I looked up, the lazy look was stil on his face but he was smiling ful now.

I took a mental deep breath.

“Food’s gonna get cold,” I warned.

“What’s the matter now?” he asked.

I blinked.

“What do you mean? Nothing’s the matter.” He watched me and then something lit in his eyes. I didn’t know what that something was but, by the look of it, it was something that made Eddie very happy.

“You’re scared of me,” he murmured, pul ing me closer.

I blinked again and my body got stiff. “I’m not scared of you,” I lied.

The smile was there but now it, too, turned lazy and somehow… satisfied.

“Yeah, you are.”

“Am not,” I said.

“You are and you should be.”

My eyes got round.

“Why?”

“Because, you don’t give it, I’m gonna take it and you know it.”

“Give what?”

“Anything,” he said and his mouth came to mine,

“Everything.”

Dear Lord.

My breath caught. My doo-da quivered. I grabbed onto his biceps and he kissed me. I slipped firmly into the Eddie Daze and, I’m afraid to say, kissed him back. When he lifted his head, it took a few seconds for me to open my eyes.

“Chiquita, you’re too adorable,” he muttered, watching me, the lazy look gone, the hungry look in its place.

The buzzer went and I jumped.

“I’l get it!” Mom yel ed and immediately exited the kitchen, her snail’s pace fetching of the gravy explained. I knew she was giving Eddie and me a moment and probably eavesdropping at the same time. If her fast advance from the kitchen was anything to go by, she’d positioned herself right at the door.

My life sucked.

“I real y don’t like you,” I said, taking it out on Eddie.

He just smiled.

He let go but stayed close and I turned.

Ada walked in, Mom fol owing, stil carrying the gravy.

That explained place setting number four and Mom making me prepare enough food for an army. I had a sneaking suspicion as to who was going to be at number five and my eyes narrowed on my mother. She ignored me.

“Jet, you look pretty,” Ada said and I bent to give her a kiss.

Only Ada would describe my slut makeup as pretty.

“Hey Ada.” I greeted her.

She looked at Eddie and her eyes lit.

“And you’re Eddie.”

She offered her hand, Eddie took it and smiled at her.

She turned her bright gaze to me. “He’s a looker.” She wasn’t wrong.

“Food’s gonna get cold,” I repeated, beginning to feel both panicked and ticked off, neither of which I could let loose at that particular moment.

“But Trixie hasn’t arrived yet,” Mom said as everyone started to take their places at the round table.

“She’l have to catch up,” I replied, scooting as both Mom and Ada bumped me around like I was the bal in a pinbal machine, adeptly forcing me to sit next to Eddie.

Damn.

Damn, damn, damn.

“Jet tel s me you’re an officer of the law,” Ada said as we

“Jet tel s me you’re an officer of the law,” Ada said as we started to pass food around, Mom shakily pouring iced tea for everyone. I knew better than to take it away from her, she was chal enging herself, like the therapists told her to do, showing off in front of Eddie. Though, I wished she wouldn’t do it while dealing with liquids.

“Yeah,” Eddie replied, taking a chicken fried steak and then handing the platter to me.

“Have you ever been in a high-speed chase?” Ada asked, passing Eddie the green beans.

“Once or twice,” Eddie answered, taking beans.

Ada’s eyes got round, handing over the potatoes.

“Did anyone crash?”

“No.”

She looked disappointed then she ral ied, “Ever been in a shoot out?”

Eddie mounded potatoes on his plate, his eyes sliding to me, then back to Ada.

“Yeah.”

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of Eddie in a shoot out. He’d joked about it this morning and it never crossed my mind how dangerous his job real y was.

“Ever been shot?” Ada asked, excitedly.

I held my breath and my body tensed.

“No.”

I felt my body relax.

Thank God.

Ada’s lips pursed; denied the gory details.

“Ever shot anyone?” she asked, relentless, handing him the gravy.

the gravy.

“Yeah.”

Ada’s face brightened.

My breath stuck at the thought of Eddie shooting someone. He always seemed like a dangerous, badass guy but shooting someone took it to a new level.

I looked at him out of the corners of my eyes and could see he was being polite but didn’t want to talk about it.

Then again, who’d want to talk about shooting someone, even a bad someone, even if you were a dangerous, badass guy?

Ada opened her mouth to say something else and I interrupted her.

“Ada, honey, maybe you and Eddie can talk about shooting people after we eat.”

Her mouth snapped shut in frustration. Eddie’s hand went under the table and he ran his fingers up the side of my thigh. I guessed that was his way of saying a silent thank you.

I had to admit, I liked it.

Ada tried a different tact, “Do the police stil do those ride-alongs, you know, where they take civilians on patrol?” Eddie looked at me again, then he started to cut into his steak. “Sure,” he answered.

Ada bumped into Mom on cloud nine, then she went for the gold, “Do they take senior citizens? I’m eighty-one, but, I swear, I have the reflexes of a sixty year old.” I stopped with a fork ful of steak, potatoes and gravy halfway to my mouth, wanting to see how Eddie got out of this and not about to help him this time.

this and not about to help him this time.

“Probably not,” he replied honestly, not pausing in his eating.

He chewed and swal owed.

Ha ha! He was stymied and buying time.

“But I’l arrange for you to have a tour of the station if you want.”

Ada’s face broke into a smile.

“Do you think they would fingerprint me?” she asked.

“You know, just for the heck of it?”

“No problem.”

Ada looked like she’d died and gone to heaven. Cloud nine a distant memory, she was on cloud twelve and sitting next to God. “That would be grand,” she breathed.

Wonderful.