Read Online It Had to Be You by Jill Shalvis - Free Book Online Page A

look over my shoulder to see who you’re talking to. Why can’t you just question me right here?”
    “That’s not policy, ma’—”
    At her glare, he wisely swallowed the “ma’am” part.
    “Look, Ali,” Teddy said, clearly attempting to soften his voice. Once upon a time that might have charmed her, but not today. “You’re pissed at me,” he said. “I get that. So just give us the money back, and we’ll all go to our separate corners. No harm, no foul.”
    “I don’t have the money; I didn’t take it!”
    When the two cops just looked at her, she let out a breath. “I didn’t.”
    “Go through her stuff,” Teddy said wearily. “There isn’t much. It shouldn’t take long.”
    Luke put a hand to Teddy’s chest, halting his forward progress. “No one’s searching her or the premises,” he said, still calm but with one-hundred-percent authority. “Not without consent or a warrant.”
    Ali turned and looked at him for the first time. He was in black board shorts, still damp enough to cling to his body. No shirt. Bare feet. A towel was slung over his shoulder, his hair wet and uncombed.
    He’d been in the water, she realized, swimming or maybe on the paddleboard she’d seen leaning against the back deck. She wasn’t sure if she was grateful for his intervention or pissed that he clearly thought she needed the protection from a search due to what they might find.
    “I didn’t do it,” she told Luke. “They can search.”
    “Good.” Teddy pushed his way in through the door. “Where’s the stuff you took out of Town Hall, Al?”
    “I brought the floral arrangements to the senior center yesterday,” she said. She pointed to her purse and the box of small ceramics on the foyer bench. “That’s all that’s left from the auction.”
    Teddy reached for the box, but the first cop stopped him. “It can’t be you, Marshall, sorry,” the cop said, and grabbed the box.
    Ali heard all her things clink together. “Careful—”
    She broke off when he pulled out the pine tree pencil pot.
    “What the hell?” Teddy said incredulously. “You gave that to me.” He turned to Ali, brows knit together. “You stole it out of my office?”
    “ Took back ,” she corrected. “I took it back because you didn’t deserve it.”
    “You stole it. Where’s the money, Ali?”
    “I didn’t take the money!”
    The first cop pulled something out of the pot.
    “Jesus,” Teddy said as they all stared at a bank bill wrapper, the kind that was used to hold together a stack of money, exactly like the bill wrappers that’d been used on the auction money.
    He whirled on her now, eyes furious. “ Where’s the money? ”
    “I…” At a loss, she shook her head. “I didn’t know that was in there.”
    The cops looked at each other, faces impenetrable, their entire demeanor shifting from fairly relaxed to on guard and far more alert.
    “Oh no,” Ali told them. “This isn’t what you think. That bill wrapper must have been in there when I took the pot.”
    “So you admit to taking the pot, ma’am?” the first cop asked.
    “Well, yes, but…” She trailed off at their expressions. Clearly, they thought she was full of shit. She didn’t dare turn to look at Luke to see if he felt the same. “I didn’t steal the money,” she said, suddenly feeling very small and very alone. “I didn’t.”
    Teddy blew out a breath and shoved his fingers through his hair. “What now?” he asked the two cops.
    “Do we still have your permission to search the premises?” one of them asked her.
    “You don’t need her permission,” Teddy said. “I shared this place with her. It’s half mine. I give you permission.”
    “Wrong,” Luke said with that same steely authority in his voice. “You no longer live here or have rights to the property.”
    Again, Ali didn’t know whether to be touched or upset. She went with upset. “Search,” she said. “Please. You’ll see…”
    They started with the living