We started walking down the street to the public garage I had parked my truck in.
“Do you have a favorite?” I asked.
“There are some amazing ones out there, but my personal favorite is the Gary Sinise Foundation. I interned there for a bit. I’ve helped a few corporations set up support missions with the foundation. I even met a woman who didn’t have millions to leave but wanted to leave it to someone who would help our military. Gary’s foundation was my first thought. They help more than just our veterans and military; they also support first responders.”
“I’ve heard of it. He has his own band, right?”
She grinned. “Yeah. He does. The Lieutenant Dan Band.”
I let out a soft laugh. “That’s right.”
The rest of the walk to the truck was in silence. Not an uncomfortable silence, by any means. Kaelynn seemed lost in thought, and I wanted to let her deal with whatever memory she was focused on.
A few hours later, I pulled into the town of Elgin and parked in front of my favorite barbeque place.
“In the mood for some barbeque?” I asked.
“Sure. I’m sorry I’ve been on my laptop this whole time. I feel terrible; I know you have your own work to do.”
Slipping out of the truck, I looked back at her and said, “No worries. Work will always be there.”
Her head tilted as she regarded me for a moment. Then she turned and opened her door as I shut mine.
As we stood in line waiting to order, she bumped my arm. “How are you going to get Jim’s information?”
“I know the combo to his safe. I’ll just sneak a peek.”
She laughed. “Okay, what is your reason for sneaking a peek?”
We were next in line, so I leaned down and put my mouth to her ear and whispered, “I have my ways of getting what I want.”
Her entire body trembled, and her breath hitched. When the cashier called out next, I stepped up and rattled off my order. I needed to ignore the way my cock ached for Kaelynn. The longer I was around her, the more I found myself wanting her.
“Brisket, side of beans, potato salad, and a drink.” Glancing down to Kaelynn, I asked, “You know what you want?”
Her eyes jerked up to meet my gaze. When her mouth opened a bit, I had to hold back the moan threatening to slip out. Then she smiled, and I swore the whole damn building shook.
“I do know what I want, and I also have my ways of getting exactly what I want.”
My brow lifted as she kept staring at me. With a smirk, I asked, “Are we talking about food or something else?”
She shrugged, winked, then turned to the very confused girl waiting to take her order.
“I’ll have the same thing he is having.”
With a nod, the cashier read back our order, handed us two cups for the drinks, and told us to have a great day.
Once I slipped into the booth, Kaelynn only seconds behind me, I took a quick glance around. The restaurant wasn’t very crowded. Probably because it was between the lunch and the dinner rush. Regardless, I appreciated the quietness of the restaurant so we could talk freely without having to raise our voices.
“So, tell me about your family,” I said, deciding not to address the attraction I was pretty positive we both felt toward one another.
“My family?” she asked, a nervous edge to her voice
I laughed. “Yeah. You know . . . Mom, Dad, siblings. Are y’all close? What do they do back up there in Utah?”
Her eyes looked down at her drink and away from me. She shook her head and drew in a slow, deep breath while trying to act like this wasn’t a subject she wanted to discuss.
I couldn’t shake the feeling she was hiding something about her family. Maybe she wasn’t very close to them or had some sort of falling out. I hadn’t gotten that impression when we met. It was clear from her reaction she did not want to talk about them.