Read Online Within Striking Distance by Ingrid Weaver - Free Book Online
Authors: Ingrid Weaver
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against the desk beside his hip and crossed his arms. “Now it’s your turn. Why did you want to see me? Did you think of something else about your adoption?”
She didn’t want to change the subject, but she could see by the look on his face he was finished talking about himself. She didn’t push. Even though he’d spoken casually about his injury, it was likely a sensitive topic. “No, I didn’t remember anything else. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be out of town next week.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have a catalogue shoot in Rome.”
“Georgia?”
“No, Rome, Italy.”
“Wow. That’s impressive.”
“It’s not as glamorous as it sounds. I do a lot of catalogue work in Europe. They’re always looking for new faces.” She dug through the purse that she’d left on the chair. “Here’s my agent’s number,” she said, drawing out a business card. “On the back I’ve written the number of the foreign agency that booked the shoot. One of them will know the address of the models’ apartment.”
“Models’ apartment?”
“It’s usually a condo that’s owned by the agency. They rent it to models coming in from out of town. It’s a convenient arrangement all around.”
He stretched forward and took the card. His fingers brushed hers.
And just like that, her excuse for coming to the office fell apart. It had seemed reasonable when she’d been on her way here, even though she could easily have given him this information over the phone.
Fine, maybe she’d simply wanted to see him. Feel the little tingles when he touched her. Watch the dimple in his cheek deepen with his smile. Hear the calm strength in his voice…
“Thanks.”
She pulled back her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, impatient with herself. Finding her birth family was her priority. Simply because she was developing a crush on the detective who might accomplish that didn’t mean she’d forgotten. “It’s in case you need to get in touch with me.”
“Right. That’s good thinking.”
“Do you think you might?”
“What?”
“Need to get in touch with me.”
Jake slipped the card into his shirt pocket. “Is this your way of asking if I’ve made progress?”
“Only if you’re not going to start into another lecture about not getting my hopes up.”
He gestured toward the armchairs, inviting her to sit. “I’m only concerned about you, Becky,” he said.
She left her bag on the chair seat and perched on the armso her gaze was more or less level with Jake’s. “Yes, and I understand you’ve got a protective nature. You look out for your clients the same way you used to look out for your little brothers. But as much as I used to long for siblings, I don’t really need you to be my big brother, Jake.”
He recrossed his arms over his chest. “I assure you, Becky, I don’t regard you as my sister. And, yes, I’ve made considerable progress.”
“You have? What did you find?”
“At this stage, it’s more a matter of what I’m not finding.”
“What do you mean?”
“There still is nothing to rule you out as Gina.”
She frowned. “Is that what you’ve been trying to do? Rule me out?”
“It’s how I’ve been investigating all the claimants. It’s the quickest way to the truth.”
“I would have thought a DNA test would be the quickest way.”
He shook his head. “It’s not like TV shows, Becky. Thanks to what law enforcement people call the CSI Effect, everyone expects science to solve cases rather than old-fashioned detective work, so there are serious backlogs at most analytical laboratories. In real life, unless it’s a medical emergency or there’s some other way to jump the queue, it can take several weeks to get the results of a DNA test.”
“My friend, Nicole Foster, is a doctor. I’m sure she’d help.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. But besides the wait time, I’d need to get a sample to compare your DNA to, and I don’t want to alert
She didn’t want to change the subject, but she could see by the look on his face he was finished talking about himself. She didn’t push. Even though he’d spoken casually about his injury, it was likely a sensitive topic. “No, I didn’t remember anything else. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be out of town next week.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have a catalogue shoot in Rome.”
“Georgia?”
“No, Rome, Italy.”
“Wow. That’s impressive.”
“It’s not as glamorous as it sounds. I do a lot of catalogue work in Europe. They’re always looking for new faces.” She dug through the purse that she’d left on the chair. “Here’s my agent’s number,” she said, drawing out a business card. “On the back I’ve written the number of the foreign agency that booked the shoot. One of them will know the address of the models’ apartment.”
“Models’ apartment?”
“It’s usually a condo that’s owned by the agency. They rent it to models coming in from out of town. It’s a convenient arrangement all around.”
He stretched forward and took the card. His fingers brushed hers.
And just like that, her excuse for coming to the office fell apart. It had seemed reasonable when she’d been on her way here, even though she could easily have given him this information over the phone.
Fine, maybe she’d simply wanted to see him. Feel the little tingles when he touched her. Watch the dimple in his cheek deepen with his smile. Hear the calm strength in his voice…
“Thanks.”
She pulled back her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, impatient with herself. Finding her birth family was her priority. Simply because she was developing a crush on the detective who might accomplish that didn’t mean she’d forgotten. “It’s in case you need to get in touch with me.”
“Right. That’s good thinking.”
“Do you think you might?”
“What?”
“Need to get in touch with me.”
Jake slipped the card into his shirt pocket. “Is this your way of asking if I’ve made progress?”
“Only if you’re not going to start into another lecture about not getting my hopes up.”
He gestured toward the armchairs, inviting her to sit. “I’m only concerned about you, Becky,” he said.
She left her bag on the chair seat and perched on the armso her gaze was more or less level with Jake’s. “Yes, and I understand you’ve got a protective nature. You look out for your clients the same way you used to look out for your little brothers. But as much as I used to long for siblings, I don’t really need you to be my big brother, Jake.”
He recrossed his arms over his chest. “I assure you, Becky, I don’t regard you as my sister. And, yes, I’ve made considerable progress.”
“You have? What did you find?”
“At this stage, it’s more a matter of what I’m not finding.”
“What do you mean?”
“There still is nothing to rule you out as Gina.”
She frowned. “Is that what you’ve been trying to do? Rule me out?”
“It’s how I’ve been investigating all the claimants. It’s the quickest way to the truth.”
“I would have thought a DNA test would be the quickest way.”
He shook his head. “It’s not like TV shows, Becky. Thanks to what law enforcement people call the CSI Effect, everyone expects science to solve cases rather than old-fashioned detective work, so there are serious backlogs at most analytical laboratories. In real life, unless it’s a medical emergency or there’s some other way to jump the queue, it can take several weeks to get the results of a DNA test.”
“My friend, Nicole Foster, is a doctor. I’m sure she’d help.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. But besides the wait time, I’d need to get a sample to compare your DNA to, and I don’t want to alert
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