Another slight wince flickered across his features. Eamon definitely did not have a poker face. “Okay, you can tell her I’m with the NYPD. Do you think we can trust her to know the truth?”
I immediately nodded. “She’d never tell anyone. She’s like a vault. Anything you tell her stays with her.”
Eamon studied me for a moment, then sighed. “Tell her the truth, but make sure she understands what’s at stake.”
“Thank you.” Then something occurred to me. “You never asked me any questions about who else was there. At the banquet hall, I mean.”
He blinked. “We covered that in the initial interview…didn’t we? When you came in and told us?”
I thought back. Steve, I did mention, because I’d gone over my exact steps before overhearing Carlo and Chan, but I never mentioned Solstice. I would’ve remembered. “Solstice was there too, earlier that morning. She was already back at her shop when I left because she helped me load the cake into the van.”
“So? I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make?”
“Doesn’t she need protection too? What if Carlo finds out she was there too? He may think it was her.”
Understanding dawned on his face. “Carlo is actually good at what he does, so he’d find out quick enough that she doesn’t fit the timeline. That’s why we’re so confident he’ll find you.”
If that was meant as reassurance, it definitely missed the mark, but I had picked up on something else. “Who’s we?”
“Huh?”
“You said, and I quote, ‘We’re so confident he’ll find you.’ So, who’s we?”
Eamon scratched his chin with his other hand. “That’s, erm, my boss? I talked to him about your case, and he agreed you needed protection.”
Oh, okay. That made sense. “Okay. I was confused as to who you meant. Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply you were somehow lying to me.”
I’d expected him to reassure me he’d never lie to me, but he didn’t. Maybe he really was annoyed I’d asked. “Sorry?” I added, guilt flooding me.
But he squeezed my hand and gave me a smile, if somewhat forced. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
We walked the last block to my bakery, where we were greeted by a line of customers.
“Morning, Charles,” Mrs. Newcomb, a regular and my neighbor across the street, greeted me.
My eyes narrowed. She never came in this early. And neither did half of the other people in line.
“Won’t you introduce us to your boyfriend, Charles?” Mrs. Newcomb asked, and I knew exactly why she was here. Edna had wasted no time in telling people she’d seen me kiss a strange man.
So, I took a deep breath. “This is Eamon O’Rourke, myboyfriend. Eamon, this is Mrs. Newcomb, who lives across the street from me.”
Eamon released my hand and flashed her a smile so charming, half the ladies in line swooned. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” he said, even dipping his head as he took her hand.
God, he looked like one of those nobles in Bridgerton. Within minutes, he had them all eating out of his hand, while I quickly donned an apron and jumped in to help Dani power through the line of customers.
“He’s hot,” she whispered to me as I filled a paper bag with two fresh croissants. “Really hot.”
“He is.” I stole another glance at Eamon and didn’t have to fake the little sigh.
News had traveled like lightning because we were slammed all morning. I barely had time to bake, too busy helping Dani as much as I could. Eamon had found a spot at the table against the window, constantly interacting with people while also keenly aware of his surroundings. I didn’t miss the way he kept scanning the street, and gratitude filled me. Whatever his flaws, he did take protecting me seriously, and that counted for a lot.
By two p.m., I was not only exhausted, but we were out of pretty much everything—something that had never happened before.
“I need to bring a boyfriend in more often,” I joked to Dani when the store was empty for the first time since I’d walked in. “Clearly, it’s great for business.”
She snorted. “If I’d known that was the trick, I woulda brought in my girlfriend.”
I waved my hand. “Nah, honey, you two have been together for a decade. That’s not gonna work. They want fresh meat.”
