Sleeping Beauty Suspect

Flynn looked to see if she was kidding. She wasn’t. The fear was right there on the surface now.

“No. It definitely wasn’t an accident. Someone poured enough accelerant over the downstairs to send that place and everything inside it to ashes in under five minutes.”

She closed her eyes. “Someone tried to kill me.”

The words were a flat, bald statement. At least she wasn’t having hysterics.

“I’d say that’s a good bet. See that blinking light on my phone? I’ll give you odds most of those calls are from reporters. The rest are probably from my family, but that’s another story. Everyone wants details. People came to the door several times while I was trying to sleep this afternoon. I was too tired to answer.”

She nodded grimly. “Channel Nine was leaving when I arrived.”

He got out silverware, napkins and placemats and set them on the counter beside her. “Who’s trying to kill you, Whitney?”

“I don’t know.”

The words were a bare whisper. She carried the items over to the table. He watched her position them with almost painful precision. Frowning, he set two small salads on the counter and walked over to the stove to finish scrambling the eggs.

“I’m not hungry,” she announced.

“Yes, you are, you just don’t realize it yet. Your mind’s so busy worrying about what happened to you that it forgot to listen to your stomach. Give the food a try. I promise you’ll feel better.”

Dividing the steak and eggs, he placed the two plates in front of her and rinsed out the pan while he waited for the toaster to pop.

“Why are you being so nice? You don’t even know me.”

“Do you have to know someone to be nice to them?” He pulled a second glass from the cupboard and got the pitcher of cold water from the refrigerator. “I was raised to be nice to everyone. My mother would nail my hide to the wall if I wasn’t. She’s a little thing like you, but she’s got a core of granite.”

“I’m not little.”

He measured her with his eyes as he came around the corner. “Five-three?”

“Four and a half.”

Flynn grinned. “I’m six-one and a quarter. Everything under five-ten is little to me. Water okay with you? Given the circumstances I don’t figure you want a beer and I don’t have any wine or sodas.”

She shuddered. “Water’s fine.”

“Figured as much. Let’s eat while it’s hot.”

He added more water to her glass and waited for her to take a seat. She neatened her already straight silverware beside her plate, unfolded her paper napkin and settled it on her lap just so. His mother had raised her sons to have manners, but there were manners and then there were manners.

“You’re an only child, aren’t you?”

She paused in the act of adjusting her salad bowl. “Yes, why?”

“No reason.”

Her head tilted in puzzlement. “What made you ask that?”

Flynn forked up a bite of steak, chewed and swallowed before he answered. “You’re so self-contained.”

He watched her think about that as she speared a piece of lettuce with dainty precision. “Do you consider that a bad thing?”

“Nope. I wish someone would contain my brothers at times. Meals at Mom’s house are noisy affairs. There’re four of us boys and we learned to speak up and eat fast or lose out on seconds.”

Whitney brushed hair back from her face. Flynn found himself noticing a light, womanly fragrance that wasn’t perfume and wasn’t shampoo. Whatever it was, he liked it, but he told himself to get a grip. Of course he was attracted to her. What man wouldn’t be? But this woman had some serious issues going on.

Like the fact that someone wanted her dead bad enough to burn a house to the ground around her.

“Those pictures in the other room are of your family?”

Flynn nodded at her question and cut off more steak. “Yep. Ever since Neil and his wife had their first child, I’ve been inundated with pictures of my nephew, Devin. Phyllis is convinced no child was ever that perfect. I can’t wait to see what happens when the next one is born. She’s pregnant again,” he added.

Whitney took a tentative bite of her eggs and began eating with more enthusiasm. “There was a second woman in one of the pictures.”

“Ronan’s wife, Sally. She’s interning at Community Hospital. My brother’s a pilot for Sky Air. Their schedules hardly ever mesh, but it seems to work for them.”

“No wife for you?”

Flynn grinned impishly. “I know how to run faster than my brothers.”

“Smart.”

That surprised him. “Not a fan of marriage?”

“Too restrictive. Why would anyone want to give up control to another person?”

He wondered at the shadows in her eyes. There was a story here, he was certain, but this wasn’t the time to ask. He kept things light. “I don’t think marriage is supposed to be about control, but on the other hand, I can hardly believe the perfect woman is sitting here having dinner with me.”

Her tendency to blush fascinated him. He couldn’t remember any other woman ever blushing around him.

“What do your other brothers do?” she asked quickly.

“Neil’s a lawyer and Lucan’s a cop.”

She stilled. Very carefully, she set down her fork. “I should go.”

He covered her hand with his.

“Why are you afraid of the police?”

“I’m not.” She pulled her hand free.

“Yeah, you are.” Flynn leaned back to give her space. “The minute I said my brother was a cop you turned to stone.”

“I need to—”

“Finish your meal.”