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“Oh, I know Detective Noles,” Brooke said, a sly smile on her lips. “There’s hardly a female in the ER who doesn’t know him. In fact, most of them try to be the one who gets to help him first.”
I frowned. “I don’t understand. Why is he in the ER so much?”
Brooke refilled her wine glass before speaking. “Well, first, the man’s been shot at least two times, maybe more. I don’t know. Plus, he’s usually around when an arrest goes sideways and the perp ends up in our ER.”
“Perp?” Dee said with a laugh. “Listen to you...all the cop lingo.”
My heart sputtered and skipped a few beats. My stomach fell at the mention that Zack had been shot on the job…at least, I assumed it was on the job.
“Anyway, he’s a darling,” Brooke said. “Always so nice to the staff. Of course, I remember him from our UT days. He’s aged well.” She looked at me and wrinkled her brow. “Are you okay? You look pale.”
“Zack’s been shot before?”
“Yeah, but not near any major organs,” Brooke said flippantly. “Shoulder once and leg once—at least those are the ones I was involved with. We always have to fight with him to get him to stay once he’s fixed up. Usually, he’s ready to go.”
I felt sick to my stomach. I’d never given any thought to his job being dangerous. “I had no idea. I mean, that’s stupid. Of course, I know police work can be risky, but I hadn’t given it much thought.”
“So, why are we talking about Zack Noles? I’ve lost track of the conversation,” Brooke said and then drained her wine glass.
“He’s Andi’s sexy neighbor,” Dee replied.
“Oh, really?” Brooke said, her gaze narrowing on me.
“Yep, and when you got here, I was just asking her about him.” Dee twisted in her chair until she faced me. After propping her elbows on the arm of the chair and placing her chin in her cupped hands, she smiled. “Tell us everything. What was seeing him again like? Did he mention that night you left the bar with him? Does he still call you Princess? Spill.”
“Yeah, I want to hear this, too,” Brooke said. She leaned forward as though those six inches closer to me would somehow make it easier for her to hear.
My stomach clenched. “Nothing to tell. I’ve seen him twice. Once last night when he came into Lillian’s house to see why the front door was open, and then today, when he came by my office.”
Dee popped upright. “You didn’t tell me he came by the office.”
I slumped. “He was just being friendly. We went by the hospital to check on Lillian and then got called to her house because of the break-in.”
Dee held up her hand, palm out. “Stop. What break-in?”
I sighed and went through the story of the open back door, the empty safe, and the missing silver. While I’d been telling the story, Baxter must have detected how stressed I was. He jumped into my lap and settled down, as did my anxiety as I stroked him.
“That’s horrible,” Brooke said.
“Yes, it is. I think what freaks me out is knowing whoever did it was probably in Lillian’s house while I was there last night.”
“Yikes,” Dee said, and then she smiled. “But at least you had a strong cop to defend you.”
I rolled her eyes. “Nothing happening there.”
“You never did tell us what happened in college between the two of you,” Dee said.
Sweat pooled in the palms of my hands. A cold drop of perspiration rolled down my back. I hoped my eagled-eyed sisters didn’t notice the slight tremor in my hand as I lifted my wine glass with a silent wish they’d move off the subject.
Brooke tapped my knee for attention. “You know, I’ve always wondered about you two. A couple of times, I noticed Detective Noles studying me when he was in the ER. I sort of figured it was because I look so much like you.”
I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t remember a lot of that evening. Henry and I had had a big argument and broke up. Zack came in looking all sexy and hot, and then he was beside me, talking to me, making me feel so much better.” I paused, lost in the memory.
“I remember that night well. You were gloomy on the ride home. Then, when you woke up the next day, you didn’t say much, but Dee and I assumed you’d slept with him.”
I nodded. “Can we leave it at that? A fling in my past. That was it.”
Dee arched her eyebrows. “Isn’t it strange how our pasts can come charging into the present and change everything?”
