And Carawasn’t the type of girl who let another woman hit on her man. How Mike responded to this would be interesting, but hey. He was the one who’d brought her here without giving her a heads-up on the situation.
“Mike?” Cara asked in her nicest but strongest voice.
He turned.
She slid into the bench opposite Lauren, looked Mike in the eye, and patted the seat beside
her
.
He shot her a look filled with regret and slid into the seat next to his contact.
The rational, cop part of Cara understood he needed to do whatever would get the information. The female part of her resented the fact that he’d brought her here to deal with this, and she’d make him pay for that bit of insensitivity later.
Six
Snow came down hard as Mike walked beside Cara down the city street. Her silence gave him time to think, and he wanted to kick himself in the ass. Just because he hadn’t thought about Lauren as more than a
contact
hadn’t meant she would feel the same way. The minute she’d greeted him, he knew he was in trouble.
Somehow he managed to get through the awkward conversation and come out on top. He’d explained to Lauren what he needed and asked her to do some digging into the FBN’s computers to find out why the cash hadn’t been picked up from the evidence locker back in 1983. Miraculously he was also successful at fending off Lauren’s wandering hands beneath the table.
After Lauren agreed to help, Cara excused herself and went to the ladies’ room, leaving him alone with the other woman, at which point Lauren demanded an explanation for his disinterest. Apparently hooking up on occasion meant more to her than to him. Mike hadn’t managed her expectations well, and he was sure he’d done the same to Cara.Though Lauren was pissed, she was still willing to help him—for old times’ sake.
He and Cara left the restaurant and walked into heavy snow. Instead of taking her out for dinner, he decided they needed time alone first and headed to his place—another surprise he’d sprung on her. He’d seen the shock in her eyes when he told her his place was around the corner. And she hadn’t said a word since. Clearly he was batting one thousand today, and he braced himself for her anger when they got inside.
He lived in a decent neighborhood in a one bedroom rent-stabilized apartment that he sublet for a great price. They walked through the lobby and the old battered mailboxes with some names hanging off, and up one flight of stairs.
He opened the door and let Cara step in ahead of him before locking up behind them. Without asking, she slipped off her shoes, and he did the same.
“Home sweet home,” he said, tossing his keys onto the shelf in the small entryway.
Cara glanced at him quickly before walking inside and looking around. “Very nice,” she murmured.
“I can’t take the credit. My mother and sister insisted on helping.” With them taking over and helping him buy furniture, everything had a warm, homey feel, with a primarily brown and beige color scheme and navy accents. Pictures of his family were scattered around the main living room, also courtesy of the women in his life. The ones who mattered, anyway.
Cara turned to him, an unexpected smile on her face. “They have good taste.” She unzipped her jacket and he stepped forward to take it, still waiting for the fallout of his earlier stupidity.
“I didn’t realize you had an apartment here, though I guess I should have. New York is your home, after all.”
The tightness in his throat that he usually associated withvisiting his parents’ house suddenly rose here. “Right now Serendipity is home. It just didn’t make sense to give up a low rental when—”
“You plan on returning as soon as you can. I know.” She looked away and headed for the windows to check out the view.
He came up behind her, standing close as she looked at the high-rise across the street. “Can we just get it over with?” he asked tightly, wanting to
“Mike?” Cara asked in her nicest but strongest voice.
He turned.
She slid into the bench opposite Lauren, looked Mike in the eye, and patted the seat beside
her
.
He shot her a look filled with regret and slid into the seat next to his contact.
The rational, cop part of Cara understood he needed to do whatever would get the information. The female part of her resented the fact that he’d brought her here to deal with this, and she’d make him pay for that bit of insensitivity later.
Six
Snow came down hard as Mike walked beside Cara down the city street. Her silence gave him time to think, and he wanted to kick himself in the ass. Just because he hadn’t thought about Lauren as more than a
contact
hadn’t meant she would feel the same way. The minute she’d greeted him, he knew he was in trouble.
Somehow he managed to get through the awkward conversation and come out on top. He’d explained to Lauren what he needed and asked her to do some digging into the FBN’s computers to find out why the cash hadn’t been picked up from the evidence locker back in 1983. Miraculously he was also successful at fending off Lauren’s wandering hands beneath the table.
After Lauren agreed to help, Cara excused herself and went to the ladies’ room, leaving him alone with the other woman, at which point Lauren demanded an explanation for his disinterest. Apparently hooking up on occasion meant more to her than to him. Mike hadn’t managed her expectations well, and he was sure he’d done the same to Cara.Though Lauren was pissed, she was still willing to help him—for old times’ sake.
He and Cara left the restaurant and walked into heavy snow. Instead of taking her out for dinner, he decided they needed time alone first and headed to his place—another surprise he’d sprung on her. He’d seen the shock in her eyes when he told her his place was around the corner. And she hadn’t said a word since. Clearly he was batting one thousand today, and he braced himself for her anger when they got inside.
He lived in a decent neighborhood in a one bedroom rent-stabilized apartment that he sublet for a great price. They walked through the lobby and the old battered mailboxes with some names hanging off, and up one flight of stairs.
He opened the door and let Cara step in ahead of him before locking up behind them. Without asking, she slipped off her shoes, and he did the same.
“Home sweet home,” he said, tossing his keys onto the shelf in the small entryway.
Cara glanced at him quickly before walking inside and looking around. “Very nice,” she murmured.
“I can’t take the credit. My mother and sister insisted on helping.” With them taking over and helping him buy furniture, everything had a warm, homey feel, with a primarily brown and beige color scheme and navy accents. Pictures of his family were scattered around the main living room, also courtesy of the women in his life. The ones who mattered, anyway.
Cara turned to him, an unexpected smile on her face. “They have good taste.” She unzipped her jacket and he stepped forward to take it, still waiting for the fallout of his earlier stupidity.
“I didn’t realize you had an apartment here, though I guess I should have. New York is your home, after all.”
The tightness in his throat that he usually associated withvisiting his parents’ house suddenly rose here. “Right now Serendipity is home. It just didn’t make sense to give up a low rental when—”
“You plan on returning as soon as you can. I know.” She looked away and headed for the windows to check out the view.
He came up behind her, standing close as she looked at the high-rise across the street. “Can we just get it over with?” he asked tightly, wanting to
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