Lydia cleared her throat. “More coffee sounds right up my alley.”
Lydia’s cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink he had yet to see. He silently wondered to himself if he could get them to match the color of her hair. “You ready?”
Lydia smiled. Her green eyes sparkled. He wasn’t sure if it was the coffee or the thought of going shopping. He hoped it was because he was going with her. If he had any say so in it, she’d smile more often. A nagging doubt ate at his mind; he questioned his motives for originally coming along on the trip.
The thought of paranormal stuff had always fascinated him, and the fact she’d shown up a crucial moment in his investigation would give any good agent pause. What if she hadn’t had any other ulterior motive than to find her family? What did that say about him?
He shook his head as he followed her out the door, reminding himself that he had a job to do and believing the little redhead didn’t matter in the big scheme of things.
Chapter 9
The small town had been easy to find, just a quick ten minutes away down a tree-lined road. Lydia hadn’t been too happy about the fact there wasn’t a mall, but she’d been thrilled to see the little boutique they were currently standing in. Her face lit up as she shuffled through the garments looking for her size. She’d grabbed several items and tried them on in record time. She’d scoffed at his attempt to pay for the clothes, not letting him apologize the only way he knew how. Her reasoning hadn’t been any better. “Just buy me lunch, and we’ll call it even.”
They strolled down Main Street toward the café, browsing in the shop windows as they went. The air was cooler today than it had been since they arrived. The slight wind made it a bit less stifling. Couples walked hand and hand, and children on skateboards and bikes rode past them. The town looked normal to the naked eye. Did the residents of the small town even know what type of military base lay just outside of their town? If they were even aware of the people who resided on the base were so gifted and laid their lives on the line every day fighting against the bad guys who would threaten their sense of security, would they still choose to live there? He doubted it. Lydia looked like she belonged here. He hadn’t seen her so relaxed since he’d met her. Rick pulled the door open to the café and walked in behind her. The bell above the door chimed.
He didn’t expect trouble in such a small town, but that didn’t stop his instincts from reigning as his gaze roamed over the café dwellers. He glanced around the small building. Men and women of all ages sat around eating and drinking and carrying on everyday conversations. Everything looked on the up-and-up. Nothing stood out, but that didn’t stop his mental inventory check of the guns he had hidden on his body. Rick slid into the booth seat opposite her. “Remind me to teach you to shoot a gun.”
Lydia’s brows pulled together. “Why?” She leaned over the Formica table and whispered, “When I can just use my gift.”
Rick studied the redhead. She was serious, but her being able to protect herself meant more to him than for him to be okay with the thought. “Humor me; you never know when you might need to use one.”
The waitress walked over and took their order, returning moments later with their drinks. Lydia turned in her seat, surveying those around her. In a hushed whisper, she asked, “Does anything seem weird in here to you?”
Rick looked around at the patrons, taking in each of them. Besides the patrons all being pretty people, he didn’t see anything wrong. “Not really, aside from the fact they all come from a good gene pool.”
Lydia’s gaze met his. Her green eyes sparkled as she took a sip of her coffee. “You really don’t feel that?”
Rick glanced around once more. A warning voice whispered in his head. He’d always trusted his gut, and something had seemed a bit off, but not enough that he felt he needed to worry. It was more of an unexplainable feeling. “What…What are you feeling?”
She set her coffee down. The murmur of talking people around them quieted, so she whispered, “I’m not sure. The air in here is just different. It feels almost like it does when I’m around my sisters and Mike.” She shook her head. “I’m sure it’s just my imagination, probably some power flux somewhere nearby.”
Their food showed up before he could delve into her comment. Their hamburgers were huge.
“I’m famished, but I’m thinking we could have split an order.”
Lydia picked up the ketchup and smothered her fries in it until all he could see was red. “Uh, I don’t think so. I don’t like ketchup.”