by Amy Reece
“I could definitely eat.”
He produced an array of cold cuts and sliced cheeses for sandwiches and showed her where to find everything. He actually handled most of the lunch prep, making her doubt his need for her help, and only allowed her to set the table and reach for the items he couldn’t from his chair. In short order they were seated opposite each other at his kitchen table, ham and cheese sandwiches, apple slices, potato chips, and iced tea.
“So, those pictures…a case you’re working on?” She nibbled the edge of potato chip, something she rarely allowed herself; she was way too prone to eat the entire bag.
“Yeah. My partner dropped off a few cold cases to keep me busy. It might just keep me from going completely insane.” He chuckled and took another bite of his sandwich.
“So, how’s that working for you?”
He choked as he laughed and took a few gulps of his iced tea. She froze with a chip halfway to her mouth, intrigued by the way the muscles in his throat worked as he swallowed. She was entranced by the corded strength and noticed a small patch of black whiskers he must have missed this morning when he shaved. She was just starting to imagine what it would feel like to run her lips across the expanse of tan throat when he caught her staring. Crap. I’m in so much trouble.
***
Finn
Quiet, but sassy. That’s how he decided to categorize his neighbor as he watched her take a bite of the sandwich he’d made for her. He made an effort to hide his grin as he realized he’d caught her staring. Fair enough. He’d done his fair share of staring at her pretty face. Yeah, he hadn’t really needed her help fixing lunch, but he wanted her company. He’d really enjoyed talking to her the night before and hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since, including a fairly sexy dream that ended far too soon. He had made it through a tough physical therapy session earlier that morning by thinking about her, planning to call as soon as he was done. He’d chickened out at the last minute and sent a text—from the damn cat, of all things. How lame could he get? He was nervous. Him. Finn DeLuca, who had dated some of the most beautiful women in Albuquerque. His last girlfriend was the ten o’ clock anchor for one of the local news stations and was stunning. And he was nervous about calling his neighbor? Go figure. But she’d said yes and came over, curling up in the corner of his couch and working on her computer for several hours. Her ridiculous little dog was still asleep in his lap. Didn’t it ever have to pee? He’d been able to concentrate—truly focus for the first time since the accident—and dug into the files Chris had dropped off the day before. Something about knowing she was there, being able to look over and see her on his couch, had quieted his mind and he’d been able to get some good work done. He’d started to worry he’d lost his touch and would have to find a new job when he could finally walk again. God, please let him be able to walk again and be strong enough to return to his job! Today, both the grueling physical workout and the headway he’d made with a decades-old murder case, gave him a brand-new hope for his immediate future.
“So, my physical therapist told me I could start using crutches next week.” He broke the somewhat awkward silence.
“That’s great, Finn! You must be pretty sick of that chair, huh?”
“You have no idea. Yeah, I get this big cast off on Monday and, if all looks good, I’ll have a boot for my ankle and be able to use crutches.”
“How much of your leg did you break?”
“I’d like to point out that I didn’t break it. The person who ran me over broke it. I was minding my own business, jogging, trying to be healthy.” He grinned when she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, my femur was broken, but it was a clean break and has healed pretty well. My ankle is what’s really giving me fits. It was crushed and isn’t healing as well as the doctors had hoped.” He shrugged and took another bite of his own sandwich to hide his fear. He didn’t want her to know how worried he was about his ankle.
“Did they find the person who hit you? You said it was a hit-and-run, right?”
“It was, yeah. Nope. We have no idea who or what hit me. I had my headphones in and was hit from behind. The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital ten days later.”
“Oh my God. You were in a coma?”
He nodded and shrugged again. He wasn’t trying to impress her and didn’t care to dwell on how close he’d come to death. Existential crises simply weren’t his forte. “So, I read your book last night.” He figured that would change the subject.
“Excuse me?”
“Your book, Taking Chances. I read it last night after you left.”
“How did you—you don’t even know my last name!” She looked appalled and embarrassed, making him feel like a putz.
