Page 105 of Lethal Danger

“I can relate.” Jazz gave Freddie a smile.

“Dad?”

She nodded. “Yep.”

“Mine, too.”

“Where do you call home these days?” Hawthorne tried to interject the question as casually as possible.

Freddie straightened. Did that make him uncomfortable? “Not sure yet. I’ve enjoyed traveling with this job, managing Jim’s business.”

“I get it. I’m a fan of the nomad life myself.”

Someone said something behind Freddie, and he turned around. Then he swung back, two paper baskets cradling hot dogs in his hands. “Here you go.” He handed them over with a joyful smile that didn’t look wary or any different than his normal friendly demeanor. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks.” Jazz smiled as Hawthorne handed over her hot dog, and they started for the tables shaded under the canopy.

Flash panted heavily by her other side. Poor dog looked like he could use a good, long drink. The heat and humidity were a nasty combo again today.

“Here I thought you had suggested we meet for dinner just to see me.” Jazz slid her basket onto the table and swung the backpack off her shoulders, glancing at Hawthorne just long enough for him to catch the teasing twinkle in her eyes.

He grinned as he sat down and took off his sunglasses. “Men can multitask, too, you know.”

She straightened from pouring water into a foldable bowl for Flash. “Really? I didn’t know that.” Her laugh seemed to ripple through the air and into his chest, awakening feelings he had no business entertaining.

She lowered to the bench across from him, her mouth straightening into a more serious line. “If there’s anything to find about Freddie,” she glanced toward the food stand as she lowered her voice, “Cora will uncover it.”

“Good. Because I couldn’t find anything online. No criminal record that I could see. No current residence or phone number.”

“Maybe he travels a lot.” Jazz lifted her hot dog to her mouth and paused. “Like you.” She bit off a large, messy chunk of the ketchup-laden hot dog. Some ketchup smeared onto her cheek.

Hawthorne couldn’t help but smile at the cute sight.

“What?” She mumbled the word around the hot dog she chewed.

“You just have a bit of…” He pointed toward the spot.

“Oh.” She lowered her hot dog and picked up a napkin, pressing it to her mouth on the wrong side.

“No.” He leaned over the table, reaching closer to her face. “There.” His heart thumped in his chest, willing him to touch her skin. Caress the cheek that looked so soft and smooth. He jerked back. “About an inch to the left of your mouth.”

If this were a novel, he’d have his hero give in to the temptation. Have a romantic moment with his love interest. But this was real life. And Hawthorne wasn’t in a romance. He didn’t want to be. And that’s not where God wanted him to be either. He was meant to be single. To use his freedom to seek closeness with God and do the work He’d called Hawthorne to do. Getting tied down would only interfere with that. Probably lead him astray from God.

“Do you ever get tired of it?”

“Of what?” He’d gotten so lost in his self-directed lecture that he had to scramble to remember what Jazz was referring to.

“Traveling. Never settling down anywhere.” She’d wiped the ketchup off her face just fine. So much for all those trope scenes in books and movies where no woman could clean off her own face.

“Not at all. I love seeing the world and being able to find settings for my books in person. No better way to do research.”

“I can see that. The settings in your books are so rich. Like another character.”

He smiled. “Thank you.” He took a bite of his hot dog, stretching his mouth around the mound of toppings.

Jazz munched more of her dinner, too, so Hawthorne glanced at Freddie’s food stand. Hopefully, the vendor would leave soon. Hawthorne had gotten off patrol at eight p.m., and it was eight fifteen now. Last night, Freddie had stayed until close, but that didn’t seem to be his typical pattern. He’d come in later yesterday and had told Hawthorne he would have to stay until close because his usual closer was sick. Today, he was probably back to his normal hours.

“Have you ever thought about settling down one day? Maybe having a family?”

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