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Robin blew out a breath from between pursed lips and sat back, running her fingers through the loose curls of blonde hair that hung over her shoulders.
Jack’s mind immediately flew back to the sight of her in that red dress in the store the other day, and his gut clenched. She’d looked so heart-stoppingly beautiful that he’d nearly fallen out of his chair. Had she picked that one? Or would the one she’d wear to the ball be even more amazing?
Shaking his head, he realized he needed to get a grip. Now was not the time to be thinking about how gorgeous she’d looked in that dress shop. Certainly, not the way the red had made her golden hair shine even brighter or how the sliver of her smooth leg that peeked through the slit had made his knees weak.
The topic of Matthew’s case deserved his full attention, and he had plenty of practice at compartmentalizing, thanks to years in the Marine Corps. Not to mention the horrors he witnessed working nights as a rookie in Philly. Time to put it to good use.
“Do you think Holden had something to do with Matthew’s death?” Robin asked in a whisper.
He pursed his lips. The thought had crossed his mind, but after how closely her husband had worked with Holden, Jack wasn’t sure if she’d become close with him too and would be offended by that.
“You do, don’t you?” she prompted.
“I’m considering every angle. Clearly, one of two things happened. The person responsible for this was either really good at covering their tracks, and there is nothing new for me to find that will help, or someone dropped the ball during this investigation. If it’s the latter, yeah, that could mean it was intentional on Holden’s part to cover his own butt.”
“Or it wasn’t intentional, and you’ll solve it simply because you have fresh eyes and will spot something they missed.”
It pleased Jack that she appeared to have confidence that he’d solve it either way, and he smiled to tell her so. Then he reached forward and took her hand. “I really hope that’s the case. But if Holden did have something to do with it, I want to expose that, and make sure he’s held accountable.”
“Thank you, Jack.”
“You’re welcome.”
Their eyes continued to hold as Jack rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. How horrible was it that he wanted to tug her closer and kiss her? They weren’t standing under the mistletoe at the inn now, so they wouldn’t be interrupted.
But at the same time, this date had somehow turned into a very heavy discussion about her husband’s tragic death, and suddenly it didn’t feel like it would be appropriate to continue it in the same way he would if that hadn’t happened.
No matter how badly he wanted to kiss her.
He let go of her hand and patted his thighs before standing. “Hungry?”
Robin gave him a shaky smile and nodded, following him to the kitchen. “It smells amazing in here. What did you make?”
“Goulash.”
Robin frowned. “Bless you?”
Jack laughed, jerking his chin to the pot on the stove. “Have a look.”
She stepped closer, and he watched her as she peered through the glass lid. She inhaled deeply, then smiled up at him. “That looks so good. I hope it tastes as good as it smells.”
“It does. Better, even.”
He stepped around her and reached into a cabinet, pulling out two pasta bowls. Then he grabbed a large spoon and dished out their healthy servings of spiral noodles with ground beef, peppers, tomatoes, and a tomato-based sauce.
“Parmesan?” he asked, stepping over to the fridge and pulling out the container of shaved parmesan cheese he’d picked up on his way home from work. “It’s the good stuff.”
“Well, in that case, yes, please.”
He sprinkled some onto her pasta before doing the same for his own, then replaced the container and carried the bowls to the table.
Robin pulled open a drawer or two, located the silverware, and grabbed them each a fork while he got their napkins. When they were seated with their wine and food, he held his glass up in a toast.
She did the same. “What are we toasting to?”
“Goulash, obviously. What else?”
Robin’s eyes sparkled as she stared back at him and clinked her glass to his. “Goulash, it is.”
