HOLDING A CARDBOARD box full of clothing with both arms, Lana used her foot to knock on the front door of her new home. Since they didn’t have living room furniture yet, Chip had to be in his bedroom, reading, so he might not hear her. She’d texted him that she was on her way. He hadn’t answered, but she knew he always turned off his phone while studying.
She glanced at his car in the driveway, which confirmed he had to be inside. Hopefully he’d made her a set of keys by now. She kicked again, louder this time, and shifted the box in her arms.
The situation with her take-home police car sucked big-time. God, she’d hated leaving that brand-new marked cruiser in the parking lot of her apartment, but it couldn’t be helped. She’d loaded her private vehicle with clothing and other boxes of necessities for the drive here. She’d have to retrieve her cruiser every morning on her way to the station house, which would add over an hour to her commute.
And of course she’d had to change out of her uniform, into jeans and a casual blouse. She always felt fifty pounds lighter after removing her gun belt, but she’d tucked her service weapon inside her purse. She’d have to keep uniforms at her apartment and change every morning.
When she’d first come up with this brilliant idea, she hadn’t realized how logistically difficult it would be to keep the fact that she was a cop from her subject.
Chip flung open the front door. He wore shorts and a T-shirt that outlined his muscled shoulders. His sun-streaked blond hair hadn’t been combed in a while. When his sharp blue gaze fell to the box in her arms, he immediately grabbed it from her.
“Thanks,” Lana said as she followed him inside, her steps echoing strangely in the empty living room. One of the first things they needed to do was get some furniture.
“Are there more boxes in the car?” Chip asked when he returned from her bedroom.
“A lot.”
“Did you bring a TV?” he asked hopefully.
“I’ll need your help with that. It’s heavy.”
He grinned, the first time since she’d arrived. “Next trip.”
Chip handed her a key to the front door, and for the next half hour, they worked together to carry boxes from her car into her bedroom. By the time they were finished, she needed another shower. Lana entered the kitchen, looking for something cold to drink, but realized she’d need to unpack a glass. She opened the refrigerator and found Chip had already purchased a few staples, including bottled water.
“Can I have one of your waters?” she asked.
“You don’t have to ask.”
“We’ll need to work out a system to split expenses,” Lana said after a long drink of cool liquid.
Chip nodded. “I hope you brought some dishes.”
“No worries,” she said. “I have what we need to stock our kitchen in one of those boxes.”
Our kitchen. She swallowed at the renewed realization she was playing house with Chip Peterson. Now that this was actually happening, why did this situation seem so much more... She shook her head, trying to figure out how it felt.
Intimate.
Chip gave her a funny look. Was he thinking the same thing, feeling off balance? They were awkward around each other, but that was to be expected.
“What time are we due at Bubba’s?” he asked.
Lana pulled her phone from her back pocket. “I’ve got time to take a shower.” She paused. She now had a roommate and needed to be considerate. Sharing a bathroom was likely to be their biggest challenge.
“Unless you want to go first?” she asked.
“I’m good,” Chip said. “You go ahead.”
LANA WAS RELIEVED when Chip offered to drive. She’d been behind the wheel of her new vehicle all day, learning its features and feeling nervous about getting a ding. Now she wanted to strategize how to play the evening, how best to maneuver the conversation to Danny’s murder and Bubba’s alibi.
She’d need Chip’s help with that, but he drove without speaking, his gaze focused on the road ahead, and she couldn’t read his mood. Was he angry with her about something again? For all she knew, this was the way Chip always behaved. Maybe the guy was tired after studying all day. Maybe he was sorry he’d agreed to this op tonight.
She needed to snap him out of whatever funk he was in, or else the evening would be a disaster.
“Are the Dolphins favored to win?” she asked. Football seemed a safe subject.
“I don’t know,” he responded.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m just trying to figure out what the hell we’re doing.”
“You know what we’re doing.”
“Spying on old friends?”
“We’re determining if Bubba’s alibi the night of the murder holds up.”
“What was his alibi again?” Chip asked.
