him yet?”
“No. I’ve been getting a court order to access his cell records and digging into his background first. I also wanted to get your read on him.”
Eve rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin in her palm. “Much as I want this to be over, I hate for him to be your man—for Meg’s sake. And while I’m not discounting your instincts, I suspect he’ll have an alibi for Saturday night. Meg says they stick close on weekends. Plus, on the day the fake bomb was left, he was probably at work.”
“We don’t know when the package was put on your porch. He could have slipped away from his job over his lunch hour.”
“True—but it feels like a stretch. I can’t imagine anyone would take that kind of risk because he’s mad about his wife’s job.”
“Depends how controlling he is. From what you’ve told me, he wants Meg at his beck and call. If your radio program folds—or you quit—the job goes away.”
Eve grimaced. “That’s sick.”
“We don’t always deal with rational people in my business. And some of the most irrational know how to present a normal face to the world.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Keep digging into his background—and find out if he has alibis for the incidents in question.”
“If he is the guilty party, Meg’s clueless. She’s as honest as they come.”
His lips thinned into a taut line. “Love can make people behave in . . . surprising ways.”
Was he thinking about his bad experience with Karen? The one he hadn’t shared over carrot cake and coffee?
Perhaps . . . but this wasn’t the time to delve into that.
“Well, bad as I feel for Meg if your evidence nails Steve, I’m glad this may be winding down for a bunch of reasons—including the health of my bank account. I got the Phoenix rate sheet and about had a heart attack. Forking out those big bucks would have been painful.”
Twin grooves creased Brent’s brow. “We’re not home free yet. As long as the perpetrator is out there, so is the danger.”
A shiver rolled through her. “Does that mean you think I should still hire Phoenix?”
“I know it’s a big expense.” His frown deepened, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “If you can hunker down here for the next couple of days, I’ll arrange to have the patrol officer in the area do a few walk-arounds outside during each shift. I’ll also check with Sarge on available resources to keep Jackson under surveillance. I know you have the radio program on Friday, but I’d be happy to escort you to and from the station. By the weekend, this may be over.”
Brent was willing to play bodyguard on his own time?
Her spirits rose.
“You do realize I leave the house at five-fifteen on program days.”
“I assumed you got an early start. I can sleep in on Saturday.”
“I don’t know . . .” She studied him. Was he simply being kind . . . or was there a deeper meaning behind his concern? And could she find out? “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to impose.”
He captured her gaze. Held it. “Trust me. I’ll sleep better if I know you’re safe.”
The intensity in his eyes sizzled through her, short-circuiting her lungs.
Even if the left side of his brain didn’t want to have anything to do with romance, the right side was sending different signals to his heart.
She’d wanted confirmation that his motivation was more than friendly concern—and boy, did she have it.
Breathe, Eve.
She forced her lungs to inflate and nodded. “Okay. I can hang around here until the next show. I’m giving a speech a week from Saturday, and I have to prep anyway.”
“Good. And keep—” His voice rasped, and he cleared his throat. Tried again. “Keep tonight’s discussion under wraps until we know more about Jackson’s culpability.”
“Got it.”
After a moment, he looked away—with obvious difficulty. “Let’s eat.” He pulled out her salad and set it in front of her.
She opened the disposable container and poured her dressing over the greens, shooting Brent a sidelong glance. The diligent attention he was giving his meal suggested he was either hungry or anxious to be on his way.
And if it was the latter, that was fine—now that she had the answer to the question that had plagued her since Saturday night.
She hadn’t scared him off. He might be running scared, but he wasn’t running away.
That was the best news she’d had all day.
Make that all week.
Except