Page 18 of Missing

“A hundred.”

“A hundred it is. Ante up.” AJ said as he pulled out his wallet.

The game lasted late into the night with only the occasional pauses to refresh our beers, hit the head, or eat the brownies Meg had left for us. I appreciated the tasty baked goods she always left for us on game nights.

Jamie and I won, but it wasn’t easy. “Thanks, boys.” I said to AJ and Jack, as Jamie split up our winnings.

“Double or nothing next time.” AJ said knowing we never went over a hundred. We were competitive, not high rollers.

“Maybe we’re paying him too much,” Jamie said to Jack in response to AJ’s suggestion.

“No, sir. But I’m a single man who just got a pay raise, so I can afford it.” AJ flashed a grin before draining his beer.

AJ had recently earned his degree and finished the other requirements needed to become a licensed private investigator in Texas. Going from a bodyguard to PI came with a nice pay raise, and a lot more responsibility.

Meg came home as we were leaving and didn’t waste any time telling me to behave myself on my date with Beth before hugging me goodbye. Jack and Jamie echoed her sentiment, shaking my hand and clapping me on the back.

Chapter 11

Beth

Iran home after my shift on Saturday to get ready for my lunch date. I showered, and shaved, faster than normal. Not that I expected anything to happen, but having smooth legs was a luxury I rarely bothered with. I even put on matching bra and panties. He wouldn’t see them, but they weren’t for him, they were for me. It was empowering to wear something lacy and silky instead of my normal cotton mom-undies.

I pulled my wavy brown hair off my face in a cute hair clip and brushed on some neutral brown eyeshadow before applying mascara. I had long thick lashes,thanks mom, and liked tohighlight them, knowing it made my caramel eyes stand out. The warm Texas sun had given my cheeks a natural sun-kissed color, so I skipped the foundation and finished with a red tinted lip gloss.

The yellow amber pendant and matching earrings I wore were a gift from Phil and matched my outfit.

Before turning off the light, I checked the mirror to make sure everything was as good as it would get, then went to the kitchen to wait.

A glance at the clock on the microwave let me know I only had twelve to fifteen minutes to wait, depending on how early Doug was. I knew he’d be at least a few minutes early; it was a man-in-uniform thing—they were often early, and never late. I couldn’t sit still so I picked up my book. After reading the same sentence three times, I put it down.

I shouldn’t be nervous.But I was.

Sure enough, the doorbell rang at three minutes before one. I filled my lungs and slowly let the air out.Why am I so nervous?I hadn’t been nervous about any of my other dates.Because I hadn’t cared that much.But I’dbeen crushing on Doug for the last year, and I cared about this date. The thin curtain covering the window in the door wasn’t enough to prevent me from identifying Doug, so I opened the door without asking who it was.

The first thing I noticed was his smile. The second was the bouquet of gorgeous bright yellow and orange sunflowers in his hand.

“Hi.” His eyes looked me up and down as his smile widened. “You look beautiful.”

I wasn’t prone to blushing, but I wasn’t used to being called beautiful either, so of course I blushed. “Thank you.” I held the door open and stepped back. “Come in.”

“Thanks.” After he crossed the threshold and I closed the door, he handed me the flowers.

“They’re lovely, thank you. Do I have time to put them in water?” I asked as I held them to my face, letting their scent fill my nose.How’d he know they’re my favorite?

“Of course.”

I motioned for him to follow me into the kitchen, grateful I’d cleaned up Chase’s mess before leaving this morning. My house wasn’t dirty, but with an energetic five-year-old it frequently looked like a hurricane had blown through.

Doug waited patiently as I quickly found a vase, filled it with water, and arranged the flowers. After rearranging them a little, I took one last sniff before turning to Doug. “Ready.”

Damn he looks good. Now that the flowers were taken care of, I had time to take a nice long look. His black slacks hugged his muscular thighs, thighs I’d dreamed about on more than one occasion, and a pale green button-down shirt that complemented his red hair and fair skin. It fit snug, showing off his strong upper body, and the top button was undone.Someone taught this man how to dress. My brown slacks, and pink knit sleeveless shirt with matching cardigan felt like the perfect matching level of casual, erasing my concern about being over or underdressed.

I grabbed my small purse, happy I didn’t have to lug the gigantic bag I always carried when Chase was with me, and keys off the table. Doug opened my door and held it for me, then closed it behind me. He waited as I locked the deadbolt before tossing my keys in my bag.

“Here you go.” Doug opened the passenger door to his truck and helped me climb in. I wasn’t at all surprised his personal vehicle was a large, black, dual cab truck.It fits him, size and personality.

“Thanks.” I looked around the interior as I waited for him to walk around and get in. It was clean and organized, no fast-food wrappers, empty water bottles, or unopened mail to be seen. He’d probably think I was a slob if he saw my car, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep up with Chase’s mess.

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