“He says he spent the night with Tina, which makes this our perfect opportunity. They’ll be relaxed after a few beers, their guard down, and one of them more likely to make a mistake.”
“If they’re lying,” Chip said. “Maybe they’ve been telling the truth.”
“I hope so.”
He shot her a look. “Do you?”
“Yes, of course. Tina was a good friend. If she lied for Bubba, she lied to the police, and that’s a crime.”
Chip braked in front of Bubba’s address but kept staring straight ahead. “Okay. So, what do you expect me to do?”
“For one thing, you’re going to have to act like you at least like me,” she said.
“Trust me,” he said, “I’ll be friendly.”
“Friendly?” Lana brushed lint off her pants, unable to meet his gaze. “I was hoping you might, you know, kiss me.”
When he didn’t reply, she shot him a look. He leered at her with one of his daredevil grins.
“And just how often do you want me to kiss you, Officer Lettino?”
She felt embarrassed having to ask Chip to kiss her, but knew if they didn’t plan their actions ahead of time, they wouldn’t fool anybody.
“Well, at least once,” she said.
“I don’t know. Are you sure that’s enough?”
“If you make it look real, like you enjoy kissing me.”
“Oh, I’m going to enjoy kissing you.”
She felt a smile form. Me, too.
“But maybe we should practice,” Chip suggested. He leaned toward her. “So we don’t mess up.”
She met his bright blue gaze and couldn’t look away. “Okay,” she whispered, and suddenly very much wanted to kiss Chip.
He cupped her face, lightly stroking her cheek with his thumb, and then his lips were on hers, his tongue exploring her mouth, and everything was all too real. Too intense. Too wonderful. She felt the heat, the strength of Chip’s body as he urged her closer to him. A tug of arousal pulled at her lower belly and expanded into her entire body. She raised her arms to his neck and scooted toward him, wanting this connection to go on forever.
But he pulled back. When she opened her eyes, he smiled at her.
“Not bad for a first attempt,” he said, brushing hair away from her cheek with a featherlight touch.
She swallowed. What had just happened?
“I think we’re ready,” he said.
Chip opened his door, planted his feet on the ground and extended a hand toward her.
Lana remained frozen, stunned by her reaction to his kiss.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go in.”
She grabbed his hand and jumped out of the truck.
He took her arm and moved them toward the house. Her thoughts tumbling, Lana searched for something to say.
But what was there to say after a kiss like that? Wow.
Bubba threw open his front door and spread his arms wide. “Dudes!”
Lana forced herself to breathe deeply and smiled at their host. She needed to focus.
Bubba had always reminded her of a big, cuddly panda bear. But bears had claws, right? Bubba had no clue she was investigating a cold case or that he was a suspect.
Tina came forward and gave her a hug. Over her shoulder, Lana spotted a giant flat-screen television. The sound was muted, but sportscasters chatted at a desk, and a football field filled the background.
“I’m so glad we decided to do this,” Tina said.
“Me, too,” Lana said. “Thanks for having us over.”
“It’ll be fun. Kickoff is in ten minutes. Can you guys wait until halftime to eat?”
“Sure,” Lana said.
“We’re having Tina’s famous chili,” Bubba said.
“Of course, we’ll have snacks,” Tina said. “Little quiches. But what can I get you to drink?”
“Do you have any white wine?” Lana asked.
“You bet. How about you, Chip?” she called out.
“A beer would be awesome,” he said.
“Coming up,” Bubba said and moved into the kitchen.
Chip appeared beside her and wrapped a possessive arm around her shoulders. When she raised her gaze to his, he lowered his head and gave her another long, scorching kiss.
Heat flooded her treacherous body. His kisses changed everything she ever thought she knew about Chip Peterson. For one thing, The Chipper really knew how to kiss. Or she’d never been kissed by anyone who knew what he was doing.
“Good job,” Chip murmured, his breath soft on her mouth as he pulled away.
When Lana opened her eyes, Tina beamed at them. “So, you finally scored with Lana, huh, Chip?”
“Took him long enough,” Bubba said, reentering the room. He handed her a glass of wine and a beer to Chip, who’d lost his cocky grin.
