Page 50 of Hot Zone

I kissed him on the cheek, reminded him not to forget his lunch, and sent him off to work.

I had to admit, having someone at home made it harder to leave every morning—especially for the morning meetings since, technically, I didn’t have to be there, which was a good thing because I made it just as they were wrapping up. I stood off to the side while Robert finished the meeting, and the guys dispersed to their chores. Then I grabbed Robert and Keith.

“When y’all are finished with this,” I said, gesturing toward the bay where they were restocking the truck, “come to my office. I’ve got something I want to ask y’all. It’s personal, not work-related, so no rush.”

“Well, what we’ve got can wait,” Robert said. “You can’t say something like that and then leave us hanging.”

I glanced around to make sure the other guys were occupied.

“I want to take Mars on a date,” I said. “And I have no idea where to take him.”

Keith tilted his head, studying me. “How long has it been since you went on an actual date?”

“And hooking up at the club in San Antonio doesn’t count,” Robert added.

“Long enough that I don’t remember,” I admitted. “That’s why I’m asking for help.”

“You could always go classic with dinner and a movie,” Keith suggested.

“Or do something unusual, like axe throwing,” Robert added.

“What does he like to do in his spare time?” Keith asked.

I thought about that for a second. “I don’t know. How can I not know? He’s been staying in my house for weeks, and I have no idea what he does in his free time. How did I miss that?”

“Maybe you didn’t miss anything,” Robert said. “He’s a business owner. That doesn’t always leave a lot of spare time.”

“True enough,” I said. “He’s always at the shop, running workshops, classes, drumming circles, and other things. Maybehe doesn’t have much free time. That might be something we need to talk about.”

“Well, you could take him to see the play the community center is putting on,” Keith suggested.

“I assumed they canceled the production since the Majestic burned.”

“Jana Williams convinced the high school to let them use their theater,” Keith explained. “She said everyone worked way too hard to let the fire stop the production. She said the show must go on.”

“That might work. I’ll think about it.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend the evening at a play where we couldn’t talk, but it would work if I didn’t think of anything else.

“Mini golf is always fun, too,” Robert said. “I took Del, and she loves it.”

“That’s also an option, thanks. Now, when you’re done out here, swing by my office for work reasons. I want Fox to brief everyone on the progress he’s making with the investigation.”

Mars

I took some time after Samuel left to do my morning routine. Living here with him had rearranged things, but for the better, not the worse. Luckily, I liked the way our schedules meshed. I could get up, wander into the kitchen, have a cup of coffee, and spend a little time with Samuel before he left for work. Then, I had about an hour and a half before it was time to open the shop, which gave me plenty of time to do my morning meditation, pull my cards for the day, and get ready.

My mother had always been a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, go-with-the-flow kind of person. What I was learning here with Samuel was that I actually liked routine. It was nice to wake up in the morning and know what was going to happen next.

I pulled on the hoodie he’d left for me and looked in the mirror. I had no idea if he had a bunch of hoodies in his closet to choose from and picked this one on purpose, or if it was just the only one available. Either way, I couldn’t help but grin at the wordsProperty of VFDprinted on the front.

I got Kismet in her carrier, and we headed up to the shop.

Ziva was already there, which didn’t surprise me. She was obsessed with the idea of decorating the shop for the holidays—not just Christmas, but all the holidays. Before I left yesterday, we’d discussed getting a head start on the Christmas decorating, and she’d already pulled most of the boxes out of the storage closet.

I looked around at the mess and grinned. “Well, somebody sure is in a festive mood this morning, aren’t they?”

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” she replied.

“Didn’t you just say that a few weeks ago about Halloween?” I asked.

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