“You stole my cereal!”
“You weren’t eating it.”
“It was still mine.”
“Oh … shut it.”
MANDY was feeling better. A lot better. Thirty-eight hours of sleep in three days will do that for you. She stilled when she hit the bottom of the staircase; not because she was surprised to see Sophie Lane, but because Grady’s body had stiffened in anticipation at the sight of her.
Well, that was interesting.
Mandy pushed past Grady and greeted Sophie. “Hey.”
Sophie’s smile was warm, but her eyes were scattered. Her attention was clearly drawn to Grady, but she was trying to pretend it wasn’t.
That was even more interesting.
Mandy didn’t know a lot about Sophie. She knew she was a reporter – arguably the best one at the Daily Tribune – but she was also notoriously private. Still, the woman was a professional – and that made Mandy like her.
Sophie greeted Mandy with a shy smile. “Hi. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“It’s been hellish,” Mandy said. “I finally feel like a human being again. Even if someone ate my Fruity Pebbles.”
Mandy noticed the blush creeping up Grady’s cheeks. “I’ll buy you another box of cereal,” he grumbled. “Stop bitching.”
Mandy glanced over at James, meeting his gaze over his desk. He saw it, too, she realized.
“What’s up, buttercup?”
Mandy’s heart swelled at the endearment. He’d been her constant companion – even when she was too embarrassed about the nonstop vomit to meet his eyes – over the past few days. Now that she was feeling better, she couldn’t help but be thankful. “I’m bored.”
James smirked. “Well, it’s Friday, and you’re off for the rest of the day,” he replied, pushing away from his desk and patting his lap enticingly. “Why don’t you come here and help us with some real work?”
Finn groaned. “Oh, please.”
“Do you have something you want to say?” James asked.
“This is just foreplay for the two of you.”
“Come here, Blondie,” James ordered.
Mandy obliged, even though she wasn’t keen on his bossy nature at times. “What are we doing?”
James settled her on his lap, making sure her back was flush with his chest, and then slid back in closer to the desk. “Sophie has some financial records we need to run.”
Mandy focused on Sophie. “Is this about the sheriff’s department corruption?”
Sophie looked unsure. “Um … .”
“You can trust Mandy,” Grady said, sliding into the space next to her and applying pressure to the small of her back to direct her further into the office. “Sit down.”
“Don’t worry,” Mandy said. “I won’t tell anyone what you’ve discovered. Their business is, well, their business. We kind of have an understanding where this stuff is concerned.”
Sophie nodded, handing the file in her hand to Grady. “These are the names you wanted.”
Grady opened the file, glanced at it, and then handed it over to James. He perched on the edge of Sophie’s chair – never touching her – but making sure to claim the space around her as his own.
Mandy dropped her head, brushing her temple against James’ hair before focusing on the file in his hands. James glanced at her but didn’t say anything, turning his attention to the file. “This is a lot of names.”
“Grady said to give you all the names of people who had access to county funds,” Sophie said, clearly unsure.
“You did good,” Grady assured her.
Mandy watched them, her eyes sharp with interest. She’d known Grady for so long she could read him like a book. As a teenager, he’d been a fun horn dog. As an adult, he was still a fun horn dog. She’d never seen him show more than one night’s interest in anyone – no matter how attractive.
Something was different here.
Mandy could read people. Sophie had always seemed aloof, like she was trying hard not to connect with people. She wasn’t unfriendly or mean – just distant. Grady, on the other hand, was overtly friendly. Although he never forged close bonds with people. He was also distant, just in a different way.
A serious study of Sophie and Grady together was telling.
There was sexual tension there – a lot of it. Mandy recognized the signs. She and James had fought the urges when they’d first found each other again. Neither Sophie nor Grady were about to admit their attraction. They were fighting it. It was kind of cute. She couldn’t help but wonder who would make the first move – because someone was definitely going to make the first move.