“True,” he agreed.
As silence took over, Sloane’s mind drifted to a question she’d wanted to ask.Wantedwasn’t exactly the right word. She’d considered posing the question more times than she could count. She just wasn’t sure she was ready to hear the answer, if it wasn’t what she’d hoped it might be.
“This conversation is getting heavy,” Gabe said. “And I’ve got a dark ale in the pub downstairs with my name on it.”
Sloane had known that line was coming. “Okay,” she said, letting him off easy. “Enjoy.”
“I will. And sis?”
“Yes?”
“Be careful. I would hate to see you get your heart broken by some punk.”
She resisted the urge to defend herself or thepunkhe was referring to. “Noted.” She recalled something he’d shared earlier. Turned out the girl he had been cozying up to on the job had a big, beefy boyfriend who wanted to wring his neck.
“Andyoube careful too,” Sloane said. “Do not get yourself killed out there. Mom is already checked out, and a family reunion with just me and Elroy sounds pretty awkward.”
“Duly noted. Bye, sis.”
“Au revoir.”
Sloane tied her hair into a bun on top of her head and tapped the voice memo app.
“Day 3 on the Anna Fielding case. I do not get the impression that Emmitt dated Anna or swindled any money from her. I believe what he says about coming from a wealthy family.” She paused there to consider the reasons she felt he was genuine on that note. Mainly because he’d said it as more of a disclosure. He wasn’t bragging or flexing—just naturally explaining why they could all afford to do something drastic like move to the middle of nowhere to run an inn.
“On another note, hedidgive pause when it came to his family. As forthcoming as he was throughout the night, that was the only spot I sensed a hesitation in his reply. I’ll explore that angle further…” She paused once more, trying to pinpoint where his real hesitancy lied. “It seemed to center around his brother, Richard. When I asked if he was married or single, there was a delay in his response. Why?”
She dropped her hand and stared across the room for a blink before lifting the phone back to her lips. “It could be because Richard is fresh out of a relationship. I am probably looking too deep here.” She dropped that hand in her lap once more, the phone all but forgotten as she replayed other parts of their night. Things she wouldn’t keep record of. But she’d definitely replay them in her mind. Like that look of mischief in Emmitt’s warm, brown eyes as he bantered with her. She liked how witty and easy that banter was. And wonderful, too.
Sloane sighed, shook her head, and let out a humorless laugh. What were the odds she would fall for some playboy in reform? While on a job, no less. Her eyes went wide as she replayed her own thoughts.Wasshe falling for him?
Another thought came to her. One that might just be her ace in the hole. Sloane brought the phone to her lips once more.
“When the moment is right, I’ll ask him about the details behind running an inn. How many people they employ, all the jobs that need to be done. That might lead to talk of The Homestead’s accountant.” She could use a story about Elroy, since he was a business owner too. Say he was audited because he tried doing the accounting work himself.
A rush of adrenaline pumped through her at the idea.Yes!That was the perfect angle. Common sense said she should have asked about the accounting thing right away, but Sloane knew better. If they were hiding the truth about Anna, those running The Homestead would have their radar tuned to further questions about their accountant. Easing into it naturally, carefully, was her best bet.
With the phone still in her grip, Sloane tapped on her most recent voice memo, along with the last few she’d recorded, and forwarded them onto the agency’s backup server. If her phone was lost, stolen, or broken, she could easily access her notes through the server.
And then there was the big-news data—that went to a different server entirely. All the agents on this case had been given clear instructions. If they secured data that could blow the top off the Anna Fielding case, they were to forward it there.
At this point in the game, she had nothing more than standard briefings. But at least now they were backed up and secure.
Sloane hopped off the couch, flicked off the lights, and used the phone’s glow to light a path to her room. She’d already gone through her nightly routine, and now it was time to get some sleep. Inwardly, she was excited to replay more parts of her night with Emmitt. She guessed that thoughts of him and their evening would accompany her into a nice, deep sleep.
But shortly after hitting the sheets, it seemed she was already sitting back on her couch while the next instruction video blared from her laptop. She glanced over to see Emmitt seated on his end of the couch. He seemed so far away for someone who was supposedly warming up to her. And hadn’t they gotten beyond this awkward silence phase on their date last night?
Work. You are supposed to be working,she reminded herself. This mission was just as important as any other. Heck, it wasmoreimportant. It was possible that Anna Fielding was in some sort of danger, being held against her will even. But Sloane’s instincts said that wasn’t the case.
And then there was another set of instincts kicking in. A raw, natural desire to curl up to the man sitting a couch cushion away. Should she inch closer? It was part of her act, after all. Warm up to the guy, get to know him better, get intel along the way.
She rested her hand on the couch, was entertaining the idea of scooting in closer, when Emmitt took the lead instead, moving in so close that his arm brushed hers.
Whoa.That warm, magnetic current pulsed between them. Sloane closed her eyes for a beat, tuning into the sensation. As she pulled in her next breath, Emmitt moved in even closer.
“Sloane,” he said under his breath. His mouth moved to her ear, the small, course hairs from his neatly trimmed facial hair teasing her skin.
“Don’t be mad at me for not focusing on the video,” he said in a whisper. “It’s your fault that I can’t.”
