“Please, call me Robert.” His face lit up as he pointed to his fiancée. “This is Rochelle.”
Reaching for her hand, I gave her a warm smile. “It’s a pleasure.”
“Same here. Thank you so much for helping to clear Robert’s name.”
A sinking feeling hit me in the chest. This girl was counting on us to keep her future husband from going to jail.
My father pulled out a chair for me. “Here you go, sweetheart.”
I thanked him and took a seat. “Dad? Are you staying here during lunch?”
“I invited him, if that’s all right? Captain Adams was one of the first captains I worked under.”
I shrugged. “If you don’t mind him being here while I ask questions, then neither do I.”
Pulling out my notebook and the few files I had, I’d just started to talk when the waitress showed up. “Hey, Captain Adams! How’s it going down at the station? Haven’t seen you guys in here in a while.”
With a huge grin, he replied, “It’s going good. Yeah, the boys have been keeping busy.”
She chuckled. “Well, tell Colton and Finn that Kate said hi.”
Instantly I froze.
“Colton and Finn, huh?” my father stated. “Them boys hang out here a lot?”
The waitress shrugged. “They’ll usually come in when their shift is over, either to grab a drink or some food. They haven’t been in here in a few weeks, though.”
Swallowing hard, I cleared my throat, getting her attention. “May I please have a Diet Coke?”
“Sure. Are you going to eat?”
I knew with my father sitting here I had no choice but to eat. So much for a getting in and out.
“Sure. I’ll take a bowl of clam chowder, please.”
Her eyebrows wiggled. “Great choice. Captain Adams?”
“I’ll have the chowder and the lobster roll.”
Robert and Rochelle each ordered a bowl of chowder and a salad.
After writing our order down, the waitress glanced around the table. “I’ll get this put in with the other order.”
Once she walked off, I got back to where I left off.
“Robert, I understand you volunteered at the Boston Public Library during reading time.”
He nodded. “Yeah. How did you know?”
“The children’s librarian told me.”
“Do you volunteer there too?”
Oh shit. Here we go again.
Chapter 21
Rory