She looked at him and saw that he had raised one brow. “Takeout or dine in?” he asked.
“Takeout,” she said immediately. “I’ve scratched the itch for now.”
He smiled crookedly. “I got another one to scratch.”
She could still blush, something she hadn’t realized. She thought she’d left that in her distant past, but there was no mistaking the heat in her cheeks. There was also no way to mistake the way his smile widened.
They skipped the steak sandwiches this time and ordered grilled chicken breasts, broccoli and baked potatoes. A meeting of minds, DeeJay thought wryly.
Excitement dogged her all the way home, even though she warned herself not to make too much of it. Cade let her be until they were back at their own kitchen table, a table that was steadily disappearing beneath papers and notes.
She pushed everything to one side while Cade apparently decided they were going to eat like civilized people. He brought out plates and cutlery and started another pot of coffee.
DeeJay went to get her tablet, and while he put the food on their plates, she started a search for Calvin Sweet in Houston and Boston. If she could find anything, she’d expand it.
Of course he didn’t pop up at the top of any list. There seemed to be a lot of Calvin Sweets in the world. She tapped her way through page after page, while she ate with one hand. Next she intended to switch to state databases.
“Going to fill me in?” Cade finally asked.
She looked up from the computer, suddenly realizing she’d broken yet another rule of partnership: sharing information. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. But something’s got you going. I’d like to hear it.”
“It’s probably nothing,” she said truthfully. “But I met a young man tonight at the crisis center. Probably in his early thirties. We had a casual conversation, and I questioned him about where he lived. Houston and Boston came up.”
He grew still. “Amazing,” he murmured.
“Too amazing, probably. But he grew up here and left for the city lights, I gather. Came back after his mother died. And he invited me out to his ranch because he has a great view of the mountains. Like I said, too amazing. Slim to unlikely. But Gage is going to look into his background. He doesn’t expect to find much because this guy’s never been in trouble with the law. But then, there’s his job application. It might reveal more.”
All of a sudden Cade was smiling broadly. “Great job, DeeJay! Great job.”
“Or maybe a waste of time and resources,” she admitted honestly. “I’m trying not to get too excited.”
“Doesn’t look like you’re quite succeeding.”
She pushed the tablet to one side and forced herself to pay attention to dinner, and to him. “Houston and Boston are big cities,” she said. “You could probably find a dozen people in this town alone who’ve been there, or even lived there. And he said he only visited Houston.”
“Did he give you any kind of vibe?”
She shook her head. “Friendly, courteous, warm. Exactly the kind of guy who would take that job. I don’t doubt for a minute he was sincere about liking to help people.”