Page 35 of Tango
Smiling, I reach for the door to the café. “I do. Now, do you want to discuss my boots or dive into the best burgers in the south?”
She pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath, then turns to me, a gorgeous smile on her face. “It smells like they’re the best. And the boot discussion can definitely wait until I’ve eaten.”
Chapter 12
Alice
Tucker Hunt is not at all what I expected.
I mean, he’s great with computers—which I did expect, given everything I read—but there’s so much more to him. The guy is funny, strong, kind, and that’s not even mentioning the absolute delight it is to look at him.
All lean muscles and bright blue eyes.
Keep it together, Alice, you have a murderer and hacker to catch.
As we’ve sat here in the café, I’ve seen him talk to everyone. And I mean everyone. The waitress—who he called Talia—as well as her husband Conner, who works back in the kitchen. Then he spoke to not one but two teenage girls who came in with “technical questions” we all knew they threw together when they saw him in the window.
They’re not the only ones either. Everyone who caught sight of him in the window swung in, either to ask him questions about different things he’s helping with around town or check in on his family.
The guy is apparently a celebrity here in town. Or at least, that’s what it feels like.
“You sure seem popular,” I comment.
He grins, and a small dimple pops out at the corner of his mouth. “That happens when you grow up in a small town.”
“And go to war? Become a hero? Step up to run a search and rescue company where you continue playing the hero?”
Something darkens in his expression. “Something like that.”
“I don’t mean anything by it,” I reply. “Seriously, no sarcasm here. I just find it interesting that you’re so incredibly well known around here yet appear to be so humble.”
“Appear to be?” He arches a brow.
“It could be a façade. I’ll know once we’ve spent more time together.” I smile at him, feeling so incredibly light compared to how I felt even a few hours ago. This peaceful lunch, where I can momentarily pretend we’re just friends catching up, has been exactly what I needed.
“Let me know if you figure it out,” he jokes back. “As soon as we’re done here, we’ll head over to the store and get you some more clothes, toiletries, things like that. Then we’ll head out to the ranch. I guess our moms have really hit it off, so they’re cooking dinner together. We can swing by and see them before heading to my house.”
“That would be great.” Even though I’m dying to get my hands on his computer and find out who’s trying to frame me, the desire to see my parents is even greater than the desire to clear my name. I take a deep breath. Since there’s not much else to talk about, I decide to pry a bit into the life of the man in front of me. “So tell me, Tucker Hunt, what was it like growing up in such a small town?”
“Great, actually. I mean, it had its challenges. Everyone knows everyone and all that. But in the same way, we all support each other. Like a big family.”
“I like that. I always thought the idea of a small town was great.”
“Never lived in one?”
I shake my head. “My parents and I lived in Sacramento when I was little. After that, I bounced around homes all through California, but none of them were small. Once my mom and dad adopted me, we stayed in San Diego.”
“When I was a teenager, I used to dream of the big city,” he confesses with a laugh. “But I knew I never really wanted to move.”
“Yet you joined the service. Special Forces, right? Army?”
He arches a brow. “Did your research, huh?”
“I did.”
Tucker nods appreciatively. “I wanted to see the world. Three of my older brothers were already in the service, and I was just in awe of them. They were superheroes in my eyes. Strong men off to save the world. So, I enlisted right out of high school.”
“Your twin brother went in too, right?”
