Page 31 of Control

“Alana, I’m serious. I?—”

“Ty, don’t. Just enjoy the sandwich and don’t fight me on any future meals. If you do, I’m going to start paying for your gas, too.”

Now it was my turn to send her a questioning look. “I’m tempted to argue simply because I’d love to see how you plan to accomplish that.”

She smiled and lifted her shoulders toward her ears. “I mean, I get that you’re probably the most physically fit person I’ve met in my whole life, and I’d probably have my work cut out for me if I tried to tackle you, especially with this boot on. But give me a few weeks to fully recover, and I think I could give you a run for your money.”

I burst out laughing. For the first time in weeks, laughter spilled out of me in uncontrollable waves. And even though I’d recognized how much I enjoyed spending this time with Alana, it wasn’t until this very moment that I realized how much I needed it.

When I finally settled myself down, I looked over and found her beaming at me, her eyes dancing. Something swelled in my chest at the sight of her.

“Eat your breakfast, Ty,” she urged me eventually, her voice soft.

I happily obliged. And for the next few minutes, Alana and I sat in comfortable silence, eating breakfast and exchanging heated glances. I enjoyed every second of it, unable to deny just how much of a bright spot Alana had been in my life recently.

After we finished eating, we made our way inside with hopes that we’d finally get something to work with.

Following our visit to the library, we made two more stops.

“We should go grab some lunch,” Alana suggested, hours after we’d had breakfast together outside the library.

“Is this a lunch that you think you’re going to pay for?” I questioned her.

“I thought I already made that clear.”

My eyes narrowed as I assessed her. “I know, but I didn’t agree to it.”

“I didn’t agree to you not charging me.”

The corners of my mouth tipped up. “And yet, I’m here with you, acting as your bodyguard. Strange how that works.”

She growled at me. Actually growled. And it was all I could do not to burst into another fit of laughter.

“Alright, alright. I’ll let you do this just for today.”

“We’ll discuss that later,” she advised. “For now, since I picked the location for breakfast, I’ll let you choose where we have lunch.”

I let out a laugh and drove away.

By the time we were seated at a table at the local burger joint, I could admit to myself that I felt as though I was getting in a bit over my head. I was supposed to be working. And although I’d always enjoyed my work, this time was different. I went home each night eager for the next day. Now that we’d spent another morning and early afternoon together, I was excited about us having some time together. I wondered if I’d be able to learn a bit more about her, or if she’d keep her focus solely on the information she’d gathered over the last couple of days.

Once we’d placed our orders, Alana said, “Well, if there’s one thing that I can say I hadn’t anticipated in all of this, it’s everyone’s willingness to sit down and speak with us. I was sure we’d get some push back or hesitancy.”

“Maybe that’s because the people you’ve been talking to don’t have anything to hide. Generally, especially given your non-threatening approach, individuals don’t have a problem talking when they aren’t trying to conceal something.

“True. And if that’s the case with going to all these different organizations, perhaps we’re just wasting time,” she reasoned.

“It sounds to me like you have a new plan in mind.”

Alana nodded. “I do. I just hope it’s not a mistake.”

Curious, I said, “Well, maybe I can help you figure that out. What’s your plan?”

She leaned forward, lowered her voice, and returned, “I think it’s time to start trying to reach out to people who were closer to her.”

“Her family?”

“And her friends. There has to be someone who knows something. I mean, it’s really been an eye-opening experience to see just how beloved this woman was by so many people in this community, but someone murdered her. I don’t think it was random, not someone of her stature.”

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