Page 17 of Colton's Second Chance
Why, indeed? She needed to rein in her turbulent emotions. She was already walking a thin line between professionalism and heartbreak with Eli. The only way she would survive this trip with her soul intact was to detach her emotions from her business. She only had to keep it together a few days, a couple weeks, and she could find closure with both Allison and Eli.
She exhaled a cleansing breath, sobered by the promise of putting the past firmly behind her at last. “You’re right. I’m sorry. You’re doing me a favor, and I’m being difficult. Forgive me.”
He took a step nearer her and brushed a wisp of her hair back from her face. The tips of his fingers skimmed her cheek, and her pulse skittered. “Forgiven.”
He lingered a moment too long. His gaze, the same startling blue of an Alaskan glacier, held hers, making her heart thump and a hum of longing stir deep inside her.
“Let me get my case files from the Jeep,” he said at last. His timbre held a husky rasp that fanned the heat in her belly. “Be right back.”
“So much for emotional distance,” she muttered to herself as she returned to her laptop and opened the software. But then her body had a mind of its own, it seemed, when it came to Eli. How did she quash an attraction so strong that a simple touch or lingering look could turn her on so powerfully?
“Why couldn’t the lead on the case have been some wrinkled, smelly, old man? Or a brash, icy woman?”
“What’s that?” Eli asked, returning from his vehicle.
She chuckled awkwardly. “Just talking to myself. So what do you have?” She gestured to an empty spot where he could set his files as she slid her chair over to make room for him to pull another up beside her.
They huddled over the laptop, choosing bits of information that could be processed and organized in ways that might reveal patterns. The ages and physical description of the victims. Their level of education. Line of work. Home address. Frequently visited restaurants, stores, offices. Hobbies.
Noelle studied the data her program spit out, hoping some telling pattern or salient characteristic stood out.
“Hmm.” Though thoughtful instead of sexual, Eli’s low hum vibrated in her like a plucked guitar string.
Swallowing hard, she glanced at him and studied the furrow in his brow. “Do you see something new?”
“Not exactly, but it’s interesting to look at things from a different angle, so to speak.”
She found herself staring at the cut of his jaw and savoring the light scent of his aftershave.Focus, Noelle. You’re supposed to be helping. Show him the value you can offer the investigation.
Turning back to the computer, she tapped a few keys. “We can analyze the raw data for a number of factors, even though our sample size is small.” She hit Enter on the keyboard, and after a moment, the program displayed a number of graphs and charts. “Voilà!”
He nodded. “Impressive.”
She studied the displayed information and pointed to the screen. “That’s curious.”
He leaned closer, squinting at the laptop. “Huh. All of the victims had dark brown hair and blue eyes.”
“That’s not a common combination.” She pointed to the statistic the program had produced. “Most dark brunettes have brown or green eyes, statistically speaking. I don’t remember the exact percentage, but my parents used to comment on how special Allison’s blue eyes made her.” She forcefully quelled the spike of envy that reared its head. “Here…” She clicked the mouse and called up new data. “We can cross-reference and get the exact—wow. According to this, fewer than ten percent of people with black hair have blue eyes.”
Eli gave a wry grunt. “Guess that makes my family the exception to the rule. Most of us have dark brown or black hair and blue eyes.”
A tingle raced through her as she met the blue eyes in question. “Really? The whole family? That’s exceptionally rare.”
“That’s genetics,” he said with a grin. “My parents both have blue eyes. And my uncle Ryan.”
“So does this mean anything to you?” She waved a hand at the laptop screen, indicating the new statistical data.
“Well… I don’t believe in coincidence. Clearly this connects the victims in a new way we hadn’t recognized. I’ll take this to the team in the morning, but in the meantime…” He pivoted on his chair to fully face her. “You’ve made your point. Your analytics could prove very useful in breaking the case. Well done.”
Pleasure poured through Noelle, disproportionate to the small admission from Eli. Having his approval, knowing she had something to add to the case, seeing the light that came into his eyes, directed at her, soothed an ancient ache. The hurt predated Eli by many years but had contributed to their breakup and a different sort of pain in the years since college.
She’d found ways to compensate for her childhood wounds, had built a life and a career and a self-confidence to match the one she projected to the world, but…
Returning to Alaska, seeing Eli and dealing with her aunt had all contributed to unearthing the vulnerabilities of her past. Raw places she’d thought healed were scraped and bleeding again.
“Noelle? Are you okay?”
She shook herself from her morose tangent and forced a smile. “Just thinking about the case.”
