“Did you go to college here in Austin?”
Okay, no hedging. “Actually I, uh, no, I didn’t. I graduated from Harvard.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Really?”
“Yep.”
“Are you originally from the East Coast?”
“I have to admit I’m not a native Texan, but I got here as soon as I could.”
She laughed, which was what he wanted. “Have you traveled much during those twenty-seven years?”
“Some,” he replied.
“What made you come to Texas?”
“Because my great-grandmother lives here.”
“So what made you want to be a detective?”
“You know, there are times when I’ve wondered about that, myself. I guess I like the idea of being on the side of the good guys. I like challenges, solving puzzles, that sort of thing.” He glanced at his watch and said, “Which reminds me that I need to get back to work.”
They slipped out of the booth and he took her hand as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Uh-oh, Hogan, better slow down.
He paid for their lunch and they went outside. “I’ve got to admit, I’d rather run and play.”
She glanced up at him and stole his breath away. He’d never been so strongly attracted to anyone. What was going on with him, anyway?
They drove back to the station in silence. Once there, he walked her to her car. He opened the door and said, “I’d like to see you again, Sherri.”
Her green eyes sparkled. “I’d like that.”
“Okay, how about next Friday? We can grab a bite to eat, maybe catch a movie if you’d like.” And he would do his best not to seduce her. Unless, of course, she wanted him to.
“That sounds like fun.”
He leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss. Anyway, it was supposed to be chaste, but when she responded so beautifully he might have lingered a little longer than he had intended. He straightened and placed his hands behind his back. At least he hadn’t grabbed her.
She got into her car. “Friday, then.”
“Around seven.”
“See you.”
He watched her drive away and already felt the loss of her company. Oh, brother, he had it bad. He’d known her less than twenty-four hours and he didn’t want to let her out of his sight. Ever.
Eight
Sherri really didn’t need the car on her way home. She could have floated there.
Greg Hogan had kissed her! He was practically a stranger and he wasn’t one to talk about himself much, so she really didn’t know much about him. Common sense told her that she needed to get to know him better before feeling so swept away by him.
She’d never responded to anyone the way she had to Greg. Of course, it could be a result of her dream. She certainly felt she knew him much better than she actually did. She got hot just remembering the dream.
What should she do? She’d said yes to seeing him again, but was that wise? She thought about it for a while until she came to a conclusion: she had no idea. All she knew was that she didn’t intend to cancel their date.
He’d graduated from Harvard? He’d chosen police work for a career? Greg Hogan was definitely a complex man…and so very fascinating, as well.
Once home, she forced herself to think about the homework she needed to finish before Monday. She was scheduled to work at the pet store this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon. Her plans had been to study after dinner last night, but her study schedule had been abandoned while she dealt with the horror of what she’d seen.
Once she got home, she immediately focused on her schoolwork. All week she could enjoy the anticipation of knowing that she would see Greg next Friday.
She began to hum as she opened one of her books.
He tapped on her apartment door the next Friday at seven o’clock. Sherri hurried to let him inside. She’d had a crisis when it came to deciding what to wear. She didn’t want to dress too sexily in case he got the wrong idea about her. However, she did want to look attractive.
She was a little short on date clothes. She spent her time on campus hanging out with other students and had never worried about what she looked like.
Tonight she did.
She opened the door and her knees went weak. He grinned at her. She fought to regain some composure. “Please come inside.”
He wore a sports jacket over a pair of khakis. The jacket looked custom-made and he looked delectable. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and dramatically cry, “Take me, take me. I’m all yours!”
He stepped inside her apartment and looked around. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”
She looked at it more objectively and said, “Goodwill stuff, mostly.”
“Did you do the refinishing on this table?” He rubbed his thumb along the surface. She was rather proud of that one.
“I’ve refinished and reupholstered most of the furniture I own.”
He turned and looked at her. “You’re quite talented.”
She swallowed. “Thanks.” Seen through his eyes, the place must look like a typical college girl’s room, with the big colorful posters and some watercolors she’d painted once for a class. He was very much a sophisticated man about town, while she felt awkward and flustered.
He glanced at his watch and said, “Ready to go?”
Without a word she picked up her purse and turned to the door.
“How long have you lived here?” he asked, helping her into his car.
“Since I was a freshman. I preferred to get a smaller place that I could afford rather than have a roommate.”
Sherri finally began to relax with Greg during dinner. He entertained her with various stories, all amusing, about work and his coworkers, but she idly noted that he didn’t talk about himself at all.
They did compare their favorite movies and musicians and laughed about how diverse their tastes were. He liked thrillers and war movies while she preferred something light, like romantic comedies. However, the movie they decided to see was one she’d heard a lot about, and she was more than willing to see it with him.
“Just don’t be surprised if I suddenly hide my face in your shoulder.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll put my arm around you so you’ll know you’re safe.”
Her dream popped up in her head and she recalled that she had run to him in her dream and felt safe in his arms. She felt she could trust this man who was more stranger than friend. It seemed almost as though she’d known him from somewhere long ago—a past life or something—and they had found each other again.
Sherri didn’t dare say any of that to him; he’d think she was crazy. At the moment she couldn’t swear that she wasn’t a little insane to think they might have known each other before now.
They got popcorn and drinks and went inside the theatre. Sherri noticed that Greg caught every female’s eye from little girls to octogenarians. She could certainly relate.
The movie was excellent, a thriller with one of her favorite actors in it. Greg had placed his arm around her when the movie started.
Once the movie was over, they left the theatre hand in hand