Page 50 of Only You and Me

I left a message for him with his secretary two days ago, who assured me she would have him call me back even though he was away from the office working at a job site in River’s Run. When he didn’t call me back yesterday, I pulled building permits for River’s Run and today my partner, Rachel, and I showed up at his job site right around lunchtime.

I expected him to be polite and offer to reach out to Guy’s father for help, given he told Trina he had that connection and to let him know if Guy caused her any problems. What I did not expect was to find Guy sitting and eating his lunch with Alero himself and the rest of the crew.

What the hell?

Thirty annoying minutes later, we’ve succeeded in nothing beyond Guy refusing to talk to us without a lawyer present and Alero defending the kid repeatedly. He got really pissed off when I asked him if the whole firing Guy when they were working in Elladine was a ploy to make Trina think he was a decent guy.

Rachel and I say very little on the way home. I’m aware I screwed the pooch when I let my personal feelings for Trina affect what I said to Alero. To Rachel’s credit, she doesn’t call me out on it. But when we pull into the station parking lot, she turns to me and says, “For what it’s worth, I don’t think the kid’s our guy.”

I close my eyes and rest my head back on the headrest. “Unfortunately, I don’t either. Based on our prior interaction with him, I don’t think he’s sophisticated enough—or frankly smart enough—to be the perp.”

After Rachel and I climb out of the Police Department vehicle, we say goodbye and make plans to regroup tomorrow. As I make my way to my SUV, I glance down at my phone to text Trina and check on her. I’m surprised to find a missed text from her.

Trina: Hey, any chance you want to stay over tonight? I was thinking of getting a pizza from Enzo’s.

Me: Definitely. But how about I pick you up in a half hour and we can actually go to Enzo’s?

Trina: Okay. See you soon.

I’m thrilled to death she letting me stay again tonight after her obvious freakout yesterday. But I’m just as worried about whether something happened making her want me to stay.

CHAPTER16

BEN

After I pick up Trina, I wait until we’re far enough from her house that she won’t want to walk home before I tell her I went to see Joe Alero today. I figured she’d be upset I went in person rather than waiting for him to call me back. So, I quickly vomit out all the details of the visit before she can get a word in.

And I was right about one thing. She’s fuming.

“What an absolute asshole!”

“I’m sorry. I probably should have?—”

Then she… laughs. Bellows, actually. “I’m not talking about you, Ben. I’m talking about Joe. Why the hell bother to fire the kid in the first place if you’re gonna hire him back when you move on to the next town?”

“My thoughts exactly,” I agree. We’ve pulled into Enzo’s parking lot, and I maneuver my vehicle over to a free spot. There are hardly any cars here, which means it should be a nice, quiet dinner.

The SUV is off now, and she unbuckles and is out of the car before I can get around to her side to open the door for her. I beat her to the restaurant door at least, so I hold that open for her.

The aroma of roasted garlic and Italian spices fills the air inside the restaurant, and I breathe it in as deep as I can to savor it. Enzo’s smells delicious, and it makes my stomach growl, but it also brings back memories of coming here with my family as a kid on Thursdays when my dad was off.

It was also the first place I brought Trina on an official date all those years ago. I love this place.

When we tell the hostess we need a table for two, she grabs a few menus and directs us to follow her. Trina goes first and, on instinct, I put my hand on the small of her back when we walk.

When she shivers under my touch, I pull my hand away and mumble, “Sorry about that.”

We arrive at our table, and she smiles, sweetly almost, and answers, “It’s okay.”

After we’re seated, we both take a moment to skim over the menu. “Do you still like mushrooms and onions on your pizza?” I ask, without looking up from the plastic menu.

I’m met with her silence, which draws my attention to her, and I look up to find her lips slightly parted and her gorgeous sapphire eyes homed in on me.

“You remember what I like on my pizza after all this time?”

My cheeks heat and I shrug my right shoulder. “Sure. I remember lots of things about you. I used to pay close attention to what you enjoyed.”

“Like what?” she whispers. Her expression does something to me.

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