“I’m a cop, Mel. One phone call got me the name Melanie Blythe. I found your book on Amazon and downloaded it to my Kindle. I really liked it, by the way. You have a gift for creating memorable characters.”
“You really read my book?”
“Yep. Kept me awake ’til nearly three a.m. I had to find out if Danae and Chance finally got together. I’m glad you went for the happily-ever-after. I’d have been pissed if they stayed broken up.”
She bit her lip and appeared to be trying to decide whether or not to smile. “You really liked it? I wouldn’t have pegged you for a romance reader.”
“It was my first, but I might be hooked. You write a pretty hot sex scene, Ms. Blythe. I had no idea there was such fun stuff in romance novels.” He absolutely loved the blush creeping across her cheeks. He’d always been attracted to bold, flashy women who’d forgotten how to blush long before. The girl sitting across the table from him was a breath of fresh air.
“Oh, well…you know.” She shrugged and busied herself with eating another potato chip.
He was enchanted. “No, I don’t know. But I’m sure I’d like to find out.” He raised his eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner. When she snorted in laughter, he knew he was in trouble. She is entirely too adorable for my peace of mind. Yet he liked being with her. He liked her company. “So, when does the sequel come out?”
“I’m working on it. It’s not exactly a sequel, though. It’s the next story, about Danae’s sister. You didn’t have to buy it, you know. I would have given you a copy.” She still didn’t seem able to meet his eyes.
“No way! It’s too good to give away. I wrote a great review. Did you see it?”
She shook her head. “I never read them. The good ones make me feel good, but the bad ones really mess with me.”
Finn experienced a rather primal shot of protectiveness that shocked him. He was distracted from his fantasy of punching a bad reviewer in the face by the sound of the front door being unlocked and opened.
“Finn? You here?”
He rolled his eyes at his sister’s question. “Where else would I be?”
“I thought you might have escaped by now.” She appeared around the corner of the kitchen, a laundry basket propped against one hip. “I brought back the wash Mom did for you. All your tidy-whities are bright and—ooh, you have company!” She set the basket on the floor and crossed to seat herself at the table, intrusive as always. “Hi, I’m Cara.” She snagged a chip from Finn’s plate as she sat.
Finn sensed Mel withdrawing in the face of Cara’s ebullient greeting and silently cursed his sister’s intrusion. “Mel, this is my sister, Cara.”
“Nice to meet you, Mel. So, how do you know Finn?” She was smiling, and he could see the gleeful light in her eyes.
“Oh, I…uh…I live down the street and—”
“Mel is CJ’s other owner,” Finn broke in to explain. “You know, the cat and the notes?”
“You finally met her! So, how did you lure her down here?”
“Oh, he didn’t! I just didn’t know about his broken leg—” Mel looked horrified by Cara’s assumption.
“Ah! He used sympathy. I get it.” She laughed again, waking Fluff, who sat up and peered over the edge of the table, managing
to grab the discarded crust of Finn’s sandwich. “What is that?”
“This is Fluff, Mel’s dog.”
“Oh, he’s so cute! Can I hold him?” Cara stood and leaned over her brother, holding out her arms for the small dog. “She’s adorable!” She mouthed the words at him and he was positive she didn’t mean the dog.
Finn flashed her an admonishing look. He didn’t need his well-meaning, but nosy sister butting in to his fledgling friendship with Mel. He backed his chair away from the table and wheeled into the kitchen. “You want a sandwich, Sis?”
“Sure, thanks. Oh, Mel, he’s so cute and cuddly! It must be so fun to have such a little-ittie-bittie doggie. Yes, it must!” The last part of her statement was directed to Fluff as she held him in front of her face and rubbed her nose against his.
Mel vainly tried to hold back an amused smile. “Well, he spends most of the day sleeping, but, yeah. He’s pretty cute, I guess. He’s my first dog, so I’m not a really good judge.”
Finn listened, amused, as his sister prodded and fished for information from Mel. He set the plate he’d prepared in front of Cara and offered Mel another sandwich from the plate of extras he’d also prepared. She politely refused and he returned to his place, busying himself eating another sandwich while his sister worked her magic. By the time she finished with Mel, they had plans for a girls’ night out later that evening and he’d promised to dogsit Fluff. His sister was a force to be reckoned with.
