such gentle eyes and smiled at a soul-weary vampire as if he were still capable of being someone’s hero.
He cupped her hand with his and placed the plug in it. “Here. Let’s see how it looks.”
She curled her fingers around the cord and knelt down to plug in the lights. In an instant, the room went from shadowed to shimmering. Even a hard case like him had to admit the glow of the lights softened all the harsh lines of chrome and plastic, bathing the whole room with an appealing warmth.
Just as its owner did each time she smiled.
Della gave Harry a hug with a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Harry. Dinner is on me tomorrow!”
Her friend beamed at her. “Ordinarily I’d refuse, considering how little I really did, but only a fool would turn down your pot roast.”
What kind of man was jealous of an old man getting a hug and free meal? Evidently Eagan’s kind, because that’s exactly how he was feeling right now.
Della turned her bright eyes in his direction. “Same deal. Pie tonight as promised, but how does dinner tomorrow night sound?”
Damn it, his job demanded he accept the invitation, but his conscience argued he didn’t deserve it. He hated being here under false pretenses and only pretending to be part of the family of friends Della had gathered around her.
“Like the man said, only a fool would pass up anything you offered.”
Okay, that came out wrong.
Della’s eyes widened in surprise as someone in the background sniffed in disapproval. He knew without looking it was the wolf bitch again.
To cover the awkward silence, he blurted, “Is there anything else you need hung up around here while I’ve got the ladder out?”
Della nodded slowly. “Yes, I have a few more decorations I’d like to put up before I do the tree.”
When she didn’t move, he tried to rustle up a reassuring smile. “Want to tell me where they are?”
Della hit her fingertips against her forehead and shook her head. “Well, duh, that would help, wouldn’t it? They’re upstairs in my apartment. Blue crate in the corner of my living room.”
She tossed him a set of keys. “You want the one with the red tag.”
He snagged the key ring out of the air and headed for the staircase at the back of the kitchen before he changed his mind and bolted out the front door. Was she crazy? Letting a man she’d only met twice in her apartment. Hell, she thought he was flat broke. How did she know he wouldn’t steal something while he was up there?
The answer was easy: she didn’t. Either she had nothing worth taking or else she had her picture next to the word naive in the dictionary.
Upstairs he took a deep breath and turned the key. Out of habit rather than necessity he turned on the kitchen light. The bright overhead light allowed him to see everything in exquisite detail.
The apartment looked just like its owner: warm, soft and inviting with the occasional touch of whimsy. A row of gargoyles decorated the top of a cluttered bookshelf. Each one sported a tiny Santa hat in honor of the season. He was surprised they weren’t wearing T-shirts to match the one she had on. It was similar in style to the one she’d worn yesterday, although today’s version had a reindeer with a nose that blinked on and off. Normally he’d find it irritating. On her, it was cute.
Odd that he’d think so. He wasn’t quite sure why he was so drawn to her. Maybe because in her own way she offered a haven to those who needed one, and he liked that about her. It was obvious that many of her customers lingered in the diner far longer than eating a meal required. She looked out for them, and they returned the favor. More than one had given him a considering look, wondering about his interest in their friend. Smart of them.
The crate was right where she’d said it would be. Before carrying it downstairs, though, he wanted to take a quick peek out of her front window to see if anything was happening on the street below.
He pushed the door open, hoping he was heading into a guest room. No such luck. This was definitely Della’s bedroom, her most private space, and here he was clomping through uninvited. He passed by the big brass bed, firmly ignoring the interesting possibilities that sprang to mind. Especially the ones involving those silk