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My mind races as I sit on the couch much less gracefully than I’d planned.
“You okay?” He looks at me, his brows furrowed with concern. “Oh…y-yeah. Just tired from work. It was a busy day.” I lie. I hate lying, but I’m in panic-mode right now, and all I can do is hope he didn’t hear that newscast.
“That’s terrible, the missing fiancé,” he says, pointing at the TV.
Damn! He heard it! Or had he seen it earlier? Surely not…
Luck doesn’t seem to be on my side today.
“Yeah, it is,” I reply before quickly changing the subject. “The burgers smell great. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Uh, how do you like your burger? I’ll make our plates if you want to find a movie?” It was more of a question than a statement, like he thought I might not like the idea.
“I like mine well done. Is comedy okay with you?” I ask.
“Yeah, you can’t go wrong with a good laugh,” he says with a smile before walking back into the kitchen.
A long sigh escapes me, and I do my best to keep it quiet, so he doesn’t hear it. The remote is still in my hand, so I flip through the channels. God, I need to find literallyanythingexcept the news. After a couple of minutes, I land on a movie channel with ‘comedy’ in the name, so I leave it there. Whatever this is will do.
Christopher’s fake story about me being missing has spread so much faster than I expected. My hands are still trembling, and I don’t know how I can make it through this dinner. Maybe I can just excuse myself. Say I’m not feeling well.
That thought falls away as Jack walks back into the room, carrying our plates. He sets both plates on the coffee table in front of me before taking a seat beside me. Once seated, he lifts the top of the coffee table to more of a dining table height.
I smile as I watch, fascinated by the cool table. I’ve seen them before, but I’ve never used one. This is super handy!
“Nice.”
“This is how I eat all my meals,” he says.
I can do this. It’s just dinner…just the two of us.
Jack nods towards the TV again. “This is a good movie. I’ve seen it a time or two.”
I didn’t even notice the name of the movie when I landed on that channel. It wasn’t any of the “Andi Sparks is a phony with a psycho powerful ex and has been lying to everyone” TV channels, so I left it. It could have been a documentary on where the toothbrush came from, and I would have pretended to be overly excited about it.
Watching for a moment, I recognize it. “It’s a classic. I’ve seen it a few times, too. Are you okay with watching it again?” I ask as he takes a big bite of his burger.
He nods, unable to speak. I giggle as he struggles to swallow it down to answer. He wipes his mouth with a napkin and laughs. “Put me on the spot with a mouthful, why don’t ya? We can watch whatever you want.” He eyes me for a moment. “You’re not hungry?”
I quickly realize I’ve been too busy staring at him and haven’t touched my food. Without hesitation, I grab my burger and smile. “Famished.” I take a bite that rivaled his.
He laughs as he takes another bite of his.
We both sit comfortably, eating and watching the movie while laughing together. We exchange glances occasionally, enjoying each other’s company. Once we're finished eating, Jack lowers the tabletop to its regular height, turns the TV down, and turns to face me. I follow suit, turning to face him as well.
“You said it was a busy day at the café today? Busier than usual?”
“Mmm, maybe not busier than usual. I’m likely more tired from the late night of wine and pizza I had with Charlie last night.” I laugh.
“Ahh, that’ll do it. Charlie seems like a good friend.” He lays his arm across the back of the couch.
Looking him over, I notice his position is relaxed. He’s dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, which is much more casual than I see him dressed normally. My eyes linger on his biceps; he looks positively edible right now. I shake my head, trying to dispel those thoughts.
You can’t go there.
“How long have you been a detective?” I ask curiously.
His eyes narrow as he thinks for a moment before answering. “I’ve been a detective for about four years now.” Something in his eyes tells me there’s more.
