Armed With Steele (23 page)

He came to stand before me once more. “Last chance.”

My senses were attacked both by the warmth radiating off his body, and the scent of rain mixed with his cologne, but I blocked them out. Couldn’t bear the thought of any more heartache, which is where we’d surely end up. I’d been through enough of that this past year to last a lifetime.

So I did what I’d been successfully doing for the last six months—chose to remain safely behind the fortress built around my heart. “I got nothing.”

“Neither do I,” he muttered, and headed for the door.

Chapter 17

Friday morning I awoke to the sound of doggie nails scratching at my bedroom door.

“Alright, alright already!” I worked to peel my eyes open and my covers back.

Brutus had been demoted to sleeping in the hallway the night before. Licking the enemy—I was certain many wartime mascots had been killed for less traitorous acts.

As I slid into the nearest pair of jeans I could find, I reminded myself that today was a new day. If life was going to keep throwing me lemons, then I needed to find a way to start making lemonade. Or to invest in an extra large bottle of Jack and start making the kind of lemonade that helps a person forget all about those lemons.

But the positive thinking got me nowhere. So I headed out to see the one person I could talk to about anything—even if she wasn’t in any condition to talk back.

“What a mess I’ve made, Grace. See what happens when you leave me like this? I resort to lying. It’s no wonder I never did this much before—I’m terrible at it!”

I took her hand in mine and gazed up at her beautiful face. With everything I had, I willed her eyelids to flutter open or her mouth to move. But she did nothing.

“Knock, knock.”

I spun in my seat. “Matt!”

“Hey, Jess. Do you mind if I come in?”

Something unexpected happened then. A twitch. It felt like her hand twitched in mine. I looked down at her hand, not quite convinced I hadn’t just imagined it all.

“The more the merrier.” My eyes remained focused on her hand, which was still once more. I grasped it tighter, to ensure I’d feel any additional movement. “So, how’ve you been?”

He came around to Grace’s other side. “Hanging in there. But missing my girl something terrible.” He leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead, then remained within a whisper of her face, a silent longing in his eyes.

I began to rise out of my chair. “I can leave you two alo—”

“No! Please. Stay.” He withdrew from Grace and took the only available seat across from me. “How’ve things been for you? Business treating you well?”

I resumed my seat and nodded. “Things have been…crazy. But yeah, business is doing well.”

Matt studied my face. “You never finished your story from lunch last week.”

“Story? What story?”

He shook his head and grinned. “I’m going to have to buy you another meal to hear the rest of it, aren’t I?”

“Oh, it’s going to take more than a Whopper to get this bird to sing.”

* * * *

Matt talked me into a platonic dinner date, and promised not to give me a hard time about whatever I had going on with Officer Steele. I think he was lonely. Which was fine, because I was, too. I hoped a night out with him would somehow help fill some of the void created by Grace’s absenteeism. An added bonus was that it would get me out of the house, and hopefully help keep Nate off my mind as well.

As I was getting ready to go, my cell phone rang.

“Miss Hartley?”

I knew from the frosty tone of those two little words who was on the line. This was it! I took a deep breath and crossed my fingers. “Speaking.”

“Miss Hartley, this is Molly Gillenwater. From Maxwell Office Solutions. It appears that Mr. Frankston was pleased with your interview. He requested I call this evening and offer you the position of administrative assistant for the marketing division. Do you accept?”

I swallowed hard. Decision time—no more
what ifs
or
if it happens, thens
. One little word was all that stood between me and my undercover assignment. But was I really up to the task? And if I said yes, would I make it out alive?

My gaze drifted to a picture of Grace and I at our graduation party, eyes bright with anticipation for all that lay ahead. And completely clueless that it would come to this.

“Miss Hartley?”

The
Final Jeopardy
tune began to play in my head. “Yes, I’m still here.”

I clamped my eyes shut. Yes? Or, no? Strong for Grace? Or, safe for me?

Of course, I knew the answer. Had known it all along. I had to be strong for Grace, because she’d have done the same for me.

“Ms. Gillenwater?” I opened my eyes and focused on our graduation picture once more.

“Yes?”

“I accept.”

* * * *

Matt arrived shortly after my fateful decision, and drove us to my favorite Chinese restaurant. The rain showers that had soaked me so thoroughly the day prior had stalled out overhead. So Matt, ever the gentleman, dropped me off at the door. I got out and sighed as he pulled away. Grace was so lucky.

Well, aside from the coma, that is.

I pushed open the first set of double doors and stepped inside to wait for my dinner date. Okay, not
date
. Date was the wrong word to use. More like, dinner partner.

Partner.

Nate.

Damn it, there he was again. I shook my head. This hopeless, pathetic crush I had on Officer Steele had to end. The faster we got this stupid case solved, the faster I could get over it.

But could I get over it with my heart still intact?

I reached into my purse and snuck a peek at my cell phone. No new messages.

Damn.

I’d texted Nate after Maxwell called and let him know I would start there on Monday. But instead of a call, or a long, congratulatory text, all I got was a one word response:
Great.

Great? What was that supposed to mean? Great, you’re on your own, so good luck with that, or great, now we can get down to business?

