and Jonas looked at John as he continued to explain. “It’s believed that white phosphorus mixed with carbon disulfide was first used by the Finian arsonists in Ireland in the 1800s.” John continued to look back down at the burned remains and shake his head slowly, murmuring, “It’s fascinating, isn’t it? Just fascinating.”
Thanking John for his information, Sean watched as John reached out and took Harper’s hand, saying, “Anytime you want another demonstration, just let me know.” Fighting the urge to jerk John’s hand away from Harper, he smiled when she stepped away and said goodbye to the technician.
Once they were back outside, she said goodbye to Jonas and then turned to Sean. “Are we still on for tonight?”
“Absolutely. Looking forward to it.”
“I didn’t ask you where we’re going. What should I wear?”
“I thought we’d go to the Inner Harbor. So, dress comfortably and make sure you wear a coat. I thought after dinner we might go for a boat ride.” Her eyes lit, and he was thrilled to see that he had chosen well.
She reached down, placed her hand on his arm and gave a little squeeze. “I’ll see you tonight. I can’t wait.”
Driving back to headquarters, he tried to focus on the date that night, but the demonstration they had just been given filled his mind. Glancing sideways, he asked Jonas, “Did John seem over-excited with his fire exhibition?”
Jonas glanced toward him and sighed. “Yeah, I was going to say something to you about that. I know the pyromaniac is supposedly the least common type of arsonist, and yet, seeing that guy in action made me realize how someone can get excited just by figuring out how to start fires.”
Pulling into the headquarters’ parking lot, Sean scrubbed his hand over his face, feeling the need for another cup of coffee.
“I still think this calls for a little black dress.”
Harper looked over at Sandy, who was pulling clothes out of Harper’s closet. Her gaze moved back to the bed. “I’ve told you, Sandy, this isn’t that kind of date. We’re going to the Inner Harbor, and it’s cold tonight. The last thing I want is my hooha freezing in an LBD!”
Sandy whirled around, her blonde ponytail whipping with the motion and her blue eyes sparkling. “Harper, that’s the point of having a gorgeous guy as your date. When your hooha gets cold, he’s there to warm it up!”
“First of all, I don’t know Sean well enough to have him warming my hooha. Second of all, he sure as hell isn’t going to be warming it right in the middle of the Inner Harbor!”
The two women stared at each other before bursting into laughter. Sandy walked out of her closet and plopped down on the bed. “Remember when we first met? How much fun we had getting ready to go out?”
Harper sat down next to her, and both women flopped backward on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah. The crazy thing is, back when we were in college we had no idea how the real world worked. Life seemed so much more carefree back then.”
“Back then, all it had to be about was boys,” Sandy sighed. “At least, it started out that way.”
She heard the wistfulness in Sandy’s voice but knew she would not talk about what had changed her. “Now, it’s bills, bosses, responsibility, and those boys are men.”
“Well, damn the bills, bosses, and responsibility.” Sandy visibly shoved aside her pensiveness and grinned widely. “But hallelujah to those boys now being men!”
Harper pushed off the bed. “If I’m going to be ready when a certain man comes to pick me up, I’ve got to get dressed!”
Sandy sat up and looked at the clothes strewn around. “Okay, girlfriend. Since you want to be warm, how about a skirt with boots? Pair it with a sexy top, but you’ll have a jacket over that.”
“I like the way you’re now thinking.”
With a new mission, they begin looking at her clothes anew, finally deciding on a black light wool skirt that stopped just above her knees, black boots with a modest heel, and a jewel-tone blue sweater with a scoop neck that showed just a hint of cleavage. With her auburn hair hanging in a sleek sheet down her back, she fastened silver hoop earrings in her ears. She had a light hand with makeup but made sure to accentuate her eyes. Finishing with several silver bangle bracelets, she turned around and faced Sandy, saying, “What do you think?”