“True. And he’s important. I get it.” Sophie nodded. “It’s not easy under all the scrutiny either. Since Atlas was in the papers, people are coming out of the woodwork, aren’t they?”
“There’s a lot of oversight.” As personable as Sophie was, Lyn kept her stepfather’s interest to herself. Not that she wanted to hide it. But it’d just complicate things and be a whole lot more history to share than she was ready to do in one sitting.
“Which means a lot of stress, maybe some anxiety.” Sophie pinned her with a direct look. “And there is very obviously tension between you.”
“Maybe.” Okay, a lot. But Sophie had already laid it out there and Lyn wasn’t ready to say it out loud. “Why do you have an opinion about it?”
Sophie had said she liked Lyn. And Lyn hadn’t been this close to another woman in years. Sophie could be a real friend someday if things here worked out. Lyn didn’t want to mess it up with a fight over David.
“David is one of my best friends. He’s become a big brother to me. If you hurt him, I’d have to come after you.” One French fry was popped into Sophie’s mouth and another was waved in the air between them. “But if you might be good for him, it’s my duty as a little sister to get involved and get things moving since the two of you are obviously being obtuse about it.”
Chapter Seven
Cruz stood on the main street people-watching, basically.
Tourists were walking by and giving him a healthy amount of space on the sidewalk. Considering the sheer number of visitors on a Saturday afternoon, he was more than happy to be free of the crowds of people. Of course, part of the reason why he’d been given so much space was probably because he was in a shit mood and wasn’t bothering to keep it from showing on his face. He wasn’t going to check out his reflection in a storefront window to confirm.
He’d spent an entire morning up at McGuire, accessing SIPER Net to view the report on Calhoun’s death, and he didn’t have answers. Only more questions. He’d have preferred to bring the report back to his office where he could read and re-read and brainstorm, but those kinds of documents were secure and accessible only via SIPER Net. Which meant if he wanted to refresh his memory on the report, he had to drive up to McGuire and sign in to a secure location to gain access. No taking anything out with him.
All he wanted now was to sit down, have lunch, and brain dump the questions he had so he could compare them with his other notes at home later. Why he’d stopped in New Hope on the way home was a question he wouldn’t answer to Forte or Rojas, but he’d be honest with himself.
Lyn and Sophie had come up to New Hope.
And knowing Sophie, there was no way the ladies had finished their shopping yet. Add the knowledge of how hungry Lyn got around lunchtime—she basically had an internal lunch bell inside her belly—and he was pretty sure they’d be seated in one of the trendy places along the streets eating their way through a menu.
What he didn’t know was what he was going to say when he found them. Joining them would probably happen. He wasn’t the type to give bullshit excuses for why he was around town either. He had promised Lyn they were good when she’d turned him down for a dinner date. And he’d been careful to keep things professional and easygoing through the week as they focused on Atlas’s rehabilitation. But this was their first day away from each other. He’d wanted to check in on her and hadn’t thought twice about stopping.
Now that he was here, though, he wasn’t sure if she’d think it was creepy.
He’d consider himself creepy.
Maybe he should go home and pick up fast food on the way.
As he turned to head back to his car, he caught sight of a man across the street. The guy was doing a good job blending in with the wall of tourists checking out the old railroad station. Only he’d been there for as long as Cruz had been standing around debating whether to continue finding Lyn and Sophie or leaving. No other visitor had been hanging out for as long. There was only so much time a person could spend staring at an old building. Photographers and artists were the only exceptions that came to mind.
This man had neither a fancy camera nor tripod. No art supplies either. He was dressed like a tourist but wasn’t. Fit beneath the t-shirt and jeans; wearing work boots, not sneakers or loafers. Plus, the way the man stood kept the wall at his back and all approaches in easy view.
Definitely not the usual person out to enjoy the sights and shopping.
“David!” Sophie’s voice erupted about a block down the street as she and Lyn emerged from a restaurant.
His person of interest didn’t flinch. Despite remaining in his relaxed position leaning against the wall, the man’s balance shifted easily to a more ready-for-action position. Interesting.
“Didn’t you hear us?” Sophie arrived at his side and gave him a friendly punch in the arm.