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Tex let out a guffaw of laughter then snapped his mouth shut and I could swear his cheeks got a little pink.
I looked at Ally and swallowed.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Crinkles came to the corners of Ally’s eyes. “My pleasure.”
* * *
I textedeveryone Ally had programmed into my phone, including Indy, Ally, Tod, Stevie, Daisy and yes, even Eddie, with my new number.
Kitty Sue left and so did Blanca. Tex loaded Mom’s chair and bag in the back of the El Camino, loaded Mom in the front, and roared off with Carlos Santana’s “Winning” blaring from the eight-track.
Duke showed up just before Tex left, and fifteen minutes after, the bell over the door went and Vance walked in.
I held my breath. Any girl who sees Vance holds her breath, be she five or one hundred and five.
He was just that fine.
He was wearing a pair of army green cargo pants that had seen a lot of wear, a skintight burgundy T-shirt that looked in danger of cutting off his circulation at his muscular biceps and a pair of dusty brown cowboy boots that looked like they’d actually been put into a pair of stirrups (more than once). His shiny black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his dark eyes were fringed with a set of lashes so lush you could almost call them girlie, if you had a death wish.
“Good! You came!” Indy cried immediately and I looked at her.
She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward Vance.
He shook his head when we arrived at him.
“Thought I’d tell you to your face, this isn’t gonna happen,” Vance said to Indy.
Indy narrowed her eyes.
“What isn’t going to happen?” I asked.
Vance turned to me. “When we talked about you at the staff meeting, I voted to lock you in the safe room.”
My mouth dropped open.
I didn’t even know what the safe room was, but I knew I didn’t want anything to do with it. And I didn’t want to think about being an agenda item at a Nightingale Investigations staff meeting at all.
“Pardon?” I asked.
“Eddie’d have a shit fit, you wanderin’ around the office during day hours, hangin’ with the guys. Lee thought you’d be a distraction. The guys voted with me.” His eyes did a body scan and the look in them changed to something that made me feel like swaying toward him, like he had a powerful sexual tractor beam reeling me in.
“Sometimes, distractions are good,” he said softly. “In your case, it’d be job satisfaction.”
Dear Lord.
My mouth went dry.
What the hell wasthisabout?
“Lee vetoed,” Vance finished and the tractor beam disconnected.
Thank God.
I pulled myself together.
“You don’t help us, we’ll go alone,” Indy threatened, completely ignoring the strange, sexually-charged byplay.
