Page 114 of Deep Tide
Miranda beamed. “It was amazing. So relaxing. And our weather was perfect.”
“I’m glad.”
“It was wonderful to get away.” She smiled again, practically glowing. “The wedding was great, too, but not exactly relaxing. We really needed a break.”
She pulled a tea bag from her mug and set it on a napkin. Nicole eyed the bag, then studied Miranda’s face as she took a sip.
“Oh my God. You’re pregnant.”
Miranda choked. “What? Where’d you get that?” She set the mug down.
“You’re a coffee addict. Since when do you drink herbal tea at eight in the morning?”
Miranda’s cheeks flushed.
“No way. Am I right?”
“Shh.” She glanced around. “I don’t want Ryan to hear you. We haven’t told anyone yet.”
“Really?” Nicole grinned. “I can’t believe I figured it out.”
“Well, you are a detective. I told Joel that we aren’t going to be able to keep this quiet for very much longer. Everyone we know is either an investigator or nosey as hell or both.”
“Well, congratulations.” Nicole wasn’t much of a hugger, but she gave Miranda’s shoulders a squeeze.
“Really, you can’t say anything. I haven’t even told my sisters. We wanted to wait until the dust settles from the wedding. So please don’t tell anyone.”
“Tell anyone what?”
Miranda smiled. “Thank you.” She sighed. “So, how are things back here? Guess we picked a heck of a week to be gone.”
Nicole didn’t want to lay a guilt trip, but she had definitely missed them. Miranda was the only CSI on staff with Lost Beach PD, and in her absence, they’d had to call someone from the county down for every little thing.
“How’s Leyla?” Miranda asked. “I assume you’ve been talking to her?”
“Some,” Nicole said, although she hadn’t touched base with Leyla about the case in days.
“Joel’s worried about her.”
“She seems to be doing all right. I know she wasted no time getting a security system installed at the café.”
“Not just that. I hear she’s been spending time with that FBI agent. Sean Moran.”
Nicole got the distinct impression that Miranda was fishing for information.
“Have you met him?” Miranda asked.
“Yeah.”
She had no idea what, if anything, Miranda knew about the Albright case or its connection to the Saledo cartel.
“What do you think of him?” Miranda watched her over the rim of her mug as she took a sip.
It was an easy question. Nicole liked the guy. Despite her initial reservations, he was turning out to be way more helpful than the FBI agents she’d worked with last summer.
But mainly she liked that he treated her as an equal. Nicole could spot sexism a mile away, and she had grown accustomed to men talking down to her. Or worse, not talking to her at all, acting as though she were invisible.
“I like him,” Nicole said simply. “But I honestly haven’t been around him that much. What does Joel think?”
