A Creed in Stone Creek - Linda Lael Miller [58]
“Never argue with a lawyer,” Tom sighed, heading for the center of town.
“Maybe I will invite Steven over for supper again, though,” she said, after musing a while. “Care to join us?”
Tom pulled the cruiser into the usual parking spot behind the courthouse and looked over at her. “I smell a setup,” he said.
CHAPTER NINE
MELISSA GOT OUT OF THE SQUAD car, opened the back door for Elvis, who leaped nimbly to the ground, and semi-hobbled toward the side entrance to the brick courthouse. Tom’s words echoed in her brain.
I smell a setup, he’d said, when she’d invited him to supper, moments before.
“You have a suspicious mind, Tom Parker,” she accused.
“Part of the job,” Tom admitted, holding open the heavy glass door for her.
It occurred to Melissa then, as it might have to Tom as well, that it was a shame their relationship had always been platonic. They’d have made a good couple, she guessed, but there was no spark on either side. Hanging out with Sheriff Parker was like being with her brother, Brad—easy, low-key and safe.
Keeping company with Steven, on the other hand, had the same charge as bungee jumping off a high bridge or riding a unicycle across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope.
“Taking risks is a part of your job, too,” Melissa replied briskly, as they moved—man, woman and dog—along the corridor. “But when it comes to romance, you’re nothing but a coward.”
“So it was a setup,” Tom said, with a note of triumph. “I knew it.”
“I might have been thinking of asking Tessa Quinn to join us,” Melissa answered, as they reached the outer door of her offices.
Melissa O’Ballivan, Prosecutor, read the faux-metal sign affixed to it.
She waited out a small rush of frustration. Once, she’d loved her work. Now, she was just marking time, it seemed, waiting for someone to break the law, so she could try them in court. Was that any way to live?
Tom frowned down at her, though there was a benevolent light in his eyes. “I’m looking forward to a platterful of Ashley’s spare ribs,” he said.
“You haven’t won yet,” Melissa pointed out. “In fact, the way you’re dragging your feet—you’ve had plenty of time to ask Tessa out, it seems to me—you’re looking more and more like the new chairman of the Parade Committee with every passing moment.”
“I’ll ask her,” Tom said.
“Fine,” Melissa retorted. “Let’s see some action here. I’m not going to let you drag this bet out until we’re all old and gray.”
He huffed out a loud sigh. “Here’s an idea,” he said. “Why don’t you just run your love life, O’Ballivan, and let me run mine?”
Melissa didn’t have a reply ready, since neither of them actually had a love life, so she pushed open the office door and stepped inside, leaving Tom and Elvis in the corridor.
“As far as I’m concerned, the bet is off,” Tom called after her.
“You wish,” Melissa called back.
Andrea, though puffy-eyed, looked as though she’d rallied while Melissa was away. She smiled, pushed back her chair and hurried into the tiny break room, returning moments later with a steaming cup of coffee.
The fragrance was tantalizing.
“I made it myself,” Andrea said, sweeping past her, into the inner office, and setting the cup down on Melissa’s desk.
“I thought making coffee was against your principles,” Melissa said lightly, extracting the stack of messages from her purse before putting the bag away in its usual cubbyhole.
“You’re the one who said it wasn’t in my job description,” Andrea said.
Melissa smiled. “Nevertheless, Andrea,” she replied, with a touch of irony that was probably lost on her assistant, “thank you for making the coffee. Did anyone call or stop by while I was out?”
For a fraction of a second, Andrea looked almost coy. “Mr. Creed was here,” the girl responded. “About fifteen or twenty minutes ago.”
Melissa’s heart raced, though she was all-business on the outside.
Or so she hoped, anyway.
She sat down, reached for