Sullivan managed a large bite without dripping the contents onto his plate. He chewed, swallowed, and set the gyro back down. “Maybe I don’t really prefer silence after all. I like to think Anna and I are friends.”
“You don’t have to explain,” said Ramsey. “I should have kept the observation to myself.”
He ignored her. “We never dated. What you think you saw, you didn’t see, or rather you misinterpreted it. Anna’s grateful to me, so affection’s grown out of that. It’s returned.” He took another bite of his gyro. “I can see you’re working up to asking the obvious question. You want to know why she’s grateful.”
“I do, but maybe you don’t want to tell me, and I can be satisfied with that.”
Sullivan’s regard was skeptical. “Really?”
“No, of course not, but I thought I should say it, make me seem more mature than I am.”
He chuckled shortly and then sobered. “All right. She thinks I saved her life.”
“Did you?” She watched him shrug, body language that was somewhere between careless and modest. “Does it have something to do with why your money is no good here?”
“What?”
“Something Little Theo said back at the shack. You wanted to pay and he told you your money’s no good here. Now I’m thinking that it’s more than Anna who’s grateful.”
“Yeah, well…” Whatever thought he had remained unsaid. He pushed his bowl of Greek fries to the middle of the table, offering to share.
Ramsey plucked a warm fry lightly sprinkled with a Mediterranean dressing and feta from the bowl and finished it in two bites, then she speared a forkful and tossed them onto her salad. “You better pull that bowl back before I get serious.”
Grinning, Sullivan left the fries right where they were. “Good, right?”
“Better than good. Why am I only finding out about this place?”
“Couldn’t say. You have any friends who shoot?”
She shook her head. “I don’t have any friends who know I own a gun. I don’t advertise it. I suppose that explains it.”
“Where do you practice?”
“Sportsman’s club.”
“And no one there mentioned it? That’s a little surprising.”
“Maybe not. I pretty much keep to myself when I’m there.”
He nodded. “That’s notsurprising.”
“Why do you say that?”
Sullivan let one arched eyebrow speak for him.
“What? I have friends. I’m not unapproachable.”
The eyebrow didn’t budge.
“All right,” she said reluctantly. “Perhaps I don’t want to be approached.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You made the effort.”
“Yeah, but I was wearing Kevlar.”
Ramsey was not proof against that. She grinned and stole another fry. “Did you ever think that maybe I’m shy?”