Lana watched Chip take a pull on his beer. What were Tina and Bubba going on about? Chip hadn’t wanted to date her in high school. He’d never once asked her out. She’d wanted to go out with him, had always wondered why he had never asked.
Until the fight with her brother, and then she’d gotten it.
“Good things come to those who wait,” Tina said.
Before Lana could pose a question, a buzzer sounded in the kitchen.
“Oh, my tiny quiches are ready.” Tina scurried away.
“Who is going to start at running back tonight?” Chip asked Bubba, gesturing with his beer toward the television.
“The rookie, I think,” Bubba answered, moving with Chip toward the sofa. He raised the remote control and the sound blared.
Lana narrowed her eyes. Nicely done, Chip. She recognized a deft change of topic when she saw one.
“Do you need any help, Tina?” Lana asked.
She and Chip apparently had a lot to talk about when they got home.
“I KNOW HE was your brother, Lana,” Tina said, “And I’m sorry he’s dead, but I thought Dan was a brat.”
Chip shot Lana a glance to judge her reaction while Bubba placed a hand on Tina’s arm. Probably to stop her from saying more.
Once the game was over—a huge blowout for the home team—Lana managed to maneuver the conversation to Danny. This was her plan, and now she had to pay the consequences.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” she asked after a long moment of silence, her eyes wide with obvious surprise.
Tina and Bubba exchanged a look. Bubba shook his head slightly.
Tina pursed her lips and sat back on the sofa. Reluctantly, in Chip’s opinion. Her husband had effectively warned her off saying more. Did this couple have something to hide? Or maybe Dan had come on to Tina. He’d hit on most of the cheerleaders at one time or another.
“What does it matter now?” Tina murmured.
“I guess it doesn’t.” Lana sipped her wine. “Do you remember where you were the night Danny died?” she asked softly.
Chip rubbed the back of his neck. Here we go. It’d taken all night, but she’d finally gotten around to confirming Bubba’s alibi. How would their hosts react?
“Oh, yeah,” Tina said, her good mood mysteriously restored by the question. “That’s a night I will never forget.” She punched her husband’s arm. “Right, Bubba?”
A huge grin split the linebacker’s face. “You got that right, babe.”
Chip leaned forward. “What was going on that you two remember that night so well?”
Tina’s cheeks flushed pink. “We made love,” she said with an adoring gaze at her husband. “Our first time. Bubba was leaving soon for football practice at USF, and I wanted to make sure he didn’t forget me.”
Bubba kissed the top of her head. “As if.”
What was the appropriate response to that revelation? Certainly not a high five with his old teammate. Congratulations didn’t sound fitting, either, although they’d just effectively taken Bubba out of the suspect category. No question Tina’s spontaneous memory was the real thing.
“I surprised him with a night at the Biltmore Hotel, and he proposed over breakfast,” she continued dreamily. “We had real champagne.”
“And then the next afternoon we heard about Danny,” Bubba said, shaking his head. “Life can sure change directions on a dime.”
Silence descended over the group. Lana blinked rapidly and appeared on the verge of tears. Time to get her out of here. She’d gotten what she wanted.
Chip cleared his throat. “Hey, it’s late, guys.” He placed his beer on the table beside him. “Thanks for everything, but we’d better take off.”
Lana stood. “Yes, thank you. We’ll have you over for a game as soon as we get some furniture.”
“And a television,” Bubba warned.
The minute Chip slid behind the wheel, Lana turned toward him. “Do you believe them?”
“Yes. Don’t you?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “Although, if possible, I intend to confirm they had a room at the Biltmore.”
“Whatever,” Chip said, expecting her next question to be what Tina had meant about finally scoring. He’d forgotten Bubba had known about his feelings for Lana. Feelings that had now escalated thanks to a couple of steamy kisses.
Jeez. How many times had he fantasized about kissing Lana in high school? Trouble was, now he wanted a lot more than kisses.
When he started the truck and pulled away, she faced the front again. After a few blocks she said, “Was the evening that horrible for you?”
Chip shrugged. “No, actually I had a good time. I didn’t think I would, but I did.”
