“The shark movie? You’ve gotta be kidding. It’s over thirty years old.”
“I know. Ever seen it?”
“No.”
“I can’t believe you’ve never seen Jaws. I’ve seen it umpteen times on TV but never on the big screen.” He reached for the door handle again, then winked at her. “You can hang on to me if you get scared.”
She regarded him with gentle amusement. “What am I going to do with you?”
He raised his brows a couple of times in rapid succession, his voice seductive. “I have a list.”
She snorted, then inclined her head toward the front of the courthouse where Alice stood watching them. “Uh-oh. Busted.”
“Aw, hell.” Eyes closed, he shook his head in defeat. “You may as well know what everyone else does. Eva’s been matchmaking for months.” He turned back toward his secretary who watched them intently. “Alice will have a field day with this.”
She turned in the seat, her knee brushing his. “How could she make something out of us just sitting here?”
He laughed. Really laughed for the first time in a long time and it felt wonderful. “You do realize that by the time you get back, it will be all over town we were necking in the courthouse parking lot.”
“What?”
“Darlin’, this is small town East Texas where, murder notwithstanding, nothing interesting ever happens. And when something does, everyone puts their own spin on it before they pass it on to someone else. I know you’ve heard some of the altered versions going around about what happened between me and Jack at the creek.”
“Surely it won’t be so bad.”
He settled his hat on his head, mouth tight. “Just wait.” He got out and started up the sidewalk.
“Dee!”
He turned back to the driver’s side window.
“You forgot your phone.”
He took it from her, allowing his fingers to lightly brush hers, enjoying how her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. “Call me.”
He dropped the phone in his pocket and strolled away whistling. Alice could make what she wanted to of it.
“Got the pictures back from Harvey over at the Gazette.” Jimmy handed Coop the envelope. “Did you know he was a forensic photographer back east before he came here?”
“News to me.” Coop took the envelope and quickly sifted through the shots, using the dates stamped on them to separate the crime scene photos from Sam’s personal ones.
“Yeah. Got tired of it and ended up here ten years ago. He said Sunshine did a good job on the photos.”
Coop’s jaw clenched at Jimmy using the nickname he gave Sam, but he kept any comments to himself.
The deputy didn’t appear to notice his boss’s displeasure as he left the room.
Coop pulled the papers from his inbox as his phone rang. A quick glance at caller ID and he smiled. “Hiya, Doc.”
“Checking in as ordered, sir.”
He liked that sassiness in her voice. “Any problems finding the place?”
“Nope. As I said, your directions were very explicit.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Haven’t seen her yet. Thought I’d better call you first so you wouldn’t get your shorts in a knot.”
He leaned back in his chair, mood suddenly cheerful. “I appreciate your concern for the state of my shorts.”
Her heavy sigh made him laugh out loud. “Can’t help it, Doc. You give me too much ammunition.”
“Yeah, well, it’s obvious I’m off my game, but I will do better.”
He enjoyed the gentle sparring and decided she did as well. “I’ll play any game you want to play.”
She tried to sound peeved, but he heard the smile in her voice. “I’ll call you when I’m headed back to town.”
“Have fun with Big Mama.”
“Yeah, right. Later.”
He ended the call and turned his attention back to comparing the photos Sam took to the digital ones taken by him. His admiration grew as he noted the details she captured.