Chapter Five
Mel
What just happened? How did I end up with plans for a girls’ night out with someone I just met? Mel shook her head and chuckled. “At least I won’t have to leave you and CJ all alone. It was nice of Finn to offer to watch you, huh?” She addressed the dog tucked under her arm. “He’s a nice guy. And very nice-looking. Don’t look at me like that! I noticed, that’s all. I’m not dead, you know.”
“Who’s not dead?” A gruff voice nearby startled her, nearly causing her to drop Fluff.
“Oh, hi, Mr. Taylor.” Mel juggled the dog to her other arm and waved to the man who lived in the house between hers and Finn’s, a crotchety senior citizen who spent hours every day sitting on his front porch. She felt bad for him since he was confined to a wheelchair, but he wasn’t very friendly.
“Hi yourself. Who’s not dead?”
“Oh. Me, I guess. I was just talking to my dog. It’s nonsense.”
“Sounds like it. That cop next door doing okay?”
“His name’s Finn, and yeah, he’s doing okay. Not great, but he’s getting better.”
“They brung him home in a wheelchair. What happened?”
Mel sighed and walked across the lawn toward the man. “He was hit by a car while he was running. He broke his leg and his ankle.”
“That’s too bad. Hope he gets better. It’s good to have a cop living next door, I suppose. Keeps the riff-raff away.”
“Yeah, it is. Well, have a good day, Mr. Taylor.”
“Hmmph.”
She half-smiled as she turned to leave. What a grump! Oh, well. The poor man didn’t have a lot to be happy about. Aunt Karen had told her Mrs. Taylor died the year before. They’d been married nearly sixty years. Mel couldn’t find it in her heart to be too irritated with him for his grumpiness. She let herself into her house through the side kitchen door, making sure Fluff went outside to do his business before he returned to his little bed for the afternoon. CJ had left Finn’s house at the same time she had, disappearing to wherever she spent her afternoons. Mel set her tote bag on the counter and set about making a cup of tea to get her through a few more hours of work before she had to get ready for the evening.
It was when she opened the cabinet to retrieve the honey bear that she first noticed it. She froze, her hand halfway to the bottle, and frowned at the sink to her left. Hadn’t she left her breakfast dishes in the sink? Yes, she had received the text from Finn before she had the chance to put them in the dishwasher and had rushed off without giving a second thought to mundane household chores. But there were no dishes in the sink now. She opened the dishwasher and saw her cereal bowl and coffee mug. What the hell? She shut the dishwasher as a cold shiver slithered down her spine. Unless she’d suddenly acquired a house elf, someone had entered her home and filled her dishwasher. Had she forgotten to lock up when she went to Finn’s? No, she’d used her key in the kitchen door and hadn’t unlocked the front door that morning. She turned, gazing around her kitchen. Nothing else seemed out of place. Get a grip, Melanie! Stop being ridiculous! No one came into your house and washed your dishes! You obviously forgot you put them in the dishwasher. Having lunch with a handsome man has apparently addled your brain! She purposefully shook off the creepy feeling that lingered and finished preparing her tea.
At ten minutes before six, she was staring at her reflection in her closet mirror, trying to decide if the black leggings and silky peach sleeveless tunic she’d donned were appropriate. Cara had said they were going to a fun bar and to dress casual, but Melanie didn’t really know what that meant. She added a long necklace and turned from the mirror. She’d left her hair long and straight, hanging nearly to her waist. It absolutely wouldn’t hold a curl and she normally pulled it back or clipped it on top of her head to get it out of the way, but tonight she wanted to look special. “I know it’s silly, but he’s only ever seen me in my sweats and looking like a rat. I have to take Fluff over, and Cara’s going to pick me up there.” She addressed CJ, who was sitting on the bed, licking her paw, looking unimpressed. “I just want him to realize I can, you know, step it up a bit.” She added a touch of blush, mascara, and lip gloss, hoping she didn’t look ridiculous. She’d never been good with all the girly stuff. She gave herself a final glance, refusing to dwell on how she compared to the girls she’d seen going in and out of Finn’s house. It doesn’t matter. He’s a friend, that’s all.
