"Yes. And you seem like one, too."
"Fine, let's go to the bookstore. But personal topics are off-limits."
"Great. I can drive."
"I'd prefer to take my car."
"You'd prefer to be in control," she said knowingly. "Whatever. I don't care. I drive all the time on my job, so I'm happy to be a passenger." She stopped abruptly. "Whoops. That was too much personal information, wasn't it? Now, you know I drive a lot."
"I think you're making fun of our ground rules," he said lightly, having a hard time disliking the sexy smile she threw his way. He had a feeling this trip was going to be a huge mistake.
Kaia couldn't believe she was sitting next to Jax Ridley in an older SUV that had seen better days. But it was clean, and there wasn't one clue to Jax's life anywhere in the vehicle, which was probably why he'd let her get inside. Since they'd agreed not to get personal, the silence between them lengthened until it felt awkward.
"What do you think of this hot weather we're having?" she asked.
"It's definitely hot."
Well, that question had led nowhere. As they stopped at a light near Maverick's Bar and Grill, she said, "Have you been to Maverick's?"
"Yeah, I've had a beer and a burger there a couple of times. Good food. Good drinks."
"The owner lives at Ocean Shores, at least temporarily. Brad and Serena just had a baby, so they're getting ready to move into a bigger place."
"Makes sense. I've heard a baby crying a few times late at night."
"Me, too. But it doesn't bother me."
"Probably because you don't have to deal with the crying."
"That’s true. I love babies, but they're a lot of work." She really wanted to ask him something more personal. Was he a night owl? Was that why he was up late at night? Had he grown up in a big family? Did he have siblings? Had he ever had a baby of his own? Was he married? God! She really hoped he wasn't married. Not that his relationship status mattered. This wasn't a date. She needed to refocus on Walter. "What did Walter tell you about his relationship with this woman?"
"He said she sang like an angel, and he was mesmerized. When he was leaving, he also muttered something about her leaving a message for him at the club."
"That's why he wants to find the door. The plot thickens."
He laughed. "You think a personal note is still sitting somewhere after forty years?"
"No. But, apparently, Walter does." She paused. "And this whole conversation was in the music store? What was he doing in there?"
"He was looking through the records, mostly jazz and soul… That's what got him talking about Reina Chapman."
"And you looked her up?"
"Yes, but as I told you, there wasn't much about her. She was mentioned briefly in relation to her more famous sister, Anita. That was it."
She thought about that. "Is Anita still alive? Does she live around here?"
"Anita died a while ago. I didn't find anything else on Reina, not that I looked that hard," he added. "I was somewhat curious about her, but I didn't dig deep into anything. It's not our business."
"You're right, but I feel like Walter's ramblings and forgetfulness are partly because of this search that's driving him out of his apartment at night. Maybe if we could help him with that, then other things would fall in place."
"Maybe."
As silence fell between them again, she said, "Do you mind if I turn on some music?" She didn't wait for his reply, already flipping on the radio, but only a few notes filled the car before Jax abruptly turned it off.
"I'd rather not have music on," he said shortly.
She looked at him in surprise, his profile turning hard. "Okay. Why not? You don't like music? But you were in a music store yesterday."
