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“What do you know?”
“Nothing.”
Laura didn’t see any hint of guilt in her friend’s eyes, and Julia was pretty easy to read.
The fox tapped her cheek in thought. “Was it Gerald?”
Laura scoffed, secretly in love with the idea. But no, he’d acted confused when she’d asked him. “No. I asked.”
“Huh.” Julia shrugged. “Then accept it for what it is. Enjoy being sought after, you big doofus. You’re fake dating Gerald, and someone really likes you. Win-win.”
“I guess.”
Julia narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on with you and Gerald, for real?”
Not meaning to, Laura spilled all the details, then buried her head in her arms on the table when Julia gave her a standing ovation.
“And just think. Nineteen more days until Christmas means nineteen more days of little gifts if your admirer keeps it up. How exciting!”
“You can’t tell anyone.”
“Oh Laura. It’s me. And who would I tell?” Julia’s smile widened. “It’ll be our little secret.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Did you run any of the presents for prints?” Ty asked an hour into Laura’s shift on Tuesday. She’d arrived at seven to find a small gift bag on her desk and, after examining it, had quickly hidden it in a drawer.
A casual inquiry revealed no one had entered her office, and she’d had to unlock it to get in.
Yet Ty had known all about the presents, courtesy of his big-mouthed wife.
“She said she’d keep it a secret,” Laura grumbled.
“She’s my wife. She has to tell me stuff.”
Laura just looked at him.
“It goes both ways.” He held up his hands in surrender. “As her husband, I have to tell her everything too.”
Hmm. She wondered if that meant Julia knew things Gerald might have confided to Ty. She’d have to look into that later.
“You want me to ask around?”
She felt her cheeks heating. “No. That’s all I need, the sheriff looking into my personal life. Before you know it, everyone in town is going to be talking about me.”
“Hate to break it to you, Laura, but they already are.” Ty shrugged an apology. “Vanessa blabbed to everyone that you and Gerald are in a mating dance. Frankly, I’m a little surprised. I hadn’t realized you’d go for a lawyer, of all people.”
“Would you shut up?”
He chuckled.
“You know damn well I tried to help Gerald out of a jam and somehow ended up as his dating beard to get him through the holidays.” She still had no idea how that had happened. A glance at Ty showed him smiling way too widely. “What? What’s that smile for?”
“Huh? Nothing. I just think it’s great you and my best bud are dating.”
In a lower voice she growled, “You know we’re not really dating.”
“Because you two together takes a load off my worries. The raptors have been pretty vocal about how upset they are at Gerald taking Kyle’s case. It’s a lot easier to go after a fox than a clan of bears.”
