'Is it dangerous work?'
'Piece o' cake.'
'I doubt that.' Another silence descended while she stared at the cobweb in the corner just beyond his head, and he stared at her face. She could practically feel his eyes as they touched on each separate feature. 'How's your partner?'
'Gonzales.'
'Right, Officer Gonzales. Is he doing okay?'
'Yeah, he's good. I think he likes his new partner better than me, which kinda hurts my feelings.'
'I doubt that, too.'
'What? That he likes his new partner better, or that I can have my feelings hurt?'
'That he likes his new partner better.'
He shrugged. 'Maybe Gonzales is just trying to make me jealous.' They smiled together. His faded first. 'But I do have feelings, and they can get hurt.'
'You wouldn't be human otherwise.'
'Oh, I'm human. Real human. Very human.' He looked down at her left hand, where, in the last few seconds, her engagement ring had taken on the weight of an anchor. 'How are the wedding plans coming?'
The smile she flashed him felt artificial. 'Great. Moving right along. Lots of details to see to.'
'Parties to attend.'
'Yes. There have been a few.'
'Couple of weeks ago, I saw your picture in the society section of the
'You read the society section?'
'Didn't used to. I started scanning it a few months ago. Never read the Sunday real estate section, either. Now I never miss.' He let those statements resonate for several seconds before continuing. 'Anyway this picture showed you and Campton standing together under those'--he waggled his fingers above his head--'those whachamacallits hanging from the trees.'
'Japanese lanterns.'
'Yeah. Looked like a swell shindig. The article said the governor was there.'
'Roger's parents are friends with him and his wife.'
'Huh. Will they be at the wedding?'
'They're on the guest list.'
'Who'll be there on your side? Your family?'
'I don't have a family. No brothers or sisters. My parents are deceased.'
'Oh. Sorry.'
'Don't be. I was a late-in-life child. They'd given up ever having a baby. I was a menopausal surprise.'
'A good one, I'll bet.'
She smiled wistfully. 'Mom and Dad were very happy to have me, and I was fortunate to have them. They were middle-class wage earners and proud to be. My mother was a lady, my father a gentleman. Both had a strong work ethic. They loved God, and country, and me. They lived their life expectancy, but I was relatively young when I lost them. Being an orphan is no fun.'
'It has its perks.'
She looked at him with surprised puzzlement.
He rolled his shoulders as though his jacket had suddenly become too tight. 'My mom was okay. She died when I was in seventh grade. My dad and I didn't get along that well, so we just tried to stay out of each other's way till I was old enough to leave home.'
'How old were you?'
'Seventeen. Two days after my high school graduation, I split. Didn't even wait till the fall semester, enrolled at Texas Tech that summer.'
'That must have made your father proud.'
'Not really. When I told him I wanted to be a cop, he laughed, said I'd make a better criminal.'
'I'm sure he changed his mind once you became an officer.'
'He didn't live to see it. He died still thinking I wouldn't amount to much.'
She could think of nothing to say that wouldn't sound banal, so she said nothing.
'So who's going to walk you down the aisle?' he asked.
'Roger's best man.'
'That's handy.'
'Um-huh.'
'Got your dress?'
'The final fitting was last week.'
'Pretty?'
'I think so.'
'I'm sure you'll be a vision.'
'I hope my groom thinks so.'
'He'd have to be blind.'
The conversation ended there, leaving Caroline to wonder how the entryway seemed to have shrunk over the course of their conversation. The air was thicker, the old house smelled mustier. And even though neither of them had moved, he seemed to be closer. She was even more grateful for the card table standing between her and this man who made her nervous.
She glanced at her wristwatch. 'Nearly time. I can begin closing up shop.'
'I'm sorry you didn't have any takers.'
'Me, too. I'm going to urge the sellers to get more aggressive.'
'More aggressive?'
'Lower their price.'
He snuffled a laugh.
She expected him to tell her good-bye and good luck and leave. But he just stood there. She made a hand gesture and said, 'Well...'
'I'll wait and walk you out. That cat might be really pissed off by now.'
She freed the cat from the pantry. He was sulky for having been confined but not vicious. She turned out all the lights. She removed the cloth from the card table. Dodge insisted on folding up the chair and table and carrying them out to her car, where he stowed them in the trunk. He pocketed one of her business cards. Then they stood there at the curb facing each other.
Feeling awkward, she worried her car keys. 'Thanks for stopping by.'
'You're welcome.'
'It helped to have company. Talking made that last half hour go faster.'
'I kept you from falling asleep at least.'
'And if you change your mind about the house...'
'I'll let you know.'
She smiled.
He waited a beat, then said, 'You wanna go get a cup of coffee or something?'
'Thank you, but I can't. Roger is expecting me.'
'Oh. You don't want to keep Roger waiting.'
