go to dinner,” he said with ease.
“Instead of going out to eat, why don’t we order in?”
He held her gaze for a long, silent moment. She wanted to squirm, not understanding his careful appraisal, but remained steady. Finally, he nodded slowly. “Sure. That’d be fine. You choose. I’ll eat anything, but I pay. And when it arrives, I’ll answer the door.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw, and she wondered if he preferred eating out that much more than eating in. Sucking in her lips, she nodded. “Okay. Um… I’ve been craving pizza, and there’s a good Italian restaurant down the street that delivers quickly.”
Gaining his nod, she turned and made the call. Once completed, she realized Melon hadn’t come into the kitchen. Placing the canned food into the dish, she called out again. This time, the cat came slinking around the corner, her eyes wide as they stared between Jorge and the food dish, trying to decide if its fear over the newcomer was going to win out over its desire for dinner.
Squatting, she tapped the dish and held her fingers out. “Come on, Melon. You don’t have to be afraid.” Jorge walked into the living room, and the solid black cat with one white paw finally sauntered over, rubbing up against Josie’s hand before diving into her dinner. No longer seeing Jorge, she continued to rub her cat. Keeping her voice low, she said, “I know he’s a big guy, but he’s here to help.”
6
While Josie excused herself to her bedroom to change, Cobb stood in the living room. His hearing was exceptional, and even though he was sure Josie had not meant for him to hear her speaking to her cat, he’d heard her words. I know he’s a big guy, but he’s here to help. He wondered if she was already resigned to allowing him to do his job.
Melon had finished eating and then walked out of the kitchen into the open living room, moving silently from the tile floor to the pale wooden planks. Stopping in the middle of the floor, she looked up at Cobb before lifting her paw and began to wash her whiskers.
When he’d first moved through Josie’s house, he appreciated the clean, simple lines. Now, he took a moment to look around. He’d already discovered that she was renting and could understand the house’s appeal. Pale walls, cream-colored cabinets and granite countertop, pale floors, and tall ceilings all gave a sense of space, even though the house was not large. Three bedrooms, one requisite bathroom in the hall, and a well-appointed main bathroom connected to the largest bedroom.
The lot was large and surrounded by a stone fence, completing the desert-style home. From researching before he came, he knew there was a small, covered deck area on the roof that afforded spectacular views of the mountains in the distance.
He walked over to the fireplace mantle to get a closer look at the framed photographs. Family pictures graced most of the frames. Josie, her father and mother, and a young man that Cobb knew was her cousin, Bert Rector. In Cobb’s investigation, he’d discovered Bert’s parents died in a plane crash when he was in college. He’d spent a great deal of time at Josie’s house with her parents over the years, and after his parents’ deaths became even closer. There was also a photograph of Josie, Bert with his arm around a dark-haired woman, and Laurie wrapped up in another man’s arms. It didn’t miss his attention that Josie sat slightly back from the others who appeared to be camera hogging.
He had just stepped away from the mantle as Josie walked down the hall, now dressed in black leggings and a turquoise-colored tunic cinched at the waist. She still wore the black ballet slippers on her feet. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, making her look even more youthful. She might’ve been thirty but could easily pass for twenty.
Before he had a chance to speak, the doorbell rang. He stalked over, looked out her security peephole, fought the desire to roll his eyes at the poor lighting on her front porch, and threw the door open, startling the delivery boy. Taking the bags, paying and tipping well, he closed the door and bolted the locks. Glancing down at the bags in his hand, he grinned. “It looks like you ordered a lot of food.”
“I like to eat. And, well… you look like you can eat a lot, as well.” As soon