Page 59 of Criminology of a Character

“Can’t wait.”

Griffin smirked, but before he could speak, his cell rang. “Hold on.” He pulled the phone out of his pocket, but Bel rubbed his arm and mouthed‘It’s okay’. The Sheriff nodded, and she left him to his call as she dialed one of her own.

“Detective,” Eamon answered on the first ring.

“Griffin’s back, so he’s giving me the long weekend off,” she said. “Care to spend it with me?”

“I would love to,” Eamon groaned, and Bel knew her hopes of a romantic weekend were dead. “I was going to tell you later, but one of my companies is teetering on the brink of ruin. I’ve been trying to do damage control from home, but it’s not working. I can meet you for dinner, but thenI’m catchingthe red eye. I’m so sorry, Isobel. You’ve been so busy that I wasn’t expecting you to be off. Any other business trip I’d postpone, but if I don’t go now, we’re looking at disaster.”

“Of course, you need to go,” she said. “You never stand in the way of my job. I wouldn’t dream of standing in yours. Besides, someone has to work to afford those expensive steaks Cerberus likes, and it certainly won’t be me, since I didn’t cause the addiction.”

“I don’t know who you think you’re fooling,” Eamon chuckled. “You baby him worse than me.”

“Okay, fine, I do baby him, but not with steaks that pricy. I can’t afford that, so go make that money.”

“As you command, Isobel. But I can have dinner with you, so if you want anything specific, text me. Perfect timing though, since I can’t babysit this weekend. Cerberus will be happy to hang out with Mom.”

“Poor boy. I miss him. I’ll see you at home.”

“I love it when you call my house home.”

Bel rolled her eyes. “Bye, Eamon.”

“Bye, Detective.”

“Oh my god,stop, my stomach hurts.” Violet collapsed forward as she laughed, her extended arm desperately trying not to spill her hazelnut coffee as she convulsed.

Instead of opting for a fancy dinner after work, Bel and Eamon had gotten takeout before his red eyeso they could maximize their time together. They’d eaten picnic-style before the grand fireplace Bel suspected he installed just because she’d gushed about a similar design on a TV show. They’d ordered Cerberus hisownmini meal, and the trio ate on the floor, filling the almost finished living room with laughter as Cerberus shredded a new stuffed toy. In her absence, Eamon had practically bought the entire pet store for her dog. She slept at his place after he left, but sleeping in Eamon’s bed without him didn’t have the same effect. Even Cerberus seemed restless, but he perked up when she dropped him off at her cabin. Neither of them had been home in days, and it felt good to be back, even if she’drather enjoy a lazy weekend before Eamon’s fireplace.

She’d then called an emergency session with her therapist, and it took only three minutes for her to realize how badly she needed to talk through the case. The shooting, The Matchstick Girls, and finding the drugged Sarah Bristol locked in an attic had profoundly disturbed her, but an hour and an entire box of tissues helped her take those dreaded first steps toward healing.

Needing something light after such an intense session, she met Violet at The Expresso Shot for lunch. When they sat down with their coffees and paninis, they agreed not to utter a single word about work, which was why her friend wascurrentlydoubled over, her entire body laughing at the innocent gossip.

“Right?” Bel giggled. “That was my reaction.”

“Oh my gosh, I needed this,” Violet said. “Relaunching Lumen’s Customs with Ewan’s pieces has been so stressful that I forgot how to laugh.”

“This was fun,” Bel said. “Thank you.”

“It was. Stop getting sucked into these insane cases that make it so you don’t exist.We haven’t had a girl’s night in forever,andweneed one.I know you and Olivia are busy with your ridiculously hunky boyfriends, but I miss you guys.”

“We miss you too, but from what I’ve seen, you might get yourownhunky boyfriend soon,” Bel teased.

“Oh my god, shut up before you start a rumor.” Violet shoved her knee playfully. “Deputy Rollo is cute, but we’re just friends.”

“Sure.” Bel winked.

“We are!” Violet turned bright red, confirming they were not‘just friends.’“Speaking of rumors, how come no one talks about you and Eamon? Or him in general? The sexiest, richest man in town is dating our favorite detective, and the gossip is silent.It’s likethey don’t even know he lives at the Reale Estate.”

“Eamon is… private,” Bel settled on. “When we first got together, Wendy Darling and her brotherswere livingwith him, so we hung around them for moral support. Then there was our vacation, Thanksgiving, and now this case. We’ve been too busy to go on public dates.”

“That makes sense,” Violet said. “I’m glad things are going well between you two. You light up when you talk about him.”

“He’s good for me…” she paused, Eamon’s striking features filling her memory. “He’s someone I never thought I would find.”

“You are in trouble,” Violet laughed as she dugthroughher purse and pulled out a pack of gum. “I know you have sisters, but if I’m not a bridesmaid,we’re going tohave a problem.”

“Woah, who said anything about getting married?” Bel said, distracted bythe wayViolet rolled the empty gum wrapper between her fingers. “We just started dating. There are no wedding bells in our future.”

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