Page 50 of Crazy in Love

He and Max caught up quietly while the women sat glued to the TV. Every once in a while, they’d laugh, and Nick could tell when the commercials started because that was the only time they talked.

When it was over, Nick went to the restroom. As he was coming out, he came inches from plowing into Faith, who’d just exited the ladies’ room.

“Ooof,” she said, grabbing his arm to steady herself. “Almost got ya. Sorry.”

“My fault,” he said. “I’m still pretty clumsy with this cane.”

They stood in the empty hallway, staring at each other. He watched a mental debate play out in her pale blue eyes. And after an awkward silence, she finally spoke. “I probably shouldn’t say this. But I like you, Nick.”

This must be one of those times when she jumped without thinking. Tess had warned him she was prone to this. “Do you always just blurt out what you feel?”

She shrugged. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, I suppose. But what am I supposed to do with that information?”

“I don’t know. Do you like me?”

He’d never met anyone so unabashedly candid. He did like her, but could he say that without it becoming a wholething? “Um…I mean…I guess.”

She came closer. Too close. His skin prickled. “Lying is bad karma, Nick. I know I’m an acquired taste, but I felt something when we kissed,” she whispered. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

Gulp. She had him there. Maybe one more kiss would prove whether the first time was a fluke. And as a man who always wanted to get to the truth, he should probably test his hypothesis.

“I—”

“There you are,” Tess said, rounding the corner. “Maddie’s on speaker and wants to say hi.”

“Just had to tinkle,” Faith said, “and ran into your brother.” She linked arms with Tess and turned toward the lobby. She glanced back over her shoulder and winked.

She was trouble. Heknewshe was trouble. But pretty, blonde trouble was his favorite type to get into.

The next day, he was sitting at the coffee shop when Faith walked in. She ordered and then came to say hello.

“This your new hangout?” she said.

“I just come for the free shows. See what dating disaster of yours I can witness today.”

“Ha. Ha,” she said, sliding uninvited into the seat across from him. “No show this morning.”

“Too bad. You’re better than reality TV.”

She waved a hand to dismiss that conversation and started a new one. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something.”

He stared and waited.

“I’ve done some poking around looking for my biological dad but haven’t been able to find anything on social media or by doing internet searches. Does the FBI have some super-secret database you could run his name through?”

“We do, but I can’t use it for personal business.”

“Oh, sure. Of course. Never mind.” She batted her eyelashes. “But maybe just this once?”

“You think you can flirt the information out of me?”

She smiled broadly, and damn if her wiles weren’t working.

“I’ll think about it,” he lied. He’d already run her dad’s name. And a public coffee shop was not the place to discuss the results.

Gary Jeffreys had actually been really easy to find. Mainly because he was on the FBI’s most wanted list and popped up straightaway when Nick ran him. He was down pretty far, not in the top ten or anything, but still, not the cream of society.

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