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was also the hope that I would give the fans of the show that same escape my mom enjoyed. It’s good for the soul.”
    “Really?” He flashed her a grin. “Is that according to Lauren Marie Woods or Dr. Loveless? What about those of us who prefer other ways to escape?”
    “To each his own. I’m sure you wouldn’t choose a daytime drama as an escape any more than I’d choose a firing range.”
    “A firing range is a fun way to kill a couple of hours.”
    “The only thing I ever got from a firing range was a sore shoulder and a headache.”
    “Wait a second,” he gave her a long look while they waited for a traffic light to change. “When have you been on a firing range?”
    “Growing up in Kansas involved plenty of target practice starting with a .22 rifle. I learned how to carry and fire a Glock 9 millimeter for my second movie. Directors are all about making a character believable for the audience. I’ve studied psychology relentlessly for my role on
Harper Cove
.”
    He shifted in his seat and checked the mirrors. “You think the audience really believes you know anything about being a psychologist?”
    “I hope they do. Anything less would ruin their experience with
Harper Cove
.”
    He shook his head. “That’s pretty sad.”
    Once again, his attitude was starting to annoy her. She crossed her arms over her chest. “What bothers you more, that I get paid to pretend to be someone else or that people like me?”
    “Neither.”
    “You are so full of crap,” she replied.
    “Is that a professional assessment, doctor?”
    “Call it a friendly diagnosis from a girl with daddy issues.”
    He pulled into the driveway and hit the button to raise the garage door. “Your old man doesn’t approve of your career choice?” he asked as he cut the engine.
    She held his gaze, wondering why she felt compelled to answer such a personal question. “He does not. He also didn’t approve of the way I slipped out from under his thumb and dropped out of college.” She released her seatbelt and climbed out of the car. “I paid him back for the tuition costs, with interest, but some people cut ties forever.” She rolled her shoulders, mentally dropping the weight of her past. “I haven’t seen him since my mom died.”
    “I guess we have something in common.” He closed his door and hit lock.
    “Your mom died?”
    He shook his head. “The dad part. Mine’s a judgmental, unforgiving—”
    “But you still love him anyway,” Lauren interrupted.
    Mike stared at her for a long moment before answering. “Something like that.” He unlocked the door and disarmed the security system. “Claudia should have suspect photos ready for you by now,” he said as they walked inside and he reset the system.
    “Great.”
No reason to be scared of mug shots
. “And after that?” Inside the house, she didn’t need the thick cardigan sweater anymore, but she snuggled into it for comfort.
    “One step at a time.”
    It wasn’t exactly the answer she’d wanted to hear but at least it was progress. They were moving forward.

 

Chapter Five
    While Lauren prepared lunch, Mike dove into the reports Claudia had compiled. The news was disturbing and he wasn’t looking forward to briefing Lauren. Rather than ruin her appetite, he returned to the kitchen and shared the meal with her. The pantry and fridge had been stocked while they were out so Lauren had made tasty salads. Mike wasn’t a big salad man, but he had to admit the berries and nuts gave this one just the right crunch and flavors. After they’d cleaned up, he had no choice but to give her the bad news.
    He brought his laptop to the kitchen island. “Have a seat.”
    When she’d settled on a stool, he sank onto the one next to her. He ignored the way his body reacted to her nearness. Truth was, she had gotten into his head like no other woman. He wanted to believe she knew the right keywords from her psych research, but after learning they shared a history of