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I folded my arms over my middle. “Maybe my natural scent is mysterious.”

“You’re a freelance graphic designer who owns four of the same black tank tops. Nothing about you is mysterious.”

“Hudson finds me mysterious.”

She held up a finger. “Correction: Hudson finds you attractive. That has damaged his investigative abilities.”

Heat climbed into my cheeks. “I don’t think that’s been proven.”

“I watched him forget how cups work when you bent over to pick up your purse.”

“He was tired.”

“He handed Julie an empty cup and poured tea directly onto the counter.”

I stared at her.

Patty stared back.

“When did that happen?”

“Reunion. You were busy pretending not to look at him.”

I tucked that information into a private corner of my mind where I planned to examine it repeatedly for the next several hours. “We were discussing my scent.”

“Right.” Patty leaned closer. Before I could ask what she was doing, she grabbed my wrist and lifted it toward her face.

I yanked it back. “What the hell?”

“I’m smelling you. Give me your wrist.” She held out her hand.

Glaring at her, I reluctantly held my arm out. She took my wrist and brought it to her nose, inhaling deeply before she let me go. Then she leaned toward my neck.

I immediately planted my palm against her forehead. “No.”

“I need to check your scent markers.”

“You have reached your daily limit for unexpected smelling.”

“The strongest identifying markers sit near the wrists, throat, and upper torso.”

“My upper torso has declined participation.”

Patty pushed against my hand without success. “I’m not going to grope you. I’m conducting a science experiment.”

“You are not qualified to conduct science experiments.”

“I took biology.”

“In high school?”

She stopped fighting me and sat back. “Fine. Wrist data only. You smell human, but barely.”

I lowered my hand. “Barely human emotionally or biologically?”

“Biologically. Emotionally, you’re somewhere between anxious woodland creature and woman who argues with automated customer-service menus.”

“That’s fair.”