Snuffed Out - Tim Myers [18]
Erin laughed. “Thanks for asking and all, but no thanks.”
“Well, you can’t blame a guy for trying,” I said.
She got up, then said, “I’ll see you later, Harrison.”
“My next day off,” I promised.
“So you are stalking me,” she said.
“No, but I’ve got a thing for your kayak.”
“Let’s make sure it just stays at that.”
I said, “I can take the hint, Erin. You’ve already turned me down. If you change your mind and decide you want to go out with me, you’re going to have to do the asking yourself.”
“Don’t sit waiting by the phone,” she said.
“What is life without hope?” I said, adding a gentle grin.
“Good-bye, Harrison.” She smiled for just a second before she turned to go.
“‘Bye, Erin.”
I wasn’t sure who had been more surprised by my date invitation, Erin or me. There was something about her, some spark that I liked, that had made me ask, though I hadn’t been actively dating since my last breakup. Heather and I had started off with the potential for more, but we were sliding into friendship instead. At least we had been before Aaron Gaston’s death. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure where we were headed in the long run, since it had been my pattern to date women who had started off as strictly friends.
Erin hadn’t been all that pleased when I’d asked her out on a date. My ego wasn’t so huge that I couldn’t believe she wasn’t interested in me. I wasn’t sure, and I might have imagined it, but I thought I’d seen some interest in her eyes before I’d asked.
April collected my bill and said, “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a man lose two women in thirty minutes over one pizza. You should write a book on what not to do with women, Harrison, you’d make a fortune.”
I shook my head. “I’m afraid what I know can’t be taught. It’s a gift you’re either born with or you’re not.”
April said, “Don’t beat yourself up over either one of them. Heather’s got a lot on her plate at the moment, and Erin’s trying to break free from a boatload of bad memories.”
“What do you know about her?” I asked, interested in her insight. April seemed to me to be a pretty good judge of character working behind that counter day in and day out.
“If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you herself. I wouldn’t give up on either one of them, Harrison, those are both jewels in the rough there.”
I smiled gently and asked, “Now I know how much the pizza is, but how much should I kick in for the advice?”
She snapped a dishtowel at me and said, “It’s a two-for-one special today. The advice is free, worth every penny it cost you.”
I nodded. “Thanks. I do appreciate it.”
“You’re most welcome, not that you’ll probably listen to a word of it.”
Outside, the sun had slipped away and the darkness was creeping in. The days were getting shorter, and when Daylight Savings Time kicked in soon enough, there would be more night that daytime.
I’d had enough of people for the time being. All I wanted now was to slip quietly into my apartment and spend some time with Ms. MacLeod and my latest mystery.
It turned out that was one more wish I wouldn’t be getting that day.
Chapter 5
Gary Cragg was waiting at my door when I walked through the hall to my apartment.
“I didn’t stand you up, did I?” I asked, knowing full well we hadn’t scheduled a meeting, though getting together with the attorney had been on my list of things to do.
“No, but I need to speak with you.”
I unlocked my door. “Come on in.”
He hesitated outside my apartment, then said, “If you don’t mind, I’d rather do this in my office.”
It wasn’t much of a commute, since his office space was fifty steps from my apartment, but he’d come to see me. Then again, I wasn’t a huge fan of Cragg. Did I really want him inside my apartment? It was my refuge, after all.
“Your office it is,” I said as I stepped back out and locked my door.
I followed him down the hall and into his office. Cragg took his seat, and I noticed the client’s chair across from his desk was lower than a normal chair. It gave the attorney a perfect opportunity to loom over his visitors. The man