Cara answered the door and scooped Fluff out of Melanie’s arms as she ushered her new friend inside. “You look great, Mel! Wow, your hair is so long and gorgeous! We’ll have to beat the guys away at the bar tonight.”
Melanie walked into the living room and stopped short at the sight of yet another gorgeous woman in Finn’s house. The man was apparently a magnet for them. She instantly felt frumpy and dowdy as she took in the woman’s gleaming black hair, cut in a stylish bob, and willow-thin figure encased in a short black dress and some killer heels. Cara looked amazing as well, in tight, shiny black pants and a glittering blue tank top, her dark brown curly hair loose about her shoulders. She also wore a pair of spike heels Melanie envied. She looked down at her own flats and oh-so-normal outfit and sighed inwardly.
“Mel, this is my sister, Izzy. I convinced her to come with us. She desperately needs a night out. Finn!” She turned and hollered down the hall. “Get in here! We gotta go!”
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to take a pi—Mel!” He gave his sister an evil look as he wheeled in from the hallway. “I didn’t know you were here yet. Wow! You look beautiful. Wow.”
Mel stood awkwardly while Finn stared at her and his sisters stared at him, amused expressions on their faces.
“Super smooth, big brother.” Cara snickered as she handed him the small dog. “You ordered a pizza?”
“Yeah. Hugh’s coming over in a bit.”
“Good.” She kissed the top of his head. “Don’t let him drive home if he drinks more than a couple beers, okay? I’ll take him when we get back.”
“Yes, Mother,” Finn sighed. “Why don’t you three get going? And try not to completely corrupt Mel. Okay?”
“Aw, where’s the fun in that?” She rubbed Fluff’s ears and turned to gather her purse. “Let’s get out of here, ladies.”
The bar Cara had chosen was called Nexus and was full of loud music and louder conversation. Melanie checked slightly at the door, suddenly unsure this was such a good idea. She felt her heartbeat kick up several notches as her stomach clenched in dread. Why had she agreed to this? She hate
d crowds. Izzy bumped into her from behind with a soft ‘oof’ and Cara turned back to grab her hand and pull her into the bar.
“You are not chickening out, Mel! No way! The three of us look amazing and we are going in there to knock ’em dead!” She dragged Melanie to a table right in the middle of the bar and caught a waiter’s attention. “First round’s on me. What do you want, Mel?”
“Oh, um…” She grabbed a drink menu to stall for time. To say she wasn’t much of a drinker was to put it lightly. The beer she’d shared with Finn the night before had been the first alcohol she’d had since college, other than a very occasional glass of wine. She swiftly scanned the list of drinks on the menu and spotted one she recognized. “I guess I’ll have a Long Island Iced Tea?” She glanced up to see the waiter smirking and Cara and Izzy both with raised eyebrows. “Is that bad?”
“I’ll give you all a few minutes,” the waiter said with a chuckle.
“Mel, I know we just met, but I’m guessing you don’t drink a lot.” Izzy’s eyes were kind, causing Mel to not take offense.
“And I’m guessing I ordered the wrong drink, but I have no idea why. I remember people drinking it in college.”
“Yeah, it’s a college drink. It pretty much means ‘I want to get laid tonight and I’m not really picky about by who.’ Do you agree, Cara?”
“With everything except ‘by who.’ It’s ‘by whom.’” Cara grinned at her sister.
“Wow, I didn’t know we brought the grammar Nazi with us tonight,” Izzy muttered as she perused the drink menu.
“Occupational hazard.” She turned to Melanie. “I’m an English teacher. Anyway, how about a coconut margarita, Mel?”
“As long as it doesn’t say I’m a slutty whore, it sounds great.”
Cara and Izzy looked at her in shock then broke into laughter. “Oh, God, Mel! I’m so glad Finn found you!” Izzy said when she’d finally stopped laughing.
