“Sure. Let’s take a look.”
During the remainder of their lunch, he focused on their programming discussion—and tried to ignore the faint, alluring scent that clung to Carolyn’s hair and drifted his direction whenever she turned her head.
By the time their separate checks came—another attempt to ensure these lunches remained aboveboard—he was running late for his early afternoon meeting.
But breaking away was hard. Carolyn was in no hurry to leave either . . . and a whole week stretched ahead of him until he saw her again.
Yet another sign he was teetering on the edge of danger with this woman.
And risking a twenty-two-year marriage had never been in his plans.
He loved Alison.
He did.
So he wasn’t about to make a stupid mistake he’d regret to his dying day thanks to a midlife crisis.
Taking Carolyn’s arm, he guided her through the lunch crowd, toward the door.
“If you ever have an open slot at the station, you know I’m waiting in the wings.” Carolyn paused at the exit to toss out her usual parting comment—no less than he’d expect from an ambitious twenty-eight-year-old.
“You’re on my list.”
“Near the top, I hope.” She rested her fingers on his arm and smiled.
“Very.”
“Good to know.” She removed her hand. “I’ll be following the bomb scare story until it’s resolved. If you get any inside information, I hope you’ll think of your favorite reporter.”
“Naturally.”
Grinning, she wiggled her fingers and sauntered down the street toward her car.
Once she disappeared in the crowd, he turned the other direction and picked up his pace back to the station.
A two-hour meeting with the sales folks about ad revenues wasn’t going to be the highlight of his day—but if that detective stopped by to go over the material Meg was compiling, he’d have an excuse to duck out.
His cell began to vibrate, and he pulled it out.
Alison.
His conscience pricked again.
The impulse to ignore the call was strong—but he forced himself to answer. “Hi, hon.”
“Hi.” She sounded frazzled . . . as usual these days. “Am I interrupting anything?”
“I’m getting ready to go into a meeting, but I have a minute.”
“I won’t keep you. Your mom called. She seems lonely. If you have a spare half hour, you may want to swing by after work tonight. I think she could use a lift.”
Couldn’t they all.
But stopping at the assisted living facility where his parents had lived for the past three months wouldn’t give his spirits a boost. The place was downright depressing.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Bree called too. She’s got more roommate issues.”
“That’s what comes from having a room to herself at home all these years. She’s been on campus what? Ten days?” He stopped at the corner to wait for the light to change. “She needs to give this other girl a chance, learn to accommodate.”
“I told her that. You may want to call her and reinforce my message.”
“I’ll touch base with her later this afternoon. Anything else?” A hint of impatience crept into his tone, but he didn’t attempt to mask it. After the past, pleasant hour, he wasn’t yet ready to dive back into the reality of his life.
“No. I’ll see you tonight.”
The light changed, and the crowd surged across the street. “I’ll let you know my ETA.” He shoved the phone back in his pocket.
Calls like this were why he enjoyed his one-hour escape each week with Carolyn.
And why it was so difficult to give up that pleasant reprieve from real life . . . despite the danger.
“Knock knock. Anyone home?”
At the question, Eve jerked around in the chair she’d claimed on her small deck and grabbed her teetering laptop.
Olivia sent her an apologetic look and continued across the lawn, a covered plate in her hands. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I should have called out sooner, given all the excitement we had on Friday.”
Eve stood and met the woman at the edge of the deck, reaching down to take the plate. “Don’t worry about it. I was deep in thought, trying to come up with ideas for the speech I’m giving on Saturday. It’s been kind of hard to concentrate. Come on up.”
The older woman joined her on the deck and took the chair she indicated. “I can certainly understand why you’d be distracted. A bomb scare, of all things! Here in our quiet little neighborhood.” She shook her head. “What’s the world coming to?”
“A question I think about every day.”
“I know—and it’s not a pleasant topic. I hoped my brownies would sweeten your afternoon.”
“Guaranteed. Will you share? I could pour you a cup of coffee.”
“No, those are all yours. I kept a few for myself at the house, though—not that I need the calories.” She patted her trim waist.
“I don’t think you have to worry.” Eve pulled one of the rich squares from beneath the plastic wrap. “And I for one could use a helping of comfort food today. I’ll work off the calories later at my spinning class.”
“Having an outlet for stress is smart.”
“More now than ever.” She took a bite of the brownie, letting the chocolate dissolve on her tongue.
“I listened in on your show this morning. I thought you handled the whole matter with aplomb.”
Eve’s throat tightened.
While Olivia was a new friend in her life, the older woman had gone out of her way to welcome her to the neighborhood. And since she’d confessed early on that she didn’t have a political bone in her body and hated controversy, her neighbor’s effort to listen to the program was touching.
“I appreciate the encouragement—and also that you tuned in. I know my program isn’t your thing.”
“I worry about you, my dear.” She patted her hand. “Has there been any news from the police? I hate to think the crazy person who left that fake bomb is still on the loose.”
“I haven’t heard anything, which leads me to believe there haven’t been any breaks in the case.”
“That’s unfortunate. Are the police concerned that this person could come back?”
“I don’t think they’ve ruled out that possibility.” Especially given Brent’s suggestion about personal security.
But Olivia didn’t have to know that. It would only make her worry, and it wasn’t as if there was much chance her older neighbor would be in the line of fire if the person did decide to pay a repeat visit.
“That’s troublesome. Do you think you ought to beef up your security here at the house?”
Eve pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped the chocolate residue from her fingers. “I’ve got a first-class system. Once I arm it, no one can get in without me—and the police—being informed.”
“But that wouldn’t prevent someone from leaving another bomb on the property.”
There was that.
“If this person comes back, I doubt they’ll try the same technique twice.”