A.R. Winters - Valerie Inkerman 01 - Don't Be a Stranger by A.R. Winters Page A

had no idea!”
    “Oh,” Kevin shrugged modestly. “It was a little sudden. We decided to elope.”
    “Well, congrats, man.”
    They did some manly half-hugging kind of thing, and I smiled to myself.
    “But back to Esme,” said Kevin, turning to me again.
    “Right. What was her relationship with Michelle like?”
    “Not bad, but not too great either. I think Michelle was jealous of the success Esme had.”
    “And what do you think about Darren?” said Jerry.
    “Uh.” Kevin glanced at me. “Well. I guess he and Esme got along reasonably well. He seemed like an okay enough guy.”
    “Oh.” Jerry sounded disappointed, and I smiled triumphantly.
    “Was Esme seeing anyone else?” I asked Kevin.
    “Umm,” he said. “I’m not sure.”
    “She told me she was,” Jerry said.
    “Well,” said Kevin slowly. “She might have been. I met her a few weeks back and she said she was seeing someone, but nobody knew because it was a secret.”
    “And you didn’t believe her?” I said.
    Kevin shrugged. “You know how it is with exes. I’d just gotten married, and then – you know, if she was single, maybe she felt the need to make something up. And that whole thing about nobody else knowing…”
    I could see his point. “Did she mention a name?”
    Kevin shook his head. “No, she wouldn’t say anything about him because it was a secret. And I kind of didn’t push, you know? I figured she was making it up and I didn’t want her to extend the lie.”
    I nodded, and made a note. If Esme did have a boyfriend, maybe this mysterious man could tell me something. As it was, Esme seemed to have absolutely no enemies, and there didn’t seem to be anyone out there with a motive to kill her.
    We chatted a bit more, and Jerry and Kevin told each other about people they knew in common. By the time Kevin left, it was almost five.
    Jerry caught me checking my watch as we headed toward the subway station, and smirked.
    “Don’t worry,” he said. “Darren hasn’t turned into a pumpkin yet.”

Chapter Twenty-Two
     
    Darren turned up at exactly eight, and I buzzed him up immediately.
    “Would you like to come in for a drink?” I said, trying to smile nonchalantly.
    He was wearing a crisp white shirt with silver cufflinks, and dark blue jeans. The white shirt set off his tan, and his green eyes glowed softly. He smelled delicious, and I felt the urge to lean forward and stroke my fingertips along his jaw.
    “I probably shouldn’t,” he said. “Our reservation’s in fifteen minutes.”
    I nodded, and stepped out into the hallway with him. Jerry was in the shower, and I was glad he hadn’t been around to bother Darren.
    “By the way,” I said, as we stepped into the elevator. “How’d you get my address?”
    I’d totally forgotten to give it to him yesterday.
    “Oh, I asked Michelle to find out,” he said. “I think she called someone you used to work with – Nellie? Mellie?”
    “Uh-huh.” I smiled and nodded, feeling butterflies in my stomach from standing so close to him in the elevator. But the ride down was over quickly, and then we were stepping out onto the street, where a taxi materialized almost immediately, like a minor Manhattan miracle. It was one of the few times I hadn’t needed to stress over getting a taxi in time, and I leaned back, full of high hopes for our date.
    We chatted a bit about our jobs on the short ride over – Darren worked at a consulting firm, and had to travel all over the country. I was still asking him about all the places he’d been to, when we were seated at our table. I found his stories of Florida and the south fascinating, and I was giggling over a tale about alligators and overweight tourists, when Darren paused, mid-sentence, and frowned.
    “Don’t turn around right now,” he said in a low voice, “But do you know that man sitting at the table to your right? Two tables back. He’s sitting alone and watching us.”
    I froze, wondering if this man might have