At least you have Emmett.
She shoved another big spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. Over the next several minutes, she sat alone eating away her sorrows and paying no attention to the show playing on the TV.
Janie was so lost in her rambling thoughts she didn’t realize she was no longer alone. Not until she heard the deep rumble of his voice.
“Couldn’t sleep?”
Every muscle in her body tensed, and a tiny cry escaped with a start. “Emmett!” she admonished him by calling out his name. “What in the—” She sucked in a calming breath with a scowl and her hand over her racing heart. “You scared me half to death.”
“Sorry.” He came over to sit next to her wearing a pair of gray sweats and a black t-shirt that showcased his magnificent physique.
Didn’t the guy know about the whole men-in-gray-sweats phenomena that had taken over the libidos of women across the globe? From the tired expression on his face and the man’s slightly mussed hair, Janie assumed the clueless man didn’t.
“Whatcha watching?” He settled in on the far cushion, near her bare feet.
“No idea.” She shrugged, taking another bite of ice cream. “I haven’t been paying attention. Sorry I woke you.”
That last part came out a little wonky due to the scoop she’d just put into her mouth. She didn’t bother worrying about how unladylike talking with her mouth full probably looked.
It wasn’t as if anything would happen on that front anyway. He’d made that perfectly clear in his office the day before. Which was totally fine with Janie, and frankly they had bigger things to worry about, anyway.
Like trying to put a name and a face to the person who wanted her dead.
“You didn’t wake me,” he revealed. A few seconds later, he asked, “You want to talk about why you’re sitting down here by yourself in the middle of the night?”
“I was hungry.” Janie kept her eyes glued to the show she wasn’t watching while giving him the half-truth.
“And dirty, apparently.”
The unexpected comment pulled her gaze from the flatscreen to him. “I’m sorry?”
“Your hair.” He reached over and played with a section of the locks she’d merely towel-dried.
It wasn’t until then that Janie even considered howshe must look. A heated flush crawled into her neck and cheeks she prayed he couldn’t see.
“Oh.” A nervous chuckle left her shoulders shaking. Glancing down at the thick, damp strands pressed against her chest, she told him, “I thought a hot shower might help me sleep.”
“Not so much, huh?” His voice was a bit deeper and rougher than normal.
She shook her head slowly. “I couldn’t get my mind to shut off.”
“I figured. You’ve had a hell of a week.”
“Nothing compared to Amy,” she muttered under her breath.
His hand came to a rest on one of her ankles, making her thankful she’d taken the time to shave. Her body tingled from the innocent touch.
“It’s not your fault she died.”
“I know.” She truly did. “I just wish I knew thewhy.”
Almost more than knowing the who, it was the killer’s motive that had left her tossing and turning.
“We’ll know soon enough.”
She looked up from his hand to meet his dark brown stare. “Hundreds of deaths go decades without being solved. And there are new ones added to the list every year.”
“True, but there’s one big difference between those cases and this one.”
