“The best when it comes to murder investigations,” he admitted freely. “But I don’t mind saying I had hoped you’d dump him and start seeing reason and date me. Still, if you ever change your mind…”
“Thanks, Rowdy.” If she hadn’t been so hung up on Allan, she might have been interested in dating Rowdy.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Rowdy was the perfect gentleman and waited with her at the table until Allan got there. He was fifteen minutes late, and she’d already ordered stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer and glasses of water to appease the waiter.
Rowdy didn’t eat any of the mushrooms, though she’d offered. She felt uncomfortable eating in front of him when he wasn’t even her dinner date. Allan called twice to let her know his progress. Two more accidents had caused massive slowdowns on the highway.
“Listen, if you get hungry, just go ahead and eat. Or if they’re getting antsy about needing the table, go ahead and order me a salmon and—”
“I ordered stuffed mushrooms. We’re good. I don’t want to order your dinner and then have it get cold before you arrive. The waiter’s been fine,” she assured him.
“All right. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Then five minutes later, Allan arrived looking like a SEAL on a mission, his expression dark until he spied her. Instantly he smiled, casting a glance at Rowdy. But he also took in the table arrangement—the glasses of water, hers half-empty, the other filled to the top. The one uneaten stuffed mushroom, her plate showing she’d used hers, the other completely clean.
Rowdy got up from the booth and shook Allan’s hand. “Hey, you owe me.”
Allan shook his hand. “Thanks, Rowdy. I’m in your debt.”
“Thanks, Rowdy,” Debbie said. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat with us?”
“Are you kidding?” Rowdy motioned to Allan. “He’s a SEAL and knows more killer moves than I do, I’m certain. See you around.”
When he left, Allan took Rowdy’s seat. “I’m so sorry. The weather has been so bad, there was a third pileup on the way here and cars sliding on ice everywhere. I was fortunate I made it.”
“We should have rescheduled once you had the first trouble near your house.”
“Are you kidding? Not when I’d gotten all dressed up to take you out. Do you know how hard it was for me to figure out what to wear?” He was wearing a pretty blue sweater and his usual blue jeans.
“I thought only women had that problem.” She figured he was teasing her as usual. She couldn’t imagine he really had been indecisive about what to wear. “Rowdy was great about keeping me company. I’m just glad you got here safe and sound. I left you a mushroom, just in case you’d like one.”
Allan laughed. “One, eh? No one can eat just one.”
They both had roasted salmon and oysters, and Allan was glad he’d made the effort to get there, despite the road conditions. He kept looking at Debbie and thinking how truly beautiful she was, wearing the softest jade sweater, her dark hair curling about her shoulders. He planned to enjoy having dinner with her. He really was starving, and it had nothing to do with the oysters.
He was glad Rowdy had kept her company, and gladder still that he had left when Allan arrived. And yet Allan told himself this was really all wrong. He should have insisted that Rowdy stay and dine with them. He shouldn’t have a first real date alone with Debbie. They were discussing the usual pleasantries, so the problem wasn’t exactly the date, but what came next.
“Is your car still in the shop?” he asked.
“Yeah, bad alternator. I can pick it up Monday.”
It was probably good that she lived so far away. The thirty-minute drive meant he wasn’t going to drop everything and run by her place because he was in the area, as much as he had wanted to on numerous occasions.
But now he had a new dilemma. He was probably going to stay the night with her, but he had made arrangements for late tomorrow afternoon to see Zeta about her LARP group. She had confirmed that Sarah Engle had been part of the group but was missing. Not only that, but when he showed a picture of the Van Lake murder victim to Rose, she acknowledged he’d been one of the players in the same LARP group. She didn’t remember his name though. Was the one who had murdered the woman in the group too? They didn’t have a photo of him that they could share with Zeta for confirmation.
After a great dinner, Allan drove Debbie home. On the way there, Debbie was watching out the window as the snowflakes hit the glass and the windshield wipers wiped them away. Out of nowhere she said, “I don’t understand about the silver rounds. I mean, I do.”