Bitti put her hands on Safara’s shoulders, her pale gray eyes filled with sympathy. “From what I understand, he’s already brushed up against our truth twice already. I sure don’t see him running in the other direction.”
Could she be right?
“But Dad said—”
Bitti cut her off. “He’s just reacting like any other father does when he sees a man he doesn’t know sniffing around his daughter. Trust me, if Eli turns out to be the right man for you, your dad will eventually come around. He also knows that if it hadn’t been for Eli, we would’ve lost Halder today. That will count for a lot with him when he’s had time to think things through.”
Her aunt brushed a lock of Safara’s hair back from her face. “What’s more important is that you can’t live your whole life not taking chances, not trusting anyone outside of our little circle. If it doesn’t work out between the two of you, so be it. But do you really want to give up on the possibility that he might make you happy without ever giving the two of you a chance?”
Safara glanced Eli’s direction and could feel the weight of his green-eyed gaze from all the way down the hall and drew comfort from it. Which, on reflection, gave her the answer to her aunt’s question.
She gave Bitti one last hug and drew a deep breath before starting toward Eli. Painfully aware of how rumpled she must look, she wished she could stop by her house long enough to change out of her uniform. There wasn’t time for that. Besides, he looked a bit worse for the wear himself, a reminder that neither of them had had an easy day.
A few laughs and maybe some of Ronnie’s pie would do them both some good. After that, well, they would see where the rest of the evening took them. Just that quickly, a renewed surge of energy danced through her veins, and her feet picked up the pace to close the distance between them.
8
When Safara started down the hall, Eli slowly straightened up and waited for her to reach him. What was she thinking about so hard? Nothing pleasant, if he had to guess. He hadn’t been able to make out what Jakes said to her right after Eli walked out of Halder’s room, but there’d been no mistaking the man’s tone for anything other than anger mixed with a heavy dose of suspicion. By the time Safara had started talking, Eli had been too far down the hall for him to get a solid read on her response.
Was she trying to come up with an excuse to blow off their dinner date? He hoped not, but he’d understand if she was ready to call it a day. Regardless, he’d insist on stopping by the diner to pick up some food to go. She needed more than the crappy sandwiches they’d eaten earlier to replenish the energy she’d burned stressing about her grandfather.
When she closed about half the distance between them, her entire demeanor suddenly changed. It was if she’d somehow shaken off the dark cloud of worry that had been hovering over her for hours. Her smile seemed more genuine, and there was new pep in her step. Whatever had changed her mood must have been catching, because he was feeling it, too.
“Ready to escape?”
“Yeah, I most definitely am.”
To prove her point, she hit the elevator button four times as if that would make it appear faster. He understood her attitude. He’d never spent a day in a hospital, but he’d visited enough friends over the years to have had his fill of the funky medicinal smells, not to mention the pall cast by years of illness and pain. As soon as they stepped outside into the cool evening air, a heavy weight slid off his shoulders. He suspected Safara felt that way, too. She paused to draw several deep breaths as if clearing her lungs.
“Do you want to ride with me or take both vehicles?”
She looped her arm through his as they headed out into the parking lot. “Why don’t you follow me to the station to drop off the cruiser. Then we can go to the diner together. Afterward, you can give me a lift home. It won’t be much out of your way.”
Like he cared how far it was. The farther the better if it meant more time in her company. “Sounds good.”
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATERfound the two of them studying menus in a booth in the far back corner of the diner. Ronnie himself came over to take their orders.
“Deputy Dennell, good to see you.” Then he gave Eli an assessing look and wiped his hand on his apron before holding it out. “We’ve haven’t met. I’m Ronnie Alden, owner and chef.”
The man’s grip was strong and his attitude straightforward. “Eli Jervain. I’m new in the area, but I’m already a huge fan of your peach pie. I can’t wait to try some of the others.”
Ronnie grinned. “Hey, Safara, I like this guy.”
They quickly gave him their orders and waited in companionable silence until he brought their drinks. As Eli looked around, it was obvious that most of the people scattered around the diner knew each other. Back before his life spun out of control, he might’ve found the curious looks sent their way amusing. Now, with everything that had happened, he wished the whole damn bunch would mind their own business.
She must have picked up on his discomfort. “They’ll quit staring eventually.”
“You’d think they’d never seen a stranger before.”
“It’s not that. A lot of strangers pass through town on their way up and down from the pass.” Her eyes took on a teasing twinkle. “They’re not used to seeing me having dinner with a strange man, especially a handsome one.”
He liked knowing she found him attractive, but it was hard to believe she didn’t have every eligible man within fifty miles hot on her trail. “Why not?”
Her pale skin flushed rosy. “I don’t date much.”
It was tempting to press for details, but he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He felt obliged to share a bit of his own past. “Me, either. Too many deployments and transfers, never spending much time in any one place.”
Ronnie was back with their dinners, and they concentrated on eating. It would’ve been a grave insult to the man’s culinary skills to let the food get cold. They were on their second cup of coffee and waiting for their desserts to arrive before they started talking again.
