Joker in the Pack (Romantic Suspense, Completed, Watty Winner)

Chapter 21

I thought Tate would be happy when I told him I'd got a private investigator looking into my problem, but it turned out I was wrong. As usual.

"Don't you think bringing in another stranger might antagonise people in the village further?"

I hadn't considered that angle. "I suppose. But I couldn't keep doing nothing, and it would have been difficult to turn down his offer of help."

Like with the locks, I got the impression that Nye would have ignored the request. He certainly seemed headstrong.

"What do you mean, offer of help? You didn't call him initially?"

"Not exactly. He's a friend of a friend, and she sent him round."

"So some strange old man showed up at your door, and you just let him in, no questions asked?"

"That's not how it was." Okay, that's exactly how it was. I'd been too busy looking at his face to even ask for ID. Okay, drooling. Drooling at his face. "He's not even old."

Tate huffed and gritted his teeth, raising his eyes to his living room ceiling. "That makes it worse. What are his credentials? How many cases has he solved? If he's young, I bet it's not many."

"I don't know."

"You need to be more careful, Olivia. If you feel the need to engage a private detective, I strongly suggest you go down the route of getting recommendations and go from there."

Tate was right. Of course he was right. But I didn't have the money to hire anyone else, and even if I did, it would make me look terribly ungrateful after Sophie and Nye stepped in to help. I made a mental note to call Sophie and ask a bit more about him, though. Hopefully, she could reassure me that he wasn't totally incompetent.

Tate still hadn't unclenched his jaw, and I hated being on the receiving end of his disapproval.

"How about I make us both dinner?" I suggested. "I love to cook."

Anything to break the tension.

That earned me a smile. "That would be lovely, darling. I'll show you where things are in the kitchen."

While Tate disappeared to make some phone calls, I whipped up salmon en croute and a crunchy salad. His kitchen had everything a budding chef could possibly desire, and the layout worked beautifully too. I'd got lost in a fantasy of running my own boutique bakery there by the time Tate came back.

"Smells fantastic. Do you need a hand to carry things through to the dining room?"

I gestured at the more convenient table for six at the end of the kitchen. "You don't eat in here?"

"Rarely. The dining room's so much more civilised, don't you think?"

Dining room tables would forever remind me of Edward and his indiscretions, but I forced a smile. "Certainly. I'll take everything through."

Tate's icy mood thawed over dinner, and he did help me lug all the dishes back to the kitchen afterwards. Once we'd loaded the dishwasher, he wrapped both arms around me and nuzzled my neck.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here tonight?"

The row of kisses he fluttered across my cheek made me melt inside, and temptation almost got the better of me. But then I remembered Nye and his promise to check on Lilac Cottage overnight. If I arrived home in the early hours, everyone would know exactly what I'd been up to.

"I'll have to take a rain check. I really should get back."

The hurt in his eyes almost made me change my mind, but as well as the possibility of looking like a cheap tart, I knew deep down I wasn't ready to commit to Tate yet. I wanted to go into my next relationship with my eyes open and my heart protected. Tate could be The One, but I needed to make sure before I gave myself to him.