“Me, too,” she said.
“Until you got sad about Dan.”
She shifted toward him again. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t try to pretend. You were about to cry in there.”
She released a breath. “You’d be a good detective.”
“What upset you?”
She didn’t answer immediately. He shot her a glance. This was a conversation they needed to have.
“It’s just...how could I have been so blind?” she murmured. “Even Tina—who I swear likes everybody—couldn’t stand Dan. Why didn’t I know that?”
Chip stopped in front of their new home and turned to meet her gaze. He’d asked himself the same question a thousand times over the years.
“I wish someone would have told me,” she said. “Maybe I could have talked to my brother.”
Yeah, right. “Come on, Lana. He was who he was.”
“You should have told me.”
“You and I barely spoke senior year.”
“Because you and Dan weren’t friends anymore.” Searching his face, she said, “After your fight, he told me to stay away from you. Did you know that?”
“I knew it.”
“I missed hanging out with you,” she said.
“Yeah. Me, too.”
Beside him, Lana remained quiet. He released his seat belt, but didn’t exit the truck.
What would have happened if he had told Lana that her brother was as big a bully as her father, that he’d been afraid that her brother would hit her, hurt her? She wouldn’t have believed him. Or she would have hated the messenger. Their friendship would have still been over.
But maybe he should have tried. She was right. Someone should have told her.
“Do you know why Tina didn’t get along with Dan?” she asked.
“No,” he replied. “Probably because Bubba didn’t. You should have asked her.”
“I almost did, but didn’t want to get sidetracked.” After a pause she murmured, “Why didn’t I see Danny the way everyone else did?”
“He was your brother,” Chip said. “I’m just glad he didn’t bully you.”
“I feel pretty stupid.”
He looked away from her, hating to see her so subdued. “You were a kid, Lana. Kids make mistakes.”
“Mistakes. Right.” She nodded and swiveled her head to look at Gary’s home.
Chip followed her gaze. Light blazed brightly behind the living room curtain.
“But I’m not giving up,” she said. “Bringing a murderer to justice is never a mistake, no matter who the victim is.”
Chip didn’t respond, but seriously wished she would give up.
“Did I ever tell you about all the support groups I attended?” she asked.
“No.”
“For years after Dan’s death, I met with others who had lost loved ones to violent crimes. Mostly it was parents, but some spouses and siblings. My mother refused to go. The ones who handled their loss best were those where the perpetrators had been found and sentenced.”
“Makes sense.” At least she’d gotten some type of counseling. He hadn’t known that.
She turned to look at him again. “I became a cop to solve Dan’s murder, yes, but also for all of those other grief-stricken people who needed closure. And for my mother. I promised her I wouldn’t stop until I brought Dan’s murderer to trial.”
She released her seat belt, but wrapped her arms around her middle and made no further move to exit the truck.
“I shouldn’t have involved you in my investigation,” she said.
“Why not?”
“I’m afraid it’s going to ruin our friendship a second time.”
“Yeah, well, I was seriously pissed that you thought I was a murderer.”
“I know.”
“Am I still a suspect?” he asked. “Did you ask me to move in so you could keep an eye on me, too?”
“No.” She answered without hesitation and motioned toward Gary’s home. “After tonight, I’m concentrating on our new neighbor.”
Chip searched her face and decided he believed her.
“So, what did Tina mean about you finally scoring with me?” she asked.
Chip released a breath. He was ready for the question. He’d decided to be honest with her. It was time.
He stared straight ahead, wishing things had gone down differently eight years ago. “I was crazy about you all through high school, Lana. And most of the team knew it.”
Her eyes widened. “You were?”
“Yeah.”
“But you never asked me out.”
He shook his head. “Dan warned me off.”
She recoiled. “Even before your fight?”
“Yes.”
“I never knew,” she said softly.
“Dan made sure you didn’t.”
“Tell me what happened between you and Danny.”
He hesitated. They were clearing the air. Maybe he should tell her. Why not?
No, not tonight. She’d already cried over her brother once.
“Let’s go inside, Lana. It’s been a long day. We’ll both feel better after some sleep.”