Still, Raven had handled Heather like an expert.
“You’d make a mighty fine detective,” he said when he and Raven were alone in her office again.
She was writing some questions and answers down in a notebook and glanced up at him.
She shrugged. “I like true crime and crime fiction television.”
He smiled. “It happens to be one of my favorite genres to watch too.” He leaned forward. “What’s next, partner?”
She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. “Now, I suppose we let your uncle see what he can come up with.”
He stood up, waking Blue, who was fast asleep on the sofa next to him.
“Everyone claims they saw your aunt leave yesterday right after you did.” He leaned on the edge of her desk.
“Yeah.” She turned towards him. “And no one saw her or anyone out of the ordinary head up the west building’s elevator.” She walked over to the window and looked out. He watched her in silence. After a moment, she turned back to him. “I need a few basic things in town, a new room to stay in, and then some food. Up for a trip into town?”
He thought about spending the rest of the day shopping with her for cloths, toiletries. Normally, he would have searched for any excuse to bow out. But just thinking about her alone, exposed, in town, had him agreeing quickly.
After a quick stop to drop Blue off at home, they headed to the town’s main street, where more than a dozen small shops kept the townspeople in the latest fashions and home supplies.
Growing up with his gran and his mother, he’d spent many hours trailing behind a woman while she looked for items. With experience, he’d learned how to answer any of what he called their trick questions.
“Do you like this color?”
“Would this color look good on me?”
“Do you think these shoes go with this outfit?”
He had a standard answer for every last one and had been fully prepared to supply Raven with his, ‘opinions.’
But Raven was very focused, and he had a difficult time keeping up with her. She’d taken a shopping cart and had started quickly placing items into it. About the only thing she was checking was the sizes of the items.
He wanted to tell her to slow down, to try on a few items, but he had to admit, the things she was picking out were nice. Very nice.
He tried to keep his tongue in his mouth when he watched her toss a sexy red dress and matching panties and bra set into the cart.
Before he knew it, she was standing at the checkout paying for everything, and his mind was still stuck on imagining her in the little number.
“That’s it?” he asked as he helped her cart the bags to her car.
“Hm?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder.
“That’s how you shop? You didn’t even try anything on,” he practically whined. He really had hoped for a chance to see her trying on the dress.
She chuckled and shook her head. “I’m a pretty standard size. If something doesn’t fit, it’s not like I have to go far to exchange or return it.”
She shut the trunk of her car and glanced around. “Besides, I’m starved.” She motioned towards the diner. “Want to head over for a burger?”
“I’m impressed,” he said, taking her hand and walking across the street with her.
“At how I shop?” she asked with a chuckle.
“My gran or mother would have spent hours purchasing as much as you just did.” He leaned towards her and lowered his voice. “But don’t tell them I said so.”
She was laughing as they stepped inside. He watched her eyes move around the diner and noticed her smile slip. Glancing over, he realized why instantly when he spotted her aunt and uncle and cousin Liza sitting in the back booth. The three of them immediately spotted them, and he felt Raven tense beside him.
“Want to go someplace else?” he asked softly.
“No.” She lifted her chin and walked over to sit at the bar area.
They hadn’t even settled before Darby rushed out of the back room with a tray full of food. When Raven’s friend spotted them, her smile grew, then her eyes darted to the back booth.
Darby rushed over to them, tray and all.
“Hey, they’re done eating. I can give them a nudge if you want?” she said to Raven.
“No, it’s fine. Sooner or later, we’re going to bump into each other,” Raven said with a shrug. “It might as well be in public.”
“Okay, I’ll just deliver this and be back to take your orders,” Darby added with a smile.
It was as if the moment they’d walked into the diner, everyone had stopped talking and was waiting for the show to start.
Raven leaned closer to him and whispered, “It’s like they’re all expecting something.”
“I was thinking the same thing. Normally, this place isn’t this quiet.” He looked over the menu while trying to hide the fact that he was scanning the room.
“They’re getting up,” Raven said, tensing beside him.
He reached over and quickly took her hand under the table as her family approached them.
“You think this is over,” her aunt said when they stopped directly behind them.
Raven swiveled the stool until she was eye to eye with her aunt. He followed a little more slowly, his eyes squarely on her aunt. Her uncle appeared to be smart enough to keep his distance.
“What?” Raven said smoothly.
“You know what you’re doing to this family. To this town,” her aunt continued. When the woman started to move forward, he held up a hand, easily keeping her a few feet away from Raven. The older woman’s eyes narrowed at him before turning back to Raven. “The entire town knows who you are. What you are. I’ve exposed you.” Her aunt’s smile turned and twisted into something just short of evil.
Cade couldn’t remember seeing anything like it before, short of on a character in a movie. He’d known Roslyn Brooks for most of his life. Never in all those years had he ever witnessed the woman as pissed as she was now.
“Just what do you think you’ve exposed? I hope it’s not that silly affair story you tried to hit me with earlier?” Raven said smoothly. Then she leaned forward and lowered her tone. “Everyone who knew me back then knew how much I was in love with Reggie. As I said before, you have nothing on me.”
He felt his own heart skip a beat at the look her aunt gave Raven. A look that assured him that whatever her aunt had, she was positive that she would win the fight. There wasn’t any doubt that Roslyn had something. The only question was whether it was actually something true about Raven.
He tended to side with Raven, since they’d talked about it earlier. He had believed her story. Still did. Especially seeing the pure crazy look now in her aunt’s eyes.
“We’ll let the town decide.” Roslyn leaned closer. “Just as they decided your guilt long ago.”
With this, Raven’s aunt turned on her heels and stormed out of the diner. Her husband and daughter followed suit without so much as a word.
“That was fun,” Darby said loudly, gaining a chuckle from everyone still in the diner. “Now, who wants free water?” she asked, holding up a pitcher of water.
“Are you okay?” Cade asked Raven as they spun back around.