Page 60 of In Spades

“Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?” Kristin gritted out. She was on the verge of tears—not happy tears, if I had to guess.

Erica put her hand on Kristin’s arm. “You need to take some time for yourself.”

“Chase is off tonight, so he has the boys. And since I don’t have a wedding tomorrow, I’m taking Zoey and Ky.”

“And you—” Maddie chimed in “—are going to have a great time.”

“And you look hot,” Bridget said as she wiggled her finger in Kristin’s direction. “We can’t let all this go to waste.”

I looked down at Kristin. “What do you say? Wanna go on a date?”

Kristin’s eyes were glassy. She blinked and dabbed at the corners with her fingertips. She turned to the girls and whispered, “Thank you.”

They gave her hugs and poked fun, telling her not to come back until tomorrow. That was the plan since Hannah Jane reassured me that she checked the schedule at the inn and Kristin wasn’t supposed to work tomorrow.

Before she left the doorway, Kristin looked at Hannah and whispered, “Do the kids know?”

Hannah shook her head.

I took the overnight bag out of Kristin’s hand and laced our fingers together as we walked down the stairs. She was quiet the entire walk across the parking lot and silent as we loaded into the truck.

As soon as I was behind the wheel, pulling out onto Highway 70, she spoke up.

“I know you have questions.”

“I do,” I said. There was no use in denying it. I gripped the steering wheel with one hand and rested the other on her thigh. “But I’m not going to ask. You can tell me however much or little you want.”

That seemed to brighten her spirit. She leaned her head on my arm and looked out at the road as we cruised through Havelock. “So, where are you taking me, Mr. Solomon?”

I gave her thigh a squeeze. “Figured we’d keep it simple. Does me cooking you dinner sound completely repulsive?”

Kristin laughed. “You can cook?”

I shrugged. “I’m decent. You can learn a lot from Food Network, and I live alone. So, unless I wanted to live on DoorDash and drive-through dinners for the rest of my life, I figured it would probably be in my best interest to learn.”

I felt her muscles tighten, and Kristin chewed on her lip. “So, does that mean you’re taking me to your house?”

“Is that okay with you?”

Kristin nodded and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Sorry, I don’t mean to sound like I’m not excited. I’m just a little?—”

“Caught off guard?”

“Yeah.”

I chuckled. “I figured. If it helps, a little birdie told me that Steve and Chase made sure I didn’t have a criminal record. Maddie and Hannah Jane even filled me in on what you like to eat.”

She burst out laughing. “Did they seriously run a background check on you?”

I nodded. “I was disappointed they didn’t fingerprint me, but I guess it would’ve been a waste of time. I’m already in IAFIS.”

She raised her eyebrows. “IAFIS?”

“The FBI’s fingerprint database,” I supplied. “Remember when I said I used to work for a company that contracted for the Department of Defense?”

Kristin nodded.

I shrugged. “Let’s just say I’ve had more background checks than the average bear.”

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