The outside set of doors burst open, startling me. Matt hurried inside, bringing with him a gust of wind and a splattering of rain. “Man, if this rain doesn’t let up soon, we’re gonna have to build an ark!”

I tucked my phone away. “I know. Our neighbor was outside earlier, carrying buckets of water up from their basement and cursing the sewer pipes.”

Matt’s eyes widened. “Their basement flooded?”

“Oh, yeah.” I pushed the second set of doors open and stepped out into the lobby. “Happens every time it rains. But it’s their pipes, not the city’s. The sewer department comes out every time and explains that to him, but old Mr. Cranston won’t listen. He’s convinced someone sabotaged his pipes so they’d have to move.”

Matt chuckled. “Now there’s a conspiracy theory I haven’t heard before.”

…I don’t want her cluttering your investigation with any of her quack conspiracy theories...

Nate’s words echoed in my mind. Surely, her ideas were just that. I shook my head and tried to focus on Matt. “Um, yeah. That Mr. Cranston, he’s something else.”

The hostess greeted us in broken English and led us to a table on the far side of the room. She got us settled in at our table and handed us each a menu. “Tea?”

“Yes, please.”

She vanished, and was quickly replaced by a busboy toting a large pitcher of ice water. He filled our empty water glasses and then disappeared as well.

“So, you said business has been doing well?”

“Actually, it’s been booming lately. I’ve been working like a dog trying to keep up.” The image of Brutus popped into my head. I reached for my drink to hide a grin.

The hostess reappeared with a small kettle and two teacups. She set them on our table with a nod and then hurried back to her station in the lobby.

“Well, maybe if you’d spent less time with Officer Steele, you wouldn’t be so behind.”

I choked on my water. In earnest. Had tears rolling down my face before the coughing fit was over. “But…how…did…you…?”

Matt grinned. “I saw him on your porch yesterday, looking like a drowned rat.”

“Oh?” Was there anyone in Fort Wayne
not
watching my house?

“Yeah, I was gonna stop by and pick up a few things I’d left over at your place. But when I saw you let him in, I decided to keep driving. Didn’t want to, you know, interrupt anything.”

I clenched my hands into fists beneath the table, but tried to maintain a look of disinterest from the shoulders up. So much for his promise not to give me a hard time about Nate.

“There was nothing to interrupt.” Except that argument we had. Which was all Katie’s fault. Damn her.

Matt leaned back in his seat and stretched an arm out along the back of his booth. “So, are you guys seeing each other or what?”

Once again, I’d left the house to escape from my worries, and found myself smack dab in the middle of a discussion about them. “No. He’s just been…keeping me in the loop about the accident investigation.”

There. Finally an explanation that wasn’t a complete lie.

“Uh-huh. He’s seeing someone else already, isn’t he?”

“How should I know?” I answered too quickly.

Matt’s right eyebrow twitched. “A little defensive, aren’t we? You know what I think? I think someone’s crushing on Officer Steele.” He took in the scowl I threw him and chuckled. “Wow, Jess. I haven’t seen you get flustered over anyone since—”

“Don’t…say his name. That’s ancient history now. He’s gone, and I’m not looking back.”

Matt leaned toward me and rested his forearms on the table. “But you’re not looking forward, either. You can’t stay hung up on him forever,” he said, his voice soft. “You’ve built a wall up around your heart, trying to keep it safe. But safe can be a lonely place. Trust me, I know.”

“You do?”

He lifted his own water glass and took a drink. “Before Grace, there was Jill.”

“Jill?” I leaned in, eager to hear someone else’s story for a change.

“She was my high school sweetheart. We dated for years.” His index finger trailed along the base of his glass. “Then one day she walked in and told me it was over. She was transferring to a college out east, and didn’t want a long distance relationship. I tried to convince her to stay, to not break it off, but she wouldn’t listen.” He shook his head. “Caught me completely off guard. Hell, I had a deposit on a ring.”

“Oh, Matt. How awful!”

His gaze shifted to meet mine. “At the time, I would have agreed with you. But a few months later I met Grace.” His face softened.

“And the rest was history.” I laughed. “So, have you put any other deposits down recently?”

He grinned. “Maaaayyybe.”

“Great. I guess her being gone now is good practice for when you steal her from me for good.” We exchanged a grin, and I reached to put my hand on his. “But I can’t think of a better guy to lose her to than you, Matt.”

“Thanks, Jess.”

A movement by the lobby caught my attention. I glanced over and froze at the sight. It was none other than Katie, in the midst of an animated seating discussion with the hostess. But what shocked me even more was the person standing beside her, hands intertwined, and whose eyes were locked on me.

Apparently Brutus wasn’t the only traitor in the Steele family.

“Seems like you might still have a chance with him.”

I ripped my gaze away from Nate and retrieved my hand. “Why do you say that?”

Matt chuckled softly. “Because I’m a guy. And trust me when I say, it was written all over his face.”

Seeing Nate there with Katie felt like a sucker punch to the stomach. She’d threatened to break my nose, and now he was standing there, hand in hand with her? “Well his face appears to be accompanying someone else tonight. Which is just fine—I have plenty of work to keep me busy.”