wasn’t about to be deterred by one failure.
But given her pallor, the notion of a bodyguard had only added to her stress—and beyond a gut feeling, he had nothing to justify pushing the idea.
Backpedal, Lange. Tone down the warning and reassure her. She won’t sleep a wink tonight if you leave her like this.
Standing, he kept his expression neutral. “In that case, go with the watch-your-back plan. In the meantime, I’ll put pressure on the lab to get to the package ASAP. I’ll also call Doug Whitney about reviewing the recent negative communication you’ve received and get the paperwork started for a phone trap on the calls coming in to your program’s 800 number.”
She slid off her stool too and twisted her wrist to see her watch. “Long day for you. You missed dinner.”
“I never expected regular hours in this job. I’ll hit a drive-through on the way home.”
Her gaze flicked to his left hand.
The lady was doing a ring check.
“Um . . . I don’t have a bunch of food in the house, but I’d be happy to make an omelet or throw together a quick stir-fry if you’d like to forego the fast food. I feel like it’s the least I can do after ruining your Friday night.”
Dinner with Eve Reilly.
Tempting.
Very tempting.
But mixing business and pleasure wasn’t smart.
And an evening with Eve would be all pleasure.
“Thank you for the offer, but I should be going.”
“Of course.” She gave him a smile that was a tinge too bright. “I’m sure you have places to go and people to see.”
In other words, she thought he had a date.
A misconception he didn’t intend to let stand, even if he wasn’t looking for a new relationship.
He’d figure out why later.
“Not tonight—but I have a full day tomorrow, and there are a few things I have to take care of before then. As for my evening—you didn’t ruin it. If I hadn’t been working, I would have gone for a run . . . and given how hot it is, you may have saved me from a case of heatstroke.”
“I’m glad something positive came out of this day.” Unless he was mistaken, a hint of relief softened her features at the news his evening plans didn’t include a hot date.
His spirits took an uptick—for reasons he refused to analyze.
He followed her to the foyer, waiting as she flipped the lock and twisted the handle. “I noticed your security system keypad by the back door. I assume you use it.”
“Yes. Having a sister in law enforcement means I get frequent lectures on home safety. I’d have one anyway, given what I do for a living.”
“Smart.” He continued past her to the small front porch. “I’ll keep you informed about our progress.” He motioned behind her, toward the paint cans. “Good luck with your weekend project.”
“Thanks. As soon as I eat, I’m going to dive in.”
“Don’t work too hard.”
Her mouth bowed. “I was born with a hard-work mindset. What can I say? Thanks again for everything.”
“My pleasure.”
He followed the paved path to the sidewalk in the quiet neighborhood, where the residents were once again going about their normal routines.
People were walking dogs.
Children were riding bikes.
The hum of lawnmowers, a distant train whistle, and the jingle of an ice cream truck mingled in the evening air.
For Eve’s neighbors, life had returned to normal.
But hers wouldn’t be the same again for quite a while.
He circled his car to the driver’s side, glancing back at her house.
A light was on in the living room, peeking around the edges of the closed shades, and a shadow moved past the window as he slid behind the wheel.
Eve might be up late painting tonight, but a propensity for hard work would be only one of the reasons.
She’d also be thinking about what happened today—and wondering if there was more to come.
As he pulled away from the curb, he could relate.
Because that’s exactly what he’d be doing too . . . well into the night.
“Hey, Buzz . . . weren’t you working in that neighborhood today?”
Buzz Lander shifted his attention from the TV above the bar to Suds, who was guzzling beer like there was no tomorrow.
“We both were.” On his other side, Crip swigged his own beer and continued to watch the coverage of the bomb scare on the cul-de-sac a few blocks from their painting job. “You shoulda heard all the sirens.” He grabbed another handful of popcorn and shoved it in his mouth.
Buzz hid his disgust behind the rim