Page 61 of Recklessly Yours

“Okay.” Dad sighed. “Just want this party to be perfect for her.”

My dad had been planning this for months, and given it was my mom’s sixtieth, he wanted to go all out.

A smile lifted my lips at the idea of bringing Hattie home to meet my parents. “Mind if I bring someone with me?”

Was it too soon for this step? Maybe…

I glanced up at the opening to the kitchen in hopes of seeing her. She was usually down by eight thirty, yet the clock was inching toward eight forty.

“Oh,” my dad started, his tone suddenly low. “Did you and Becca get back together?”

“No.” My gut twisted at the thought. Why on earth would he think that? “Not Becca. I’m dating someone new.”

“That’s great.” He perked up, his voice jovial again. “Definitely bring her.”

We chatted about Hattie and plans for the party for a few minutes, but when a knock sounded at my front door, I said my goodbyes and hustled for the entryway.

After checking my doorbell camera, I opened the door to the dark-haired man cautiously.

Quickly, he introduced himself as Seabass. Everything about the guy screamed special ops, even his name. Had to be a nickname.

When, in his next breath, he explained that Kyle had called and told him I could use his help, I glared.

“Kyle did what?” I must have misheard the guy.

He cocked his head. “I’m gathering he didn’t mention I was coming?”

No, Hattie’s overbearing pain-in-the-ass brother did not mention he was sending a fucking frogman to assist me with my case.

Jesus. Red crowded my vision. I’d never noticed until this debacle began just how nosy and over-stepping Hattie’s family could be.

“He did not.”

On Sunday, Kyle had made it clear he was frustrated. So was I, but I assumed he had faith in me, in the entire damn police department. Clearly, I was wrong. Yesterday, Aiden and I had spent fifteen hours combing through footage from outside cameras around and near The Dock and examining the names of buyers we received from the place that had sold the blue lady orchids. So far, we were only looking at buyers who’d provided addresses located in North Carolina, but none lived here in Half Moon Lake.

I didn’t need more help. I needed this douchebag to make a mistake. I needed him to show himself. But Seabass worked for the private security firm Kyle had considered working for before ultimately choosing to remain in Half Moon Lake with Tina and the kids. That meant the guy had come all the way from New York.

Not to mention it wasn’t Seabass’s fault Kyle hadn’t bothered to mention to me that he’d asked his friend to come assist.

I waved him in and led him into the kitchen. I spent the next fifteen minutes updating him on where we were on the case.

Hattie stepped into the kitchen as the coffeepot was brewing.

“Coffee’s almost ready, and this is Seabass. Your brother sent him to help us out.”

“Oh, that works out perfectly.” The smile she directed at me came off forced. She was probably even more annoyed than I was about Kyle over-stepping. “Now you don’t have to ask Ethan to stay here with me today. Seabass can.”

Damn. I’d forgotten that she was off today since she’d closed for Rhett on Wednesday night. The smile she wore when she greeted Seabass was anything but forced. Almost flirty.

What the fuck? I planned to come home to give her a case update after her text last night, so it was strange to find she was already asleep. On top of that, she was back in the guest roomrather than in my bed. I was tempted to climb in beside her, but I didn’t want to wake her. All this shit was stressful. She probably needed the rest. So after a kiss on the forehead, I went back to my bed.

Now she was flirting with this asshole? Was she pissed that I’d worked late last night? Becca had always taken issue with the unpredictable hours, so I shouldn’t be surprised. Although I had hoped that Hattie would be different, and until this moment, she’d seemed to be.

But not only had I seen it in my own relationships, but in relationships throughout the station. I wanted this to work, though, so first, I had to get rid of Seabass. Then we could talk.

“I’m planning to work from home today,” I blurted out.

Hattie narrowed her eyes at me. What the hell? Was she seriously upset about it? Seabass cocked a brow, clearly reading into the expression the same way. But I didn’t care, and I sure as hell wasn’t leaving her here with him all day.

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