taking off his jacket before he headed inside to pay for the order and help load it into the back of his truck.
Maybe it fell out of his pocket while he stood outside the door and tossed his jacket onto the seat.
He used the house phone, called Liz again, and left another message. “I’m heading over to see you after I take a quick shower. See you soon.”
Why didn’t she pick up? She had to be off work and home by now. He hoped that she was driving out to see him and that’s why she didn’t answer her phone.
Whatever the reason, he’d see her soon. They had a lot to talk about. Their future. And the next steps, which included them taking this relationship to the next level because he couldn’t stand another long and restless night dreaming about making love to her when she could be in the bed with him.
Chapter Sixteen
Liz jumped at the knock on her door. She’d barely had time to put her purse down and crack a beer before someone intruded on what she hoped would be a quiet evening of drinking, sulking, and not talking to anyone.
She put her hand on the lock, but took it away before she just opened the door. She peeked through the peephole and studied the tall dark-haired man. “Who is it?” She had no idea.
“Detective Wayne Valdez. I need to speak to Liz Scott about Aubrey Pittman.”
“Who?” She didn’t recognize the man or that name.
“Pat at the sandwich shop said she saw you talking to Aubrey at lunch today. May I come in?”
“Hold your badge up.” Paranoid? Maybe, but she lived alone and didn’t take any chances.
Sure enough, the guy had a badge and credentials. She unlocked the door and stepped back to allow him to enter. He checked out her place in one long sweep from her living room into the bedroom down the hall and around the kitchen to her beer sitting on the dining table behind her.
“What is this about? I did speak to a woman today, but I don’t know her name. I’d never met her.”
Detective Valdez pulled a picture from his jacket inside pocket. “Do you recognize her?”
Liz had a bad feeling. “Yes. Is she okay?” The cops didn’t show up just because of an innocent conversation between strangers.
The detective didn’t answer. “If you didn’t know her, why were you having lunch together?”
“I went to lunch alone,” she clarified. “Aubrey stopped by my table before she left.”
“Pat said you spoke to a man before you spoke with Aubrey.”
“Yes, that’s right. Clint, my ex, saw me sit down and came over to talk.”
The detective’s eyes narrowed. Everything about him went on alert. “Clint Mayhew?”
That sparked her suspicions. A ripple of dread went through her. “How did you know?”
He didn’t answer that, but asked, “Was he already in the restaurant?”
She shrugged. “I guess so. But I’m not sure. I didn’t see him when I walked in.” She thought about the texts from Tate and added, “I was distracted and upset.”
“About what?”
She didn’t want to share. Or cry in front of him. “Does it matter?”
The detective’s gaze sharpened again. “Maybe.”
Someone else knocked on her door.
“Excuse me.” She turned her back to the detective and looked through the peephole again and spotted Tate. “Go away,” she yelled through the door.
Surprise shone in his eyes before they narrowed.
“What? Let me in.”
She pressed her hand to the door and tried to tamp down the wave of sadness and rejection. “We have nothing left to say to each other. Leave.”
She took a step back to finish her conversation with the detective, but Tate walked right in the door.
He looked from her to the detective and back. “Who the hell is that?”
“None of your damn business. Get out.” She pointed to the door.
Tate genuinely looked shocked.
The detective faced off with Tate. “Maybe you should go. I have important business to discuss with Liz.”
Tate turned back to her. “Who is he? And why is he here?”
Liz sucked in a breath, let her drama with Tate go for now, and introduced the two men. “Tate McGrath, this is Detective Valdez. He came to ask me about a woman, Aubrey, who spoke to me at lunch today after she saw me with Clint.”
Tate stared down at her. “What the hell were you doing with him?”
At this point, Tate had no say in who she spent time with anymore, though she appreciated what sounded like concern.