Jake Hayes wasintrigued that Sam had asked him to meet up.Particularly the day after he’d pulled her boyfriend over.
Jake didn’tcarefor rejection, but it was what it was.It didn’t change the fact he hated Nate Bennet, Sam Price involvement or no.
So, yeah, he’d pulled Nate over when he usually would have ignored it—he was a detective after all, not a road cop.But he hadn’t been able to resist.
Maybe he’d been hoping for a fight he didn’t get.But he’d gotten to write Bennet a ticket and that was good enough in Jake’s book.
Call him petty.He didn’t care.
Sam stepped into the diner in her typical speed-demon manner.He couldn’t deny that he still found her attractive and intriguing.He couldn’t deny the fact that she’d chosenBennetrankled.
But he was a grown man.
And he was a patient man.
Sam slid into the booth across from him.“Thanks for meeting me, Jake.”
“Anytime.”He was expecting a flash of annoyance or something a little censuring, but her expression was placid, and she didn’t jump into any accusations.Instead, her dark eyes took in the busy room around them.“Did you order?”
“A little early for lunch for me.I’m good with coffee,” he said, pointing to his mug.
“I could use some of that myself.”She gestured to the waitress, who gave her a nod.
“So, what can I do for you, Sam?”he asked, keeping his easy demeanor in place.
“Well, I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about your father.”
Jake credited nearly twenty years of law enforcement training and experience for being able to keep his expression blank even as the shock slammed into him.
Hisfather.
Despite all histrainingandexperience, he found himself shifting in his seat.“I have to admit, that’s not what I expected when you asked to meet up.”
She smiled with a mixture of humor and sympathy.“I get that.But I’m looking into a case, and your dad’s name came up.Nothing nefarious.He was just friends with someone I’m looking into, and I want to get the whole picture.”
Thewholepicture.Of Charles Hayes.A strange, vague wave of grief moved through him—a surprise, considering.“He died twenty-five years ago, Sam.”
“I know.If it’s too difficult or—”
“It’s not difficult.”Jake never let it be.“Look, he was an okay dad for as old as he was, but not the greatest guy, as my mother would be the first to tell you.Asanywoman in his vicinity would tell you.Like the wife he had when he knocked up my mom, you know,nothis wife, with me.”
“O… oh.”
The waitress poured Sam’s coffee, topped off his.He waited to answer until she left, though he wasn’t sure why.
“Yeah,oh.Not an evil guy.Just a… careless one.”Not abaddad.Just a careless one.Yeah, careless summed up Charles Hayes in a lot of ways.To the very end.
“Did you know about his time in the service?”
“Not much.I know he went to Vietnam.He was one of those guys who talked about it like it was the grand glory days—which I always took to mean he was one of those guys who hadn’t actually seen any action.”
Sam’s empathetic expression didn’t change, and she didn’t waver off course.She would have made a good detective, he thought.He considered being a detective about ten moral high ground steps above being aprivate investigator.
“Was he involved in any veteran’s groups or anything of the like?”
Jake scratched a hand through his hair.This was just… bizarre.He didn’t think much about his dad.It had been so long since he’d died, and even before that the custody his parents had shared was more of aDad will take you for a weekend when he feels like itthan something fifty-fifty.Charles Hayes had been an old man—or seemed like one—by the time Jake had been old enough to remember.When he’d died…
“Sam, I was fourteen.”
