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“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Roxie. Relax, will you? I’m not implying that you’re having an affair with him. I’m just saying that you need to be more careful who you let into your store when you’re alone.”
“I didn’t let him in. As you both kindly reminded me, the lock doesn’t work, so the back door was open. He came in to check on me.Onlyto check on me. Not for anything else.”
He looked at her like she was slow. “Roxie, sweetheart, you’re kidding me, right? I know you’re not dumb.”
Holy. Shit.This man was so freaking frustrating. What the hell was he talking about?
“Spit it out already, O’Conner.”
Shaking his head, he moved from the doorway and sat in the chair Eli had vacated. “Let’s put it this way: If my sweet, non-violent little wife saw me looking at you the way Eli was looking at you? I can guarantee you Alex would kill me. Or at least cause bodily harm. To a very specific part of my body.”
“You’ve got to be joking. Eli doesn’t think of me like that, you moron. He’s happily married and—”
“Hey, I’m a guy. Guys can read guys. And I know whatthatguy was thinking.”
“You’re crazy. Really. We’ve both known Eli for years, and what you’re suggesting is ridiculous. As I said earlier, if we’re talking about how strange it is for a married man to be hanging alone with me in the wee hours of the night, then the better question is, what the hell are you doing here?”
He smirked. “I’m the sheriff. I just got off work, and when I passed the alley, I noticed your back door hanging wide open. So, I came over to investigate.” He stretched as he rose from his chair. “Now, since I am a public servant doing my civic duty, why don’t you reward me with a pie or something?”
“You’re so obvious, Quinn,” she said, fighting a small smile. She could never stay mad at her friend for long. “Make sure you take a blueberry pie home for Alex, though.”
His answering grin was downright blinding. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
They walked side by side to the kitchen, Quinn’s arm slung over her shoulders.
“Is she feeling any better?” Roxie asked.
He sighed. “She’s getting there. Coughing a lot less, but she still gets light-headed if she goes too fast. If the dizziness doesn’t ease in the next day or two, I’m going to have Doc come check on her.”
Her heart pinched, and she gave her friend a squeeze. “You’d think she’d be feeling okay by now. I’m not gonna lie, Quinn. I’m worried about her.”
Stepping out from under his arm, Roxie loaded a bag with two pies, plus a spinach and bacon quiche. She topped the selection off with Alex’s favorite, a scalloped potato casserole with ham and gruyere. Food made everything better, right?
“You and me both. The good news is that Annie’s sleeping a little longer during the night now, so Alex is getting a little more rest. Hell, we both are.” Quinn’s gray eyes twinkled. “That tiny popsicle’s the cutest thing ever, but damn if she isn’t ten pounds of pure exhaustion.”
Roxie bit back a sappy “Awww!” and chucked Quinn under the chin. “I thought marriage looked good on you, but you know what? Fatherhood looks even better.”
“Thanks. It feels good, too.” He grabbed the bag of food. “And thanks for these. You heading out with me?”
She shook her head. “I have a little more paperwork to do, but give Alex and Annie a snuggle for me, okay?”
“Oh, I’m planning on giving Alex more than a snuggle.” He wagged his eyebrows and broke into an ear-to-ear grin.
She shuddered. “Gross, dude. Gross.”
Quinn laughed, then nodded toward her office. “Promise me you’ll stop working too hard?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Fine. At leasttryto stop working so hard.” He opened the back door and smacked a kiss on her forehead. “Lock up, okay? Make sure the damn thing latches.”
“You’re nagging again,” she sang, shooing him out the door.
He paused to look at her over his shoulder. “Oh, and Roxie? You’re going to have to explain to me again why you have a hospital bed in your office. Lock up.”
With a final wave, she shut the door, making sure it actually locked behind him. She settled into her office chair and scanned the piles of paper on her cluttered desk. Her gaze moved to the futon across the small room, and she frowned.
Yes, she tended to work long hours and often didn’t have the energy or desire to make the trek home, so it had made sense to move a futon into her office. After all, unlike Quinn, she didn’t have anyone waiting for her at home, so it didn’t really matter where she slept.
