“Annie Ross,” Noah supplied helpfully. “You were about to tell us everything you know about her.”
“I was not.” But there wasn’t much heat in the denial. “Though I suppose you’re going to find ways to dig into this no matter what.”
“I will.” Noah grinned. “You know me.”
“That’s what worries me.” Jacob sank into his chair, leveling his gaze at Noah. “I can’t tell you in an official capacity that I think there’s something fishy about Annie Ross’s death. I can’t tell you in an official capacity that she wasn’t reported missing or that I find that suspicious. What I am telling you is that this is still an active IBS case and I’m continuing to work on it. I’ve given Officer West all the information I have gathered thus far on this case. The interagency briefing portion of our day is over.”
Noah sat on his hands to keep from hugging his brother. Because that would be weird. Jacob might throw a lot of bluster around, but obviously he trusted Noah to get to the bottom of a case that he himself couldn’t pursue in the same way, not officially.
“Thank you, Agent Colton,” Sabrina said, springing to life to play her part in the very carefully orchestrated proceedings that Noah wouldn’t have believed his brother capable of if he hadn’t witnessed it with his own eyes.
There must be something huge under the surface for the rule-loving oldest Colton brother to be so on board with all of this. It was almost enough to forget that his girlfriend had just dropped a very casual bomb on him about never working together.
Noah stood and snagged Sabrina’s hand to help her to her feet because he wanted to and he could. Plus, it was a statement, one he liked making, especially since he knew dang well that Sabrina wouldn’t let another male on the planet treat her like this.
He had a feeling she knew it wasn’t because he didn’t think she was capable of using her own two feet to get out of a chair. It made him feel like a million feet tall that she let him.
Before he could follow Sabrina out of Jacob’s office, his brother stopped him with a head jerk.
“Dad called earlier. He’s having dinner with Susan tonight.”
The change of subject caught Noah off guard as he glanced at Sabrina through the open door, wondering if his brother expected him to shut it. “Already? I mean, again?”
“Apparently it’s a regular thing now.”
Something in Jacob’s tone made Noah’s chest ache. Their last conversation about their father’s dating life hung between them. About how watching someone you loved move forward meant accepting that life didn’t stand still.
Even when you wanted it to.
“Good for him.” The words felt strange in Noah’s mouth. But he meant them. “Mom would want him to be happy.”
Probably. It was hard for him to project that when the idea of Sabrina dating someone else made him insane. Even if something happened and Noah wasn’t here on this earth any longer, it hit wrong.
But neither did it thrill him to think about her sitting around being sad all the time. So he got it. Kind of.
“Yeah.” Jacob’s gaze drifted to where Sabrina stood in the hall quietly observing their exchange. “Mom would.”
The weight of unspoken meaning pressed against Noah’s ribs. Their mother had always pushed them to chase their dreams, to grab onto happiness with both hands. Even at the end, she’d worried more about them than herself.
“Speaking of family,” Jacob said, “have you heard from Mark?”
“Radio silence.” Noah scrubbed a hand over his face. “I went by his place twice, but he didn’t answer the door. It’s…a difficult situation.”
“Tell me about it.” Jacob’s expression darkened. “I’ll go by on my way home. We have to keep trying. Right now, Annie Ross is my priority.”
And Noah’s. Just like that, they were back to business.
But Noah caught Sabrina watching him with quiet sympathy. Maybe some understanding.
As they walked back out into the parking lot, Noah squinted against the bright sun, setting off the headache that had been brewing.
“You okay?” she murmured. “I didn’t know your dad was dating again.”
Because he hadn’t mentioned it. Talking about it made it real.
He blew out a breath. Like keeping it under pressure in his chest and not dealing with this new reality had caused Jacob to keep quiet about the situation. “It’s new and weird, and I’m still processing.”
She slipped her hand from his and lifted it to his face, spreading her fingers across his cheek. “Process all you want. Out loud if you need to. Until then, let’s talk about Annie Ross instead, because apparently, your brother has given his blessing for us to do that.”
