his hands. “I’m not making fun of what you do. I would just think for a cop the job would be kind of boring. But then maybe that’s what he likes.”
Before she had a chance to retort, his partner walked over, lifting both hands that were now filled with bags. Bill slid out of his seat and winked. “Duty calls, Harper. You know where to find me if you want some excitement.” Grabbing his bag from his partner’s hand, he laughed as he started walking out of the diner.
Seething, Harper startled as Sean slid into the seat that Bill had just left. Staring at her, he cocked his head to the side. “What’s the matter?”
She rolled her eyes as she groaned in frustration. “I’m sorry. Bill was just here being a bit of a jerk. He has a warped sense of humor.”
“A jerk, huh?”
“Yeah... just a crack about arson investigators.”
Instead of anger, Sean fought back a smile. “Some men have to put down others to make themselves feel better. You know… little men with little…”
Throwing her head back in laughter, Harper said, “I think you’re right! Oh, thank you, Sean. I needed that laugh.”
After a moment of silence, he said, “Bill likes you. I can’t blame him for that, he’s got good taste. But if he’s never acted on it, then that’s his fail for waiting around too fuckin’ long.”
“We went out a few times, but that’s all... we’re just friends. In fact, I once thought he liked my friend Sandy, but they’ve never gone out.”
“Take my word for it, honey, a man knows. And Bill definitely wishes he was the one with you.”
She held his gaze for a long moment, then slowly smiled. Reaching across the table, she held his hand. “Well, it’s his loss. I’m having lunch with the person I want to be with.”
Giving her hand a little tug so that she leaned forward, and he lifted slightly from his seat, bent across the table and kissed her lightly. Mumbling against her lips, he said, “Me too, babe. Me too.”
Just then the server came by and they gave their order. Settling back into their seats, he asked, “How’s your day going?”
“Not bad. I read the report from this morning for my class.” Her smile widened. “I can’t believe that in another week I’ll be done.”
“And you’ll have your certification?”
Nodding, she said, “Yes, I’ll be a certified fire examiner.”
“Are you going to stay with the insurance company? Or is there another job you’d like to have?”
The server came back, setting their plates down in front of them. Her eyes grew large as she looked at the size of the hamburger and the mound of french fries next to it. She snorted before exclaiming, “When I’m with you, I order so much food!”
“Don’t worry. I know you can’t eat it all.” Sean winked and her stomach flip-flopped, a reaction she did not have when Bill winked at her.
Refusing to analyze the emotion, she focused back on her plate. “I swear, I’d do better if restaurants would serve smaller portions. I always take a box home and try to eat it the next day, but that doesn’t always work.” Squirting ketchup on her mound of fries, she popped one into her mouth and moaned in delight. “I love potatoes.”
Sean had his hamburger halfway to his mouth when he stopped at her comment and stared at her over the bun. “Good to know.”
Laughing, she said, “Hey, we're getting to know each other, right? Well, I love potatoes. I don’t care if they’re mashed, fried, boiled, or baked. I’ve never met a potato that I didn’t care for!”
Now it was his turn to laugh as he took a large bite of his hamburger before shoving one of his own french fries into his mouth. Prodding, he said, “You were going to tell me about your job thoughts once you get your certification.”
Chewing carefully before swallowing, she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “I know most arson investigators work for fire departments or law enforcement, and that can be at the local or state level, but, of course, they can also work for private companies such as the insurance company I work for in Hope City. The firefighters are obviously trained in what to look for with a fire, but they’re not trained in the collection and analysis of evidence. If they have a suspicion, that’s when they call in the fire investigators. Each battalion in the city has one, but they’re not