“Liv, we have time,” he said with a shake of his head. He pulled an evidence bag from his pocket and dropped the box into it. “I’ll stick with you for the next couple of weeks, so that we don’t have to worry about your safety, and we’ll figure this out.”
“What do you mean, stick with me?”
“What does it sound like?” He shot her a mildly annoyed look. “You want to face off with a stalker alone?”
“No!” She pulled her auburn hair out of her face. “But I told my aunt about the letters, and she’s convinced it must be a joke. I have to admit, I was, too, but she invited me to a family thing tonight. If I show up with a police escort—”
“That might be for the best,” he interjected.
“What?” She frowned. “The gossip? The drama?”
“That they assume it’s just a practical joke,” he replied. “We need to catch whoever is fixated on you, not just chase them off for a few weeks. You won’t be able to breathe easy until this is resolved for good.”
“That’s true,” she agreed. “And my family all panicking about it won’t help matters.”
“Bingo.” He smiled ruefully. “So what if we let them minimize this for a while? Let them brush it off, and we can focus on figuring it all out.”
“And how exactly do I explain a bodyguard?” she retorted. “No offense, but even in plain clothes, you don’t blend in.”
He raised one eyebrow. This was why the chief had warned him earlier—his ability to stay close enough to gather evidence relied on a balancing act of his own. “So don’t explain me.”
“They’ll assume that you’re my boyfriend if you come tagging along to family events and whatnot. Unless you’re only planning on being here at the store...or will you keep at a distance? What’s the plan here?”
Liv met his gaze easily, her expression full of questions. She wasn’t about to be passive in any of this, not that he’d expected her to. She was smart, and she wanted to know what she was dealing with, too.
“How about this,” Jack said. “Let them assume I’m a boyfriend. I’ll be a perfect gentleman, so no need to worry about anything. That way, I can stay close enough to make sure you stay safe and to keep an eye on the people closest to you.”
“You think my family is involved?” she asked incredulously.
“Frankly, Liv, I don’t know what to think. But I’m not taking any chances.”
Liv sighed. “So you’ll be with me 24/7? You do realize that I other have family events. My cousin Rick is getting married later this month, for example. Are you seriously wanting to tag along for all of that?”
“If I were some nut looking to hurt you, I’d wait until you were alone,” he replied quietly. “My goal is make sure that person never gets the chance.”
She looked away from him, and her cheeks pinkened. “And at night?”
“You have a couch, don’t you?” he asked.
“I do.”
“I know this isn’t comfortable,” he said. He didn’t offer any follow-up on that statement, because he didn’t really want to give her a way out. His investigation would be most effective if he had a view into her personal life.
“No, it isn’t,” she admitted. “But neither is being stalked, or whatever this is. So I suppose we’d better make the best of it.”
That’s what he’d wanted to hear, and he shot her a smile. “I’ll be as unobtrusive as possible. Your safety is my priority.” And that wasn’t a lie. If she was linked to the kind of people they thought, her safety was definitely a cause for concern. The police department needed her either on the stand as a witness or standing trial—and they needed her in one piece.
“There’s that barbecue tonight,” she said. “At my aunt’s place.”
He eyed her, waiting. There was a beat of silence between them.
“If you’re coming along, do we make up our story now?” she went on. “Because they’ll be asking a lot of questions.”
Jack was actually going to enjoy this part. The chief had warned him against getting emotionally involved with her, but undercover operations involved some acting the part. This was only for appearances, and other than that, he’d keep his professional distance. “All right. So when did we meet?”
“In Denver,” she said. “Let’s keep this as close to the truth as possible. Less to remember.”
Yeah. She knew how to lie effectively, it seemed. “Okay, I worked with Evan and got to know you that way. When did I ask you out?”
“Who says I didn’t ask you out?” she countered.
“Because I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t waste a lot of time,” he replied with a teasing smile. “But it’s up to you.”
Liv rolled her eyes, but a smile tickled the corners of her lips. “Fine. You asked me out. When?”
Jack thought for a moment. Keeping things as close to the truth as possible was the best course... “As soon as your separation was finalized,” Jack said. “Because I’m a decent guy.”
Heck, he’d been planning on asking her out then, anyway. It was only this investigation into her ex-husband that had put a crimp in his plan.
“Then we’ve been dating for a year?” she asked.
“Let’s call it eleven months,” he said. “It sounds more credible if it’s not quite a round number. And if they ask why you didn’t tell them about me, just say that you weren’t sure about me yet, and you’re still skittish postdivorce.”
“Which I am, so that’s believable. I suppose we could play the rest by ear.” She paused for a moment. “One more thing. You didn’t attend Evan’s second wedding.”
“Was I invited?” he asked.
“Yes, but you turned it down because you believed in monogamy and Evan’s cheating offended you on a very deep level.” Her tone was tight—this mattered to her.
“Okay...” He paused. “Liv, I didn’t condone his cheating.”
“Got it.” She shot him a bland look. “But if you’re going to be my fake boyfriend, I get to rewrite what I don’t like.”
“Fair enough. Anything else you’d like to rewrite?” He spread his hands. “It’s now or never.”
“I’ll keep you posted.”
Jack shot her a grin. “Do I get to rewrite anything?”
“Like what?” She looked like she might be dreading his answer, and he wondered what she was expecting him to say.
“If I’m going to be your fake boyfriend, I want you to pretend that you’re crazy about me,” he said. “I rock your world. I curl your toes. I’m the best thing to ever happen to you.”
Liv’s face cracked into a smile, and for a moment he was stunned by the transformation. He’d always known she was beautiful, but he’d never been smiled at quite like that. He swallowed.
“Fine,” she agreed. “But at the end of this, you’d better tell my family how heroic I was and all that, because otherwise I’m not going to live this down.”
“Deal.” Heroic. Or she’d be proven guilty, and he’d have no explaining to do at all.