Before he could come back to that desired kiss, Stefanie asked him boldly, “Do you mind if I kiss you?”
Campbell could barely contain his enthusiasm. “Not in the slightest.”
They leaned in to each other and exchanged a soft but steady kiss. Though feeling aroused and enjoying the feel of her mouth upon his, Campbell kept his libido in check. He wanted to make sure this was what they both wanted before going further.
“Nice,” he murmured after the kiss ended.
“Yes, it was,” she seconded with a smile. He left it at that, with visions of more to come.
When Stefanie walked him to the door a few minutes later, Campbell said, “Thanks for dinner.”
She blushed. “Thanks for coming.”
“Next time, I’d like to return the favor by cooking you a meal,” he told her.
“So, you cook, too?” Her eyes lit up. “Hmm… Man of many talents, huh?”
“Something like that,” Campbell teased her.
“Then it’s a date.”
“Okay.” He grinned at her.
As he drove away from her house, Campbell felt more than grateful that they’d met at all, though he wished it had been under better circumstances. The last thing he wished upon anyone was to find a dead body—no matter the circumstances. But Stefanie had done just that and taken an interest in Mia O’Dell and her affiliation with the Braison Family. Even if Bella Reston, her friend and a prominent member of Reston Hills society, apparently dismissed the cult as a threat, Campbell was far from convinced. Especially after his father’s ordeal in being unable to connect the dots in going after Wendell Braison years ago.
Maybe the more things changed, the more they remained the same. Meaning that Kenneth Braison still had to be considered a person of interest in Mia’s death, just as his father was in the death of Lynda Boxleitner.
As such, Campbell felt a professional obligation to protect Stefanie, over and beyond his romantic interest in her, so long as the current investigation remained active. But he wouldn’t overstep his bounds in dictating whom she chose to associate with—even if it was members of the Braison Family.
Chapter Seven
At eleven a.m. the following day, Campbell sat at the counter in Harriette’s Café beside Detective Georgina Alvarez while they awaited the judicial go-ahead to search the Braison Family compound.
Sarah Huffstetler came up to them with the coffeepot, filling their cups. Ignoring Georgina, she said to Campbell in a syrupy voice, “Hey, handsome.”
“Good morning, Sarah,” he said to her evenly.
“Heard you were here yesterday with a pretty lady. Anyone I know?”
“I doubt it.”Word travels fast in a small town, Campbell lamented. He hoped she wouldn’t make a scene. “Just a friend,” he said tonelessly, even if he was starting to see far greater possibilities with Stefanie.
“We all need friends around here, right?” Georgina threw out with amusement.
Sarah shrugged. “If you say so.” She gazed at Campbell. “If things don’t work out with your friend, you have my number.”
He nodded. “Got it.”I deleted your number right after our one date, he told himself.
After she left, Georgina chuckled and said, “Lookslike someone has the hots for you, Campbell. Or maybe more than one woman…”
“Nothing going on with me and Sarah,” he emphasized. “We went out once and that was it.”
“Not sure she realizes that.”
“She’ll come to terms with it sooner or later.” Campbell added some cream and sipped his coffee.
“So who is this otherfriend, Sawyer?” Georgina teased him. “Have you been holding out on us while jumping back into the dating game?”
“Not really.” Campbell laughed. “Her name’s Stefanie. Met her on Founder’s Day at the park.”
