Page 46 of Hostile Witness
“Yeah. This guy has his pilot’s license.” He gave a good-natured shrug. “Maybe you and Flynn would like to join us for dinner?”
She smiled politely. “No, but thank you.”
He leaned back against the meat case. “Is this your usual grocery store?”
“It’s the store closest to my house. You and I probably shop at different times of the day.”
“Yeah, maybe.” He leaned slightly closer. “I would’ve noticed you.”
“Is that so, Detective?”
“Definitely.”
Tia folded her arms across her chest. “Inoticedthe oddest thing on my phone a little while ago.” She pulled it out and tapped the screen. “I don’t remember actually setting up location sharing with you. Do you know anything about that?”
He closed his eyes and nodded. “I did that while you were putting your pizza in the oven a couple of days ago. You agreed to do it temporarily, and I was concerned about your safety overnight because you were alone.”
Her voice rose half an octave. “So you touched my phone? You enabled it for me?”
Ethan smiled agreeably. “I didn’t want to forget.”
“Ooh, is that all?” She rubbed her forehead and summoned her most reprimanding schoolteacher voice. “I thought you might be creeping on me or something weird like that.”
Shock darted across his face as he held up his hands. “Hell, no. But I was in a hurry and didn’t have time for the conversation we’re having now. I wanted you safe.”
Tia held up a picture of the tree camera and enlarged it. “Do you know anything about this on my sugar maple in the front yard?”
He stiffened at the question. “Yes, I need to talk to you about that, but not here. Somewhere private.”
“I’m not going anywhere private with you until I have an explanation for this,” she quipped, pointing at the phone.
He lowered his voice, leaned closer, and raised his eyebrows. “Your traffic stop? Flynn was at the vet, and I was working that night. I was concerned for you.”
She tapped her foot insistently. “I was perfectly safe, and I know how to take care of myself.”
“I get that. I should’ve asked. I apologize.”
She pursed her lips. “You should never touch someone’s phone without permission. I spent two years with a man who did things behind my back. My tolerance for shifty practices is nonexistent.”
His eyes turned sharp and assessing. “Understood.”
She held her phone up. “I have half a mind to remove you from my location sharing.”
He stepped closer and touched her arm. “Think about it, T. If you needed help, wouldn’t it be easier for me to find you with location sharing on?”
“If I needed help, I would simply call you and you wouldn’t have to know where I am twenty-four seven. It is invasive, Ethan, no matter how you justify it.”
He shook his head. “My bad. I apologize.”
“I have Flynn now. Rest assured he’ll take good care of me.” She pulled her cart away so other shoppers had access to the meat case and pointed an index finger at Ethan. “You don’t think I can take care of myself, do you?”
His expression tightened. “Of course you can.”
“Then what’s got you in a dither about my safety?”
He raked a hand through his hair and whispered, “Look at the difference in our sizes, Tia. I’m a foot taller than you and at least a hundred pounds heavier. You said the guy at the traffic stop was tall. He already has that advantage over you.”
“You’re forgetting that I know how to defend myself and own a legal firearm.”