Read Online Playing With You by Cheyenne McCray - Free Book Online Page B

“How about a cup of coffee? Fresh pot.”
    He gave a nod. “You bet.”
    After she filled a Styrofoam cup with coffee and put a lid on it, she set it on the counter next to the register and rang him up. She gave him the total and he handed her a bill large enough to cover the balance.
    He took the bag and cup and glanced at the empty tables and chairs. He had the growing desire to stay and talk with her and found he didn’t want to leave. “I think I’ll eat this here.” He met her gaze then nodded toward a table. “If you’re not busy, would you like to take a load off your feet?”
    Again she looked surprised. “All right. One moment while I get a cup of tea.”
    He carried the bag and the coffee container to one of the small white tables and sat in a black chair with an ironwork back. A few moments later, Ricki carried a steaming mug to the table. A spoon handle was sticking out of the mug. She looked a little nervous as she seated herself across from him.
    “You make a damned fine éclair,” he said after he swallowed a bite. “The only thing that comes close to anything you bake was my grandma’s chocolate chunk oatmeal cookie recipe. I can still remember what they tasted like, fresh out of the oven. Chewy and gooey.”
    “It sounds good.” Ricki glanced at her cookie case. “That’s something I don’t bake here.”
    “My grandma died some time ago.” Garrett felt an ache in his heart. “I miss her like hell. She always treated me like I was her favorite. She might have treated my brothers the same way but she always made me feel special.”
    Ricki nodded. “I miss my grandma, too. She taught me a lot about baking.”
    “Madge reminds me a lot of my grandma.” Garrett gave a wry smile. “They have the same feisty nature.”
    Ricki laughed, a pretty sound that he liked. “Madge is feisty, that’s for sure. I hope I’m that dynamic when I’m her age.”
    “She’s one woman you don’t want to get on the wrong side of,” Garrett said. “She called me to get my version of our date.”
    “Oh?” Ricki sounded a little nervous.
    Garrett held back a smile. Ricki looked so damned cute. “I told Madge that I couldn’t have asked for a better blind date.”
    He liked watching how her cheeks turned a light pink. “I’m glad you think so,” she said.
    “And you?” He couldn’t help asking.
    “I enjoyed it.” She smiled. “A lot more than I thought I would.” As he took another bite of his éclair, Ricki changed the subject. “Do you go all over the state as a private investigator?”
    He set down his éclair. “Most of my cases are in Coconino and Yavapai counties, but some go further out. I chase leads where they take me. If they’re too far out, I have other investigators in the business I work with.”
    “So what kind of case were you on this week?” she asked as he took another bite of his éclair. “If you don’t mind telling me.”
    He chewed and swallowed. “A woman’s soon-to-be-ex ran off with her jewelry and all of their money so she hired me. It was my job to make sure she got it back.”
    When it came to helping a woman, he was more than determined to complete the job. He couldn’t stand to see a man walk all over a woman like his father had trampled on Garrett’s mother.
    Ricki put both her hands around her mug as if warming them. “Being a private investigator must be rewarding.”
    Garrett thought about it a moment. The relief in Jan Tunstall’s voice had given him a good feeling but that wasn’t always the case. “Sometimes.”
    Ricki tilted her head to the side. “Why just sometimes?”
    “My job deals with a lot of negativity,” he said. “My cases involve theft, missing persons, cheating spouses, unsolved crimes, criminal background checks, among other things.”
    She studied him thoughtfully. “Don’t you feel good about a case when it’s finished?”
    “Having to tell a client that his or her spouse is cheating is not what you’d call