Perfect Fit (Serendipity's Finest) - By Carly Phillips Page 0,30
booth somewhere waiting to talk. Instead a large man with salt-and-pepper hair and a large paunch strode up to Mike, a big grin on his face.
“Bill Carlson, you old son of a bitch. How have you been?” Mike slapped the big burly man on the shoulder, but Bill apparently wasn’t satisfied because he pulled Mike into a brotherly hug.
“I’m good,” the man said. “Damn good.”
Mike stepped back and looked the man over. “Owning this place agrees with you. I think you’re eating too much of your own food.”
The other man, who had to be a good two decades older than Mike, merely grinned. “It’s not just the bar, it’s the woman. I married Lucy, and she makes sure there’s a home-cooked meal for me whenever I walk in the door.” He patted his round stomach.
Mike’s eyes opened wide. “You tied the knot? I thought you said, and I quote, ‘No damned woman will shackle me in this lifetime.’”
The big man shook his head and laughed. “Live and learn, buddy. Live and learn. So who’s this pretty lady?”
Cara blushed at the description, but she was equally curious to know how Mike knew the man, since he seemed so happy to see him.
“Cara Hartley, meet Bill Carlson. Bill was a detective before he got soft and retired,” Mike said, with a teasing glint in his eye.
Cara noticed he’d opted not to give Bill a description of who Cara was to him, and she tried not to let it bother her. Better no description than one she wouldn’t want to hear.
“Soft happens to all of us, buddy,” Bill said before turning his attention back to Cara. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Hartley.”
She shook his extended hand. “Call me Cara,” she said. “And it’s nice to meet you too.”
Bill glanced at Mike and cocked his head to the side. “I didn’t know you were bringing company,” Bill said quietly, but not so softly that Cara couldn’t hear.
Mike shrugged. “Didn’t seem important.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Bill stepped back, his gaze sweeping over them. “Last booth on the right. It’s big enough for three. I’ll be in the back if you need me.” He paused and glanced at Cara. “Pleasure to meet you,” he said, before turning and heading back through the double doors leading to the kitchen.
Cara drew a deep breath. “Do you want me to wait here?” She wasn’t oblivious to the fact that his contact wasn’t expecting her and probably wouldn’t be happy Mike had brought her along.
“No.” Without another word of explanation, Mike started for the back, and Cara followed.
They reached the back booth where Mike’s contact was sitting, and she was stunning. A knockout from her long, brown hair accented with beautiful blond highlights, tanned skin, and perfect features, to the way she didn’t just wear her leather jacket and purple scarf—she owned it.
Cara’s mouth went dry as Bill’s words suddenly made sense. And Cara was suddenly aware that her dark green, puffy down jacket made her look like the Michelin man in comparison.
“Mike!” the woman said, gliding out of the booth and plastering herself against him like so much more than an old friend.
Cara gritted her teeth and promised herself she wouldn’t give in to insecurity. Petty jealousy? Yeah, she’d allow herself that. What she wouldn’t allow? For Mike to see how this affected her. She wondered if he and this woman had been lovers. Or did this woman just wish they were?
To Mike’s credit, he grasped the other woman’s forearms and pried her off him. “Always good to see you too. We have some questions for you.”
“We?” She flipped her hair over her shoulders as she became aware of Cara’s presence for the first time.
“Cara Hartley is a police officer in Serendipity. We’re working on a case, and we need your brand of expertise,” Mike said, gesturing to the booth, obviously ready to sit. “Cara, this is Lauren Nannariello.”
“When you said you needed to see me, I didn’t realize this was business.” Lauren raised her chin a notch and slid back into the booth. “But then you’ve mixed business with pleasure before,” she said in a deeper voice, and patted the seat next to her.
So they had been lovers. No more wondering there, Cara thought, a sick feeling in her stomach. Well, he’d made it clear a few nights ago he was with Cara now. And Cara wasn’t the type of girl who let another woman hit on her man. How Mike responded to this would be interesting, but