Jacob snorted. “You get full marks for diving into the deep end, Agent Malone.” He turned to Luke. “Tell her everything and then tell her the rest of it. I’ll be in my office. I have work to do, and my wife and kids have expressed a desire to see me before midnight.”
Jacob left the room, and the silence that fell over the conference room was broken by Luke’s stomach growling. Twice. Faith chuckled. “When’s the last time you had real food, Agent Powell?”
She had a kind smile on her face, and if she hadn’t tacked on the somewhat sarcasticAgent Powell, he might have thought she was being genuinely nice. As it was ... “I had some leftover pizza around eleven thirty.”
Faith wrinkled her nose.
“What’s wrong with leftover pizza?”
“Nothing. But you aren’t going to be any help if you can’t concentrate on anything because you’re hungry,” she said. “And I would like to get the Secret Service angle today, if you’re up for it.”
“I’m up for it.” Not really. But he couldn’t let her see him weak. Especially after the disaster that had been yesterday.
“Then maybe we should have this conversation over dinner.”
Dinner? With Faith Malone? For a split second he could picture them, the way they’d been while working together to plan the interagency golf tournament, sitting on opposite sides of a booth, leaning toward each other, laughing. “Sure. Where do you want to go?”
Faith glanced at her watch. “If we leave now, we should be able to get a seat at Relish without waiting too long. Today seems like the kind of day that calls for comfort food, don’t you think?”
“I agree. And you’ve never met a version of mac and cheese that you didn’t find comforting.” Relish offered at least seven varieties.
She laughed. A real laugh that reached her eyes and crinkled her face in all the right places. “I won’t even try to deny it.”
“I’m not complaining. They have great burgers. Let’s do it.”
Gil Dixon tapped on the door. “Hey, Luke. Sorry to bother you, but I was getting ready to head out. Need a lift?”
Luke’s eyes flashed to Faith’s. Should he ask Gil to join them? He didn’t want Gil to come, but it’s not like this was a date or anything.
“Actually, we’re headed out in a few minutes to grab dinner and talk about the Thad Baker case,” Faith said. “You’re welcome to join us.”
Gil, the traitor, didn’t even try to hide his glee at this news. “Dinner? Where are you going?”
If he’d been close enough to reach him, Luke would have slugged him. As it was, all he could do was watch in mute horror as the drama unfolded.
“Relish. For mac and cheese.”
“Relish? That sounds delicious.” Gil tilted his head as if he was considering joining them. He cut his eyes once at Luke before smiling warmly at Faith. “I would love to join you.”
Luke’s fingers twitched.
“Unfortunately, I have a roast in the Crock-Pot that will turn to mush if I don’t get home and rescue it. I’ll have to take a rain check.” He nodded in Luke’s direction. “I know he’s all yours, but could I borrow Luke for a few minutes before you leave?”
“Of course. I need to check my email and messages anyway.” Faith tapped her iPad. “I’ll hang out here until you’re ready to go.”
Luke followed Gil out of the conference room and around the corner to the large open space that held their cubicles. As soon as they were out of sight of the conference room door, Gil turned and walked backward. “How’d you manage it? Did she feel sorry for you for getting shot? Is that why she finally said yes?” Gil laughed at his own joke.
“It’s not a date. It’s dinner.”
“Alone, with Faith. Sounds like a date to me.” Gil continued to laugh as he walked to his desk. “Just so you know, I’m calling Zane and Tessa as soon as I get in the car.”
“Was there something you needed, or did you drag me out here so you could have a little fun at my expense?”
Gil’s expression sobered. “You didn’t want me to say yes, did you? I mean, I assumed—”
“Of course I don’t want you to come,” Luke hissed. “But I also don’t need you making it out to be something it isn’t.”
Gil’s grin returned. “Okay. Just making sure we’re on the same page. Do you need a ride in the morning?”
