She gave Steph enough cash to cover the pies and grabbed her jacket. “I’ll be back in a bit,” she called over her shoulder, stepping through the broken door. He grabbed her arm to steady her when she caught her foot on the threshold and almost tripped.
“How about the deli down the street? Do you eat there often?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah, all the time. It has the best chicken salad.”
They walked the half-block in silence, and he opened the door for her once they arrived.
A large, olive-skinned woman, called out and made her way over to them. “Maggie! So good to see you. You want a table today?” She did nothing to hide the slow up and down perusal of Mitch. “Or do you want something for takeout?” She gave her a double thumbs up.
“Oh, for God’s sake. A table, Sophia. Please.” Maggie could feel her cheeks heating and tried to hide her face. Mitch put his hand on her back and pushed her to follow the stout, blunt woman. Sophia sat them at a cozy table for two near the back, handed them menus, and smiled sweetly. “I’ll be right back to get your order, kids.”
Mitch winked at her, and she waddled away laughing. “She seems nice,” he said innocently.
“I used to think so,” Maggie said dryly.
They chatted about the weather and other inconsequential things until Sophia came back with two glasses of water. Once they gave their orders and she left, Mitch got right down to business.
“So, I was hoping to talk to you about what you saw at the bank. I didn’t get a chance to read your statement before they sent me home, so I wanted to ask if you wouldn’t mind going through it again. It also might help you remembersomething new.”
So, that was his ulterior motive. He wanted info on the robbery. She knew this wasn’t an actual date, but it still stung a little to know he was only after information. She tried to get past it, knowing how important this was to him.
“Um, okay. Do you want to ask me questions, or should I just tell you what I remember?”
He grilled her nine ways from Friday, but she didn’t feel like she was giving him anything useful. They’d eaten and were sipping on Cokes when she finally said, “That’s all I’ve got. I wish there was more.”
“Hey, the fact that you kept your cool and remembered so much is amazing. We’ll catch him, Maggie. It’s just a matter of time. I’m really pissed off he vandalized your store. And I’m sorry you have to go through all the cleanup and insurance claims and all that bullshit. I hope he didn’t scare you too badly.”
“You’re worried I’ll get scared and won’t testify.” She looked him straight in the eye. “Don’t be. I’m tougher than I look. I’m not gonna lie. I’m a little freaked out that he knows who I am. But since you’re going to catch him soon, I won’t have to worry much longer, right?”
“Damn straight. Now that it’s been confirmed he is officially back in town, things will heat up, and we’ll nail his ass.”
“Sounds good.” She appreciated the words of reassurance.
He wadded up his napkin and dropped it on his empty plate. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the other thing, either. I just need to focus on this right now.”
Her heart threatened to jump out of her chest, and her eyes widened. Had he been thinking about her?
“The other thing?” she asked innocently.
“You know damn good and well what I’m talking about. You’ve gotten under my skin, Maggie Tucker. We’ve got some unfinished business, but it will have to wait a littlelonger. You ready?” He pulled out his wallet and laid two twenties on the table.
She was speechless. Holy cow. He still wanted her? He was so casual about the whole thing. Like she was something he needed to scratch off a to-do list. No mention of dating or seeing each other on a regular basis. He just wanted to bed her and move on. She’d already made up her mind that she was okay with that. Now it was just the anticipation that would kill her.
“Sure. You wanna wait for change?” She nodded toward the money on the table.
“What?” He seemed genuinely confused. “No. That’s fair. Let’s go.”
She laughed, and when he asked why, she told him the story of her last date and how she’d had to sneak back into the restaurant to leave a tip.
“Sounds like an asshole, Mags. You can do better.”
She watched his ass as she followed him out. Oh, she was going to do better all right. Even if it was for just one night.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Several days later, Maggie, Mitch, and Jenny sat on cold, hard bleachers cheering Toby on as he came up to bat.
Maggie stood, screaming, “Let’s go, Toby! You got this, buddy!” She turned to Mitch and Jenny. “Do you think he heard me?”
