Threads of Suspicion(51)

He was right, and his reasoned, careful, logical summation was one of the reasons she felt so safe with him. “How long are you going to let me think about this?”

“Why don’t we talk about it again on, say, Valentine’s Day?”

He was giving her enough time to let her heart settle. “Yeah. Okay.” Her smile was full of regret. “I’m being a lot of trouble.”

He chuckled. “You’re worth it, Evie.”

She had to blink away tears. “Something inside me must be broken,” she whispered, “for this to be so difficult for me. My parents are happily married. It’s like this alien thing crept in and confused me somewhere along the line.”

He laughed at the image. “We’ll get through it.”

“I’m truly sorry for this place we’re in. I never have wanted to cause this kind of turmoil.”

“You are a bit of a distraction on occasion,” he conceded, “as my attention isn’t always focused on the meeting I’m attending. Does she, or does she not? It’s all right. Like I said, I saw the vulnerable part of you from the beginning. That it shows itself when you’re considering a change to the very center of your life doesn’t surprise me. Saying yes to marriage, reorienting your life, should be a very big deal. You are a cautious turtle in many ways—you don’t move very fast, and you hide very quickly.”

She wrinkled her nose at the image but knew he was correct. “I’m scared of getting hurt,” she whispered.

“I know.”

“Are we okay?”

“Yes.” He crossed his heart like a little boy. “Promise. We’ll settle this by Valentine’s Day. You work better with a deadline.”

She laughed, but it also made its own kind of ache that he knew her so well. “I didn’t want to talk about this tonight. I guess I’m glad we did.”

“It was time.” He leaned forward and kissed her, drew a smile. “Yes, we’re good,” he promised. He picked up the remote. “Find us a half-hour comedy. We need something to laugh at together.”

She was grateful. “Thanks.” She took the remote and began searching.



It helped, having said the words that she was okay with for now. Evie relaxed with Rob, enjoying the comfort he offered far more than the sitcom. She felt him idly twisting a lock of her hair around his finger even as he laughed with her. He was a good man—different in his priorities, his style of living, from her. But she could trust him with her heart, and that mattered most of all. If she wanted it, theirs would be a safe marriage for her. There was enormous appeal in that.

When their evening came to an end, he drew her into a hug at the door before walking her out to the car. “I love you, Evie. You know that.”

“Yes, I do.” She met his gaze, and the smile came easily. “I know that,” she repeated. “God blessed me with something truly extraordinary when you asked me out on that first date. I don’t doubt that.”

“Good.” They walked together to her car, where he took her keys to open the door, then kissed her good-night. “Text me when you arrive. When you’re halfway down the state, I don’t worry so much about you as when you’re driving across town. I know the drivers here, their bad habits.”

She laughed. “I will. Valentine’s Day is a definite, even if I have to haul myself back from the other end of the state.”

“Before that we’ll fit in a couple of dinners, lunches, walks—whatever is doable when we’re this close. I don’t apologize for wanting to make it as easy as possible for you to say yes.”

She tugged his head down and kissed him. “This matters too. I’ll see you.”

He helped her into the car, closed the door. Her return smile was a little shaky, but as she backed out, she was feeling lighter than she had been on the drive here, knowing a decision was coming . . . and when. This relationship would be settled in a matter of weeks, either moving toward a wedding or the mutual decision to move apart. Things wouldn’t be staying the same.

Finding a missing college student suddenly seemed like the much easier task.



“I didn’t expect you this early after your evening with Rob,” David said, entering the room with his mug of coffee plus one for her.

Evie glanced at the clock, saw it was just after eight. “I realized I wasn’t going to sleep in today, so I thought I might as well come in and sort some more names. Thanks for the coffee,” she added.

“I’m working through Saul’s suspended cases,” he said, “looking for one he might have shifted over to on his own time. Maybe he went from the card game in Englewood Saturday night to check out a lead on one of the suspended cases.” David gestured with his mug, not joining her at the desk as he sometimes did but not heading back to work either. “Your evening go okay?”