Princess. She would gut anyone else for using the nickname, but she’d never been able to deny how much she loved it when Zane called her that.
Before she could say anything else, Rodriguez and Carver returned and filled her and Zane in on their day.
“Your local law enforcement is quite accommodating,” Carver observed when they had finished bringing her up to speed. “It’s clear they have an excellent working relationship with this office.”
“We’ve worked hard to make it so.” Tessa made a note to pass the words along to Jacob.
“One detective there today seemed mighty interested in you, Tessa.” Rodriguez took a seat and lounged, his long legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. He was a good-looking man, but he did nothing for her.
“Was it Morris?” she asked.
“It was. So you know him? He seems a little old for you.”
“He is a little old for me.” Tessa did not want to get into a discussion about this with Rodriguez. “He’s helped us with multiple investigations and is an excellent law enforcement officer and friend to our office. You’ve misinterpreted friendship for something else.”
“Well, yourfriendseemed awfully protective of you. Are you sure he isn’t looking for more than a professional relationship?”
“Quite.” Tessa kept her voice calm, if it was a bit clipped. Shedidn’t know what game he was playing, but she didn’t have any inclination to discover how his mind worked. Rodriguez opened his mouth to say something else, but Benjamin, Luke, and Gil returned to the conference room and Tessa took advantage of the distraction to bring them back to things that mattered, like how they were going to keep the president safe when he arrived on Friday.
They covered everything each group had accomplished, which aside from the successful meeting with local law enforcement, added up to a whole lot of not much.
Benjamin must have sensed her frustration, because he spoke up when she asked if anyone had anything else to add. “We only eliminated a handful of threats today, but we also know where to best direct our resources. That’s progress. It’s part of what makes this job so frustrating. You can spend hours and hours and get to the end of the day with little to show for it. Then the next day you clear the board in thirty minutes.”
“I doubt we’ll get that lucky tomorrow, but thanks for the pep talk.” Tessa dismissed everyone and requested that they return tomorrow by one. “Go to church, sleep in, grab brunch, whatever you need to do. We’re facing a long week, and we need to be able to give it all we’ve got.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rodriguez snapped her a salute before turning to the others. “What’s the nightlife like in Raleigh?”
Benjamin, Luke, and Gil gave him blank stares.
“You’re on your own, Rodriguez.” Zane pointed to the other three men. “They have wives. New-to-them wives. They aren’t interested in partying.”
“Add me to that list,” Carver said. “My wife expects me to sit quietly in my hotel room all evening, and I don’t plan to disappoint her.”
Rodriguez turned to Tessa. “How about it?”
She was done with this. It was time to shut him down. Now. “Rodriguez, I’m not interested in spending the evening with you under any circumstances. Like Zane said, if you want to party, you’re on your own.” She stood. “Have fun, but don’t do anything to bring dishonor to the agency. I have enough to deal with this week.”
With that, she left the conference room and walked to her desk.
The howls of laughter that followed her down the hall weren’t enough to make her even consider a smile.
Why was this happening? Hank Littlefield had always struck her as clueless but harmless. But that candy basket was eerily accurate. Almost every candy in there was one she indulged in.
She’d always had a sweet tooth. It was something she shared with her dad. He would call her or text her a video anytime he discovered a new candy. If she couldn’t find it, he’d mail it to her.
While she was in India after his death, she considered never eating candy again as a type of tribute to him. But then she realized that was ridiculous. Instead, she would honor his memory by continuing the tradition, even if he wasn’t there to enjoy it with her. She would pick up new candies, try exotic flavors, experiment with the weird in hopes of finding the wonderful. And that’s what she did.
After she returned from India, she talked to Zane about it. He helped her find the best candy shops in the city, and he paid attention. He knew which ones were her favorites, which ones were her dad’s favorites that she chose specifically to remember him, and which ones she had tried but didn’t like.
She’d never explained it to anyone else. They just thought she really liked candy.
“Hey.” She turned to find Zane leaning against the doorway to her cubicle. “You ready to call it a day?”
“It’s only seven. I should stay here. Work some more.”
“Or,” Zane said, “we could get out of here. Stop by the store to grab some candy to clear your emotional palate. Get you settled in at your place.”
The words sounded lovely, but she knew the motive behind them. “Nice try, Thacker.”
