No one else seemed concerned, so she picked up her fork again, trying to still the shock inside as well as watch how the two incredible families handed adversity.
Sean’s attention turned back to Harper as dessert was served, and he placed his arm on the back of her chair, his fingertips playing with her shoulder. Leaning closer, he whispered, “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
She smiled. “Yes. I still can’t believe you didn’t prepare me for this, but your family is wonderful. But... in the future, keep me in the loop.”
Before she had a chance to say more, she could hear the vibration of Sean’s phone and her heartbeat stuttered. Holding her breath, she watched as he pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. Scooting his chair back, he kissed the top of her head, mumbling, “Sorry,” before he walked out of the room, answering, “McBride.”
Her gaze stayed locked on the space where he had left, not realizing that the table had gone quiet.
“I suppose you never get used to it,” Sharon said softly.
Swinging her head around, Harper noticed that all eyes were on her, and she offered a tight smile. Seeing movement at the doorway to the dining room, she spied Sean standing there, his eyes on her.
“I’m sorry, Harper.” He directed his comments as though she were the only one in the room. “We’ve got to go.”
Immediately pushing her chair back, she looked down at Sharon. “Thank you so much for having me to dinner.” Casting her gaze around, she smiled. “It was so nice to meet all of you.”
The others rushed to assure her that they wanted to see her again, but she noticed Chauncey staring at Sean. Sean must have understood the unasked question because he gave a short nod toward him, and Harper knew he was responding to Chauncey as the Police Commissioner and not his neighbor.
Kyle stood and moved toward Sean. “If you want, I can take Harper home.”
Rory offered the same, but much to Harper’s preference, Sean shook his head. “It’s okay. I have time to drop her off before I go to the site.”
It was easy to see the family understood the necessity of a fast departure when they offered quick goodbyes and did not attempt to prolong their leaving. Within a minute, they were in his SUV, driving back down the street.
“Sean, honey, if you don’t have time to take me to my apartment, I can go with you. I don’t mind sitting in the car.”
He looked over at her and tilted his head slightly, “I don’t mind taking you home, Harper. I could’ve had one of my brothers do it, but I wanted to spend a little more time with you. If you go to the site with me, you’ll have to stay in the vehicle.”
“I’ll do whatever works best for you, Sean. I don’t want to be in the way or a bother at all. But if you want to go directly to the site, I know it would be a crime scene, so I could stay right here.”
She watched as indecision crossed his face, and then he nodded. “The site is not close to where you live, so if you’re sure—”
“I’m sure.” He appeared relieved, and she was glad she had made that offer. As strange as it sounded, she found herself curious about the next place the arsonist may have struck.
24
Evening cast shadows as they left the suburbs and entered the city. Sean was glad that Harper wanted to go with him, even though their destination would be an active crime scene and she would not be allowed to leave his vehicle. Just knowing that she was nearby was strangely comforting, although he refused to spend time wondering about that aspect of their relationship. He had never dated anyone who understood the challenges of his job and had already grown to appreciate her empathy.
“I’ve noticed arsonists don’t seem to have a rhyme or reason when they strike,” she said, interrupting his silent musings. “I’m assuming from what I saw in your office that there are no apparent patterns.”
“You’re right. Sometimes they just drive around and look for an empty building, something most of us never pay attention to. We’ve tried to find patterns using a grid laid over the city with neighborhoods and districts, but so far we’ve come up empty. We’ve looked at the date, the day, the time… no pattern there.”
“They do seem to be getting closer together,” she agreed, sighing heavily. “Are there