Page 37 of Fire Harbor
“That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think?”
“Oh, really? Did I mention that Mom arrived five minutes after you left my house yesterday morning because my neighbor Mrs. Beaumont called her to tell her you’d stopped by my house?”
“Oh. Well. That is kind of extreme, keeping tabs on you like that.”
“And she’s still butting in after my takedown yesterday.”
“Sorry, but I have no experience in the mother department. Zero. My dad always gave me space. He never seemed overly concerned about my dating. Probably because I didn’t go out that much as a teenager. Has your mom always been this interested in your love life?”
“Not really. Just the last five years since my dad died. I hope she isn’t scaring you off.”
Lake grinned. “It would take more than Annette to do that.”
“Good to know you won’t let her manipulate you. What will you bring to the luncheon?”
“That’s easy. I make this simple cheesy mac dish that people seem to love. And I could throw together a batch of brownies. Comfort food always helps when you’re discussing a serial killer.”
“Are you sure Brent is on board with this meeting?”
“Jordan told me someone from law enforcement would be at the meeting. I take her at her word.”
“Ah. I bet Brent will send an emissary in his place, likely Eastlyn. She’s good with community relations and the media. Is this meet-up just for women?”
“Of course not. Everyone’s welcome.”
Lake got up to run her fingers over the leather-bound books. “If you see a book you want to read, go for it. Although it seems you have very little downtime to spend reading. You haven’t been home long enough to read the labradoodle books, have you?”
“I browsed through one during my shift last night for about thirty minutes to get a few pointers. But then I got a call. The thing is, I wanted to have supper ready for you tonight when you came home, a nice romantic dinner.”
“That’s sweet. But why don’t we cook dinner together? Unless you didn’t sleep.” She crossed over to where he sat, took his chin, and studied his eyes. “You napped, didn’t you? You still look tired.”
“I got four solid hours. I’m used to making do with what sleep I can grab between calls.” He also got to his feet, taking her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. “You worked today. I’ll do the cooking. Or maybe I’ll order pizza.”
“Pizza and a movie. Date night. I like the idea of that.”
“We could go out and eat there if you want, then take a walk on the beach afterward.”
“That sounds lovely.”
Just then, the dogs came bounding back into the room, their wet whiskers dripping with water, leaving little droplets on the old wooden floor. Farley made a beeline for Linus, wagging his tail furiously and demanding attention.
“Well, hello there, Farley. You really like Lake’s food, don’t you, boy?”
Farley whined or maybe groaned in response.
“I’d love a night out,” Lake began.
Before she could finish, Linus surmised, “There’s a but coming.”
She laughed. “You’re perceptive. Farley seems to need some of your undivided attention tonight. Plus, I need to throw together those brownies and the dish I’m bringing. And then there’s how tired you look. What if you ordered the pizza, and we stayed in for dinner and a movie?”
“I’d like that. We’ll need to take the dogs for a walk around the block anyway.”
“There you go. We’ll stay in, spend time with the dogs, eat, and relax on a walk. Did you bring your toothbrush?”
“I didn’t even bring a change of clothes.”
“You could drop by your house and grab some things while getting the pizza.”