Page 24 of Home Team Advantage
Elsa humphed. “My eyesight is just fine. But perhaps we should make one for you. He is a fine young man from a good family. Quite easy on the eyes, too, if I do say so myself. What’s the problem?”
The problem was that Anna couldn’t afford to get involved with anyone. No strings, no entanglements, no regrets. When it was time to move on, she would make a clean break and leave nothing behind. It was what she had been doing for years. It was the only thing she could do.
“There’s no problem. I’m just not interested. You keep me more than busy enough.”
Chapter Fourteen
MATT
Matt dropped the container of cookies in the kitchen, then proceeded to the bathroom to remove the bandage and check the damage. No big deal, just a little seepage from his morning workout. The stitches were still holding tight.
He cleaned and redressed the wound, the movements rote and practiced. In another month, nothing would remain, except another thin scar to add to his collection. He was fortunate to have so few, but the ones he did have gave him a kind of twisted credibility in the sex and drug trafficking world.
Perhaps he should have taken her up on her offer though. The thought of letting Anna Black play nursemaid on him was tempting. Inviting her in for coffee had had her practically scampering in the opposite direction. Maybe giving her a sense of control was the way to go.
The interest was there, as evidenced by the way she’d checked him out before she caught herself. He could work with that. That was his strong suit after all. And eliciting a bit of sympathy for a wounded veteran such as himself wasn’t exactly a bad idea.
Kieran was in the kitchen when he emerged.
“What is this? The boss is taking a half day?” Matt teased.
“Yeah, I’m recruiting,” Kieran replied with a smirk. “Thought I’d come by and see if you were interested in teaching some classes at BodyWorks. Assuming you still practice?”
Oh, yeah, he still practiced. Kieran had introduced him to martial arts that first summer, and Matt had been hooked ever since. Great for focus, strength, and conditioning. Came in handy in dicey situations as well, when weapons weren’t always an option.
He nodded.
Kieran’s eyes shone with approval. His offer came at a good time too. Matt needed something to focus on besides the newest addition to the neighborhood.
“Do you have a specific discipline in mind?” Matt excelled in several and was proficient in others.
“Kass thinks we need a Muay Thai course. Maybe an MMA class for advanced practitioners.”
Matt nodded. Both were doable, even with his injury.
“I’m in.”
“Great.” Kieran pointed at the cookies. “Are those from Mrs. Campbell?”
“Yes. She sent her new companion down with them earlier as a thank-you for helping with the snow removal.”
Kieran opened the lid, tossed a cookie to Matt, and grabbed one for himself. Leaning back against the counter, he said, “Ian mentioned you asked him to look into her.”
“I did,” Matt confirmed. Figuring Ian had also told Kieran about Eddie hiring the cop, he added, “Ian’s a hell of a lot better at uncovering information than a part-time PI.”
“True,” Kieran agreed. “If there’s something to find, he’ll find it.” He grabbed another cookie. “Damn, these are good. Even better than usual. So, what’s your read on her? Do you think there’s a reason to be concerned?”
When it came to the new neighbor, Matt’s instincts were … confused.
“I don’t know enough about her to make an assessment like that,” Matt replied, which was true enough. “She’s hard to read, but she doesn’t strike me as the type to scam old ladies.” Even if she is hiding something.
“Your mom likes her.”
He did, too, and that was part of the problem. “Ian thinks it would be a good idea to befriend her, find out more he can use to feed into his search engines.”
Kieran frowned, clearly unhappy with that suggestion. Matt wasn’t surprised. As deadly and protective as Kieran was, he was also a white knight at heart.
“Relax. I’m not going to seduce her or anything. Besides, she’s unusually resistant to my charms.”
