the case.” Knox gave an emphatic nod as he patted my hand. “Leave it to me.”
Leave it to me. There wasn’t a glimmer of sexy intent in his words, but something stirred in my chest. Trust. That’s what we had, and it was seductive as hell, to the point I wasn’t sure how I’d lived without it.
Chapter Nineteen
Knox
I absolutely loved being Monroe’s Mr. Fix It. Ride back to the hotel? On it. Emergency iron of his dress shirt? Got it. Forgot a card for the wedding? Already handled it. Need directions from the church back to the hotel? All over that. And need to duck the reception to take Holden’s return call? No problem.
“Your wine.” I handed Monroe a glass as he sank back down next to me. The dinner and toasts were over, and the tables were starting to clear. After Monroe sipped his wine, I reached over to straighten his collar. “And your tie is crooked.”
“Thanks.” He glanced around the silver-and-purple decorated room. The wedding party held court near the front as the DJ encouraged guests onto the dance floor. “Think anyone noticed I was gone?”
“Nah. It’s a small party, but I told the grooms you had a call, and they understood. And I kept up on all the gossip for you. Kenny and his wife are expecting twins. The Darrens are adopting. The one groom’s brother is hot for the other groom’s sister, but that’s destined for heartbreak.”
“How do you figure?”
“She keeps checking her phone.” I nodded toward the front table, where a bored younger woman in a purple sheath dress was looking down at a shiny pink phone. “She’s searching for a better option, and he’s looking for forever. Poor dude, but guess he needs to shoot his shot.”
“Don’t we all.” Monroe’s voice was distant and resigned. “And how is it we both love that expression?”
“Because we share a brain.” I laughed, but he didn’t. “You okay?” I put an arm around him, grateful for a setting where I could touch him as much as I wanted. Returning to Safe Harbor after the luxury of all this PDA would be difficult. “How did the call go?”
“Holden agrees the multi-level mass marketing murderer is a promising lead. We’re meeting with your dad Monday. If he agrees, I’m going to seek an interview with this suspect at the Florida prison where he’s housed.”
“Awesome.” I made my tone as bright as possible. This was a huge break for the case and a potential big win for Monroe’s efforts. My losing out on a few days with Monroe was a small price. “I’ll hold down the fort on the house projects for you.”
“You’re the best.” Monroe gave me a look so sentimental it bordered on dopey.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said the word gently, like a kiss. “Just thinking how much I’ll miss you.”
Same. I inhaled, savoring his spicy aftershave scent. “It’ll likely only be a couple of days. We’ll be fine.”
Even as I said it, the ticking clock in my brain increased its volume. Sure, this trip would be quick, but there would come a time when missing would be all we had. Stomach souring, I slid Monroe the piece of cake I’d nabbed for him while he’d taken Holden’s call.
“You even saved me a piece of cake?” His smile softened further, which perversely only made my stomach that much sloshier. To distract us both, I stole a bite of the icing, eating it super slowly off my index finger while holding his gaze. Monroe let out a long groan. “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve skipped enough of this reception. We probably need to linger a bit longer before I drag you to our room.”
“Who says you’re doing the dragging?” I gave him a hard, hot stare.
