I swallowed, trying to control the mix of emotions. “Who sent you flowers?”
“A potential donor I met today.”
I stepped away from the roses. “I see. You said detectives aren’t your type. So I gather suits are.”
She ran a hand through her hair. She was agitated. “No, that’s not what I meant.”
“So you haven’t accepted the douchebag’s invitation?”
“How do you know he’s a douchebag?”
“Wrote his position on the card wanting to impress you.” After a brief pause, I added, “Did he succeed, Paige? Are you going out with him?”
She tensed, jutting her chin forward. I could bet that she wanted to challenge me, to flip me off, tell me that it was none of my business. Hell, it was none of my business. But then she glanced straight at me, and whatever she saw in my expression made the fight go right out of her.
“No, Will. I didn’t accept the invitat
ion,” she said softly.
“And you took the flowers with you because...?”
“I’m going to be working remotely for the rest of the week. There was no point leaving the flowers at the office where no one could see them. “
I gave her a tight smile. “You said you met the guy today?”
“Yeah.”
“Damn. He moves even faster than I do.”
She chuckled. “I don’t know, Will. He hasn’t asked me to go to a wedding with him yet.”
“Have you given that more thought?” I moved closer to her.
“It’s a standing invitation?”
“Yes. Why? What did you think?”
“That you’d continue your search for a protector.”
I threw my head back, laughing. Then I moved even closer, bracing a hand on the counter right next to her waist.
“You really want me to come to the wedding?”
I nodded, waiting. Just before I’d met Paige to buy the alarm, Lori had called to ask me to give her away. I was sure she’d ask Landon, since he was the oldest and he and Val raised us. But Lori said she’d love it if I considered it, and I said yes, of course. It meant a lot to me. But I foresaw that the day would be more of an emotional roller coaster than I’d originally thought, and I wanted Paige by my side.
“I know we just met,” I said when she continued to be silent.
“Well... you did go buy an alarm with me and came by to install it. We can rule out malicious intent.” She smiled, but I detected a strange reticence in her expression.
I cocked my head. “Depends on your definition of malicious.”
“Nah, you’d make a good friend, Detective.”
A friend? That was how she was labeling this? Our bodies were almost touching. There was maybe half an inch between our hips. I’d been fighting a hard-on since I arrived. Her nipples were puckered. I could see their shape through the dress. She was leaning into me rather than away. But she’d put the friendship stamp on this for some reason.
“I’m going to do my best to get out of that thing with my high school classmates.”
“Your very best?” I insisted, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.