it always made for a messy case.
She grinned at him. “Because you’re smart enough to read between the lines.”
“Don’t try to butter me up.”
Emory and Bella both laughed. Hank shifted when he was reminded they weren’t alone. The other woman was so quiet, he’d forgotten they had an audience.
“So...are you willing to share information or not?” Bella asked in a far too enticing manner.
Hank was still and silent. He didn’t like it. Yes, he wanted to spend time with her, but not like this. Not when he was working. There were too many variables. Too many ways for things to go wrong or for her to do something that would jeopardize the case. A stolen ring might be a small case, but he was still going to take it seriously. It’s what had gotten him to the job of detective at his age, and he wasn’t going to drop the ball now.
“I’ll even let you take me to dinner, if you agree,” she teased.
Hank burst out laughing. “Let me get this straight. If I agree to share info, you’ll let me take you to dinner?”
She smirked. “That’s the price to work with a professional like myself.”
Hank shook his head slowly. She was gutsy. And he liked it far too much. He glanced at his watch. “I need to get to the station. I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at seven?”
Bella’s entire body tightened, and he could see she was holding something in, but he wasn’t sure if it was a cry of triumph or a groan of disdain. “Seven. Got it.”
I’m probably going to regret this. With a nod to each woman in turn, he set down the plate of donuts and marched out of the room. He was only halfway through the ballroom when he heard a screech his sisters would make when they were excited, and dang if it didn’t bring a smile to his face.
CHAPTER 3
BELLA PURSED HER LIPS in the mirror and finished putting her lip gloss on with a flair. She grinned at herself when she was done. While she knew she wasn’t model worthy, she wasn’t usually upset about the way she looked. She was compact, but had a nice figure, and her strawberry blonde hair had always been an asset. The only thing that really bothered her was the freckles across her nose. They made her look younger than she was, and that was frustrating in her field.
“No sultry, come-hither looks from this baby face,” she muttered as she cleaned up her make-up supplies and stuffed everything back in the drawer of her bathroom. She shrugged to herself as she grabbed her heels. “Maybe small-town detectives won’t care about that.”
The doorbell rang in the background and Bella gasped. “Darn it. Always late.” She finished tumbling into her shoes, grabbed her coat, and rushed out the door of her suite, only to come back a moment later to grab her purse. It had her notebook in it, which she would need not only to take notes, but to share as well.
Muttering under her breath, she snagged her heel on the carpet before making it to the staircase, nearly flinging herself down them. Catching herself on the banister, she forced herself to take a deep breath. “Cool...smooth...you’re a professional. Nothing ruffles your feathers.” She held her chin aloft. “You’re a journalist.”
Slowing down in order to create the entrance she wanted, Bella walked as casually yet sexily as she could. She desperately wanted to use this time at the inn to be seen as the woman she was, not as some wanna-be who couldn’t hold down a serious job. Going out with someone as rugged and handsome as Hank should help her pull off that image even more.
She sucked in a quiet breath when the detective came into view. He was wearing dress pants and a long-sleeved, button-up shirt that showed off his shoulders and broad chest a little too well. He was currently speaking to Hope in the foyer. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows as if he’d come straight from work. The tie at his neck was loose and with today’s styles, Bella knew that could go either way.
Her heart sank just a little. Maybe he really is just viewing this as a business meeting. Did he not put any effort into what he looked like? She suddenly felt very foolish over the time she’d spent putting her hair in curls and creating the perfect eyeliner effect. Apparently Mr. Henry Gordon, Detective