Page 66 of Heating Up (Nugget)
They got in Aidan’s Expedition while Dana ticked off a few restaurants they could go to. By the time they crossed the Nevada state line they’d decided on a Thai restaurant Dana knew.
“You like Thai but not Indian?” she asked, watching him steer with one hand, his long fingers draped over the wheel.
“For some reason Indian food gives me heartburn. Not spicy Asian or even Mexican. Go figure. How about you? What kind of food don’t you like?”
“I don’t like gamy food like lamb or venison. And I don’t like melon.”
“Not even watermelon?”
“Nope. Can’t stand it.”
“Wow, that’s a new one. My little brother doesn’t like cantaloupe, but everyone in my family likes watermelon. I don’t really love tomatoes.”
“I can see that. It’s probably a texture thing.”
He slid her a smile. “Could be. You make any more sales today?”
“No, I just worked on the Rosser deal.”
“You gonna retire when that goes through?”
“My commission won’t be enough for me to retire, but I’ll be able to upgrade a few things in my new house, maybe get some really nice furniture and a pool.”
“You better invite me over to swim.” He put his hand on her leg and she sat perfectly still, afraid he’d move it.
“Of course I will.” At this rate, she’d invite him to move in with her.
She’d never known a man who made her feel as comfortable as Aidan. Despite how hot he was, how ripped, how charming, he was easy. He didn’t judge her for being antisocial or shy or awkward. He was interested in her work, in her life . . . hell, he was interested in whether she liked watermelon. Even though she knew she wasn’t, he had a way of making her feel like she was important to him.
“Besides Donna’s inspection, what else did you do today?”
“Tried to gather intel on the fire. I’d hoped by now that someone would’ve come forward with information.”
“Like who did it?”
“That would be optimal, but at this point even small clues would be helpful. Like someone finding a matchbook with a fingerprint or distinctive logo.”
“Tell me how you know for sure that someone intentionally set the fire.”
“No can do, sweetheart.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. If details get out, the firebug will have an advantage by knowing what we know.”
“I never thought of it that way,” Dana said. “You have such an interesting job. I bet you never get bored.”
“I don’t. I love it. You like your job, don’t you?”
“I do, but it’s not exciting like yours. It’s not like people are cornering me at cocktail parties, wanting to talk about real estate.”
“They were at the Fourth of July party.What’s the ugliest house you ever sold? What was the most expensive?It’s all anyone wanted to talk about.”
Dana hadn’t thought about it, but Aidan was right. “Perhaps people were just trying to be nice.”
“Or maybe they were legitimately interested in what you do.”
She shrugged, finding it hard to believe. “Let’s put it this way: They don’t make TV shows about real estate agents. But they do about firefighters.”
