She gave him directions to her condo, a few blocks back from the beach. She’d moved here two years ago, after selling the house she’d lived in with Andrew. At the time, leaving had been painful, but no way could she have stayed. Even packing had been more than she could endure. Her brothers, bless their hearts, had taken care of all of that, including the garage, Andrew’s study, his clothes…
Don’t go there, Jackie.
As she concentrated on relaxing her muscles, she realized that the pain in her neck was easing. The medication she’d taken must have finally kicked in. She leaned back against the leather seat and closed her eyes. Casey, thank goodness, took the corners slow and easy. She wondered if he would drop her off on the street or come up to her door.
From what she’d seen of his manners so far, he would insist on walking her to the door. At which time she would thank him politely and he would leave. She would grab a quick bite to eat, then crash into bed.
Only, what if he asked if she would see him again?
He won’t. I’m not his type.
She was sure she’d pegged him right as a real ladies’ man. And she didn’t date that sort. Never had. Not even the bold and daring old Jackie had ever cared for that kind of a guy.
Okay, if that’s true, then stop thinking about him. And definitely stop looking at him as if you’d like to eat him for breakfast.
She tried thinking about what she would eat when she was home. What, if anything, did she have in her fridge right now? Her intended trip to the grocery store yesterday had been curtailed when the unseasonably warm weather had drawn her to the beach instead.
“Hungry?” Casey asked.
“You must have been reading my mind. I was trying to remember what I had in my fridge.”
“And?”
“Condiments, mostly,” she admitted. “Though I may have a pizza in the freezer.”
Just saying the word pizza made her realize how famished she was. Several hours ago she’d grabbed an energy bar and supplemented it with two or three colas since. But that was all.
“That sounds good,” Casey said.
A frozen pizza? Was he serious? “Have you had breakfast?”
“No breakfast. Or dinner, either, come to think of it. What with running back and forth between the station and the hospital—with one quick trip home to change—I don’t think I’ve eaten in over twelve hours.”
No wonder the frozen pizza sounded good to him. “Well, in that case—”
“Thought you’d never ask. I’d love to join you.”
His grin was cheeky and sexy at the same time. She wondered if there was a woman alive who could avoid a man like this. And more important, why would she want to?
Casey was unattached, he was gorgeous, he had a good job. There was no reason in the world she shouldn’t take the opportunity to get to know him better.
No reason, that is, except for the buzzing of nervous fear in her stomach. It was past time for her to start dating again—everyone said so.
But she needed to ease into the dating scene with caution. Maybe start with a nice, quiet accountant. Work her way up to a dentist. Then, maybe…maybe, she’d be ready to date a cop. One who rode motorcycles no less.
Though, maybe she was jumping the gun here. What made her think this was a date? She and Casey had shared a harrowing experience. As a result, he’d offered her a ride home. Now he wanted to join her for pizza because he really was starving, just as she was.
As her condo complex came into view, she directed him to the visitor parking lot under the building. They rode the elevator to the second floor, then walked the long hall to her corner unit.
“It’s small,” she said as she unlocked the front door. “But I do have an ocean view from the bedroom.”
“Hmm. I’d like to see that.”
Her hand froze. She lifted her head. He was smiling at her, that sparkly expression in his eyes again, as if he thought she was something special.
At the hospital when he’d looked at her that way, she’d assumed he was admiring her medical expertise. Now she had to wonder.
“Be careful, Officer Guthrie. I’m going to think you’re flirting with me.”
He laughed. “Finally she gets it.”
Oh. Her heart skipped with an excitement she hadn’t felt in years and years. Okay, so maybe he is interested. She opened the door, suddenly lighthearted. A quick glance at her reflection in the hall mirror brought her down to earth quickly. Oh, Lord, she looked worse than she’d thought. She dropped her keys in the wicker basket by the door and flung her purse on top.
She heard Casey lock the dead bolt behind her and felt a momentary doubt. What did she really know about this man?
She shook off the fear. He was a cop for heaven’s sake. How dangerous could he be?
CASEY LIKED JACKIE’S HOME. It was casual and comfortable, without much in the way of decorating froufrou. Her slip-covered couch looked inviting, the wooden table next to it seemed like something a person could put his feet up on without scratching or breaking anything. He strode to the window, but from this angle could only see the apartment building across the street.
As Jackie headed for the counter dividing living room from kitchen, she paused by the flashing red light on her phone. That light made him wonder. Jackie didn’t wear any rings, but maybe she took them off for work. Or maybe she had a boyfriend who hadn’t yet figured out what a treasure she was and staked his claim.
“This is probably a call from my older brother. Excuse me a minute while I let him know I’m okay.”
Pretending a casual interest in the volumes on her bookshelves, he unabashedly listened as she picked up the receiver and made the connection.
“Kell, it’s me, Jackie. Sorry I missed your call. My shift just ended and I wanted to let you and Nate know that I’m okay. My car, though…” She sighed. “I’m afraid it’s totaled. I’ll have to buy a new one.”
She kept the conversation brief, not mentioning the fact that she had a visitor. After she’d hung up, she went to the stove and turned on the oven. “I’m going to shower and change, really quick. Would you pop the pizza in when the oven’s ready? Help yourself to something to drink. I have orange juice and cola and I keep filtered water in the fridge.”
“Thanks.” He watched her disappear down the hall and soon heard the pounding of water from the shower in the bathroom.
He thought about her conversation with her brother. She’d been upset about her car. Casey wondered if it was too soon in their relationship to offer to help her shop for a new vehicle. He had some contacts at a few of the dealerships. As soon as he had the thought, he laughed at himself.
His usual reaction when he met a pretty new woman was to calculate how much fun he could have without getting in too deep. But he could tell already, Jackie was not going to be just another pretty new woman to him.
Considering he knew that, logic dictated he get out of here while the getting was good. The one problem with that very rational plan was that he didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to be anywhere except here, with her. Besides, he still hadn’t told her the latest development in locating Janey’s family.
He strolled to the kitchen, noticing little things like the vibrant lime-green of her tea towels and an opened envelope on the counter by her phone. The return address was from a Dr. Michael Temple, clinical psychiatrist. It looked like the sort of envelope that would contain an invoice for services rendered.
Ignoring the urge to check to see if his hunch was right, he pulled the boxed pizza from