Page 37 of Isolated
But it was different now.
Now, I had something else. I had hope.
And my thoughts had shifted from being filled with yearning for something I’d never have to excitement about the reality of finally getting a chance. After so many months of never believing that something so wonderful could be a possibility, I didn’t want to stop myself from experiencing every part of this.
Even if it meant being a little less productive at work.
So, I would suck it up. At least for a little while. At least until I could learn to live with the constant visions and thoughts of Iris and her gorgeous face flashing in my mind.
Maybe it’d get easier over time.
Maybe, if things went in the right direction between us, the excitement would dull just a touch, and I’d have some measure of my former ability to concentrate back.
It was as I was having that thought, Blaze came to a grinding halt just outside my office. “Hey, Landen. You got a minute?”
I offered a quick nod. “Sure. What’s up?”
He stepped forward, moving to one of the chairs on the opposite side of my desk. As he sat down, he slid a case folder across it. “I was hoping to get your thoughts on this, on where you’d suggest going next. I’m a bit conflicted.”
A distraction.
With one of my coworkers depending on me, with theman sitting just a few feet away, I’d have no choice but to center my attention on what was in front of me and accomplish something. It wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t for one of the cases I was working on. At least I could say I did something.
I placed my palm flat on the folder and slid it the remaining distance across the desk. “Yeah, I can look at it for you.”
“Thanks. I’ve done a couple days of surveillance already, but I’m not making the progress I was hoping for at this point. I have a hunch on how to speed up that process, but I thought I’d make sure there’s nothing I’m overlooking.”
Blaze’s request wasn’t uncommon. As two of the five members of the private investigation team at Harper Security Ops, Blaze and I often requested the input from other team members. They did the same with us. Sure, there were plenty of cases we’d all solved entirely on our own. But sometimes, especially when it seemed that no progress was being made, it was necessary to ask for help. Getting a fresh set of eyes on a case was the only thing that allowed for different perspective.
So, I dropped my gaze to the folder and reviewed what was inside. As I thumbed through everything, Blaze offered some explanations and clarification. I asked a couple of questions about some of his findings.
After getting through most of the file, I asked, “You haven’t made an approach yet, have you?”
Blaze didn’t get a chance to respond before Jax walked in. “Everything okay?”
Jax was a fellow private investigator.
“Just looking for another opinion on a case I’mworking on,” Blaze answered, twisting in his seat to look back at our friend. “What’s that?”
Jax lifted the container he’d been holding. “Sophie. She’s not happy unless she’s sending me to work with more food and desserts than I can manage on my own. I’m not sure what makes her think I can handle dozens of cookies in a single day. Even if I could, I’m not sure that I should, so I was going to put them in the break room. Care for any?”
He opened the container and revealed an assortment of Italian cookies inside. Blaze didn’t hesitate to reach for a couple of them. Though they looked and smelled delicious, I did my best to avoid consuming too many treats, so I lifted my hands and shook my head. “No, thanks. They look and smell great, but I shouldn’t.”
“Shouldn’t what?” At the sound of the newcomer, we all shifted our attention to the door. “Oooh, did Sophie make Italian cookies?”
“Yep.” Jax held the container out to her. “Want some?”
Avalon, our front desk receptionist, stepped forward and snagged a couple. “I really shouldn’t, but since Sophie doesn’t make anything that tastes bad, I’m not going to turn them down. So, did you ask her to make these, Jax?”
He shook his head. “When have I ever needed to ask her to make anything like this?”
She shrugged, but her expression indicated she had some scheme swirling. “I just figured you might have requested them to coax Landen into talking. That is what’s happening here, right?”
I should have known.
Avalon didn’t happen to walk by and see the three of ushere. She had come here intentionally. And given the look on her face, her visit had nothing to do with work.
“Coax him into talking? Why would I need to do that?”
