Page 44 of Capture My Heart

It didn’t work.

“So, the buzz I hear is true. Tre-Amy is a real thing.” Jim raised a knowing brow.

The shit. He knew it wasn’t.

Amy smiled so sweet that her teeth would rot from the saccharine. “If you ever call us that again I will tase you.”

They all laughed, but Jim tugged at his collar. Yup, he knew better than to doubt her words.

“Doc, you think it’s time to fire up the grill?” At her nod, he turned to Trey. Want to help?”

“Sure.” His lips grazed the top of her head and he was off.

“Aww.” Mira swooned.

Liz’s smile was genuine but Amy could see the wheels turning. No doubt, she and Jim would be having a chat tonight. Amy almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Amy scanned the yard. Several officers and their significant others were there, along with a few kids running around. Amy spotted Jim’s family across the yard. His nieces and nephews were playing with Tigger, Jim and Liz’s dog. Garrett and the blonde female firefighter were chatting with Michelle Swenson, Jim’s sister.

It was a perfect day for a party. So, why couldn’t Amy relax and go with it.

“I need to get the burgers and brats from the fridge. Could you help me, Amy?” Liz stood.

Amy followed her in and when the door closed, her friend, the brunette bombshell with an Einstein brain whipped around, hands on hips. “Spill.”

“Well, we have had an attraction for a while.” She kept her eyes locked on Liz’s face. “Then we were arguing over him hiring Tommy and next thing I know he asked me out.”

“Really?”

Amy swallowed. “Yup.”

“I call bullshit.”

“Is that your professional opinion?”

“Now I know it’s bull.”

Amy exhaled and glanced around before she spoke. “Fine. It’s not a lie, it’s just not the whole truth. I can’t talk about it now. Just know we’re dating and I’ll tell you all about it later.”

Liz squinted at her before pulling her into a fierce hug. “Okay, but I will be asking Jim about it. He knows something.”

“Go easy on him. We’ll talk tomorrow, not now.” She stepped back.

Liz’s curls bounced as she nodded her agreement. She pulled a large tray of meat from the fridge and handed it to Amy before grabbing another. They started for the door, but Liz stopped her before Amy opened it. “Just know, I like Trey. If this is real, or turns into something real, I’ll be happy for you. But remember, you’re my friend and I will have him lobotomized if he messes with you. I know people.”

Warmth filled Amy’s chest. “You’re scary sometimes, woman, but I’m so lucky to have you as my bestie.”

Liz winked and opened the door.

Chapter 10

Snap out of it, Fenley. He was never going to solve this case if he didn’t stop staring at Amy. To be fair, he did pretty well the first hour. He circled the crowd and made small talk with the other officers. Maria’s husband is a Sergeant in a neighboring department. Good to know, that bit of info could come in handy in the future. It never hurts to have contacts all over the cities.

All was going well until he sat down across from Amy to eat. The woman made eating a damn hamburger sexy. How could that be?

The way the muscles in her jaw and throat glided up and down when she bit into her burger had him mesmerized. The line of her neck, that smooth skin. And when she picked up an ear of corn. Damn, his mouth salivated and it had nothing to do with the smell of perfectly seasoned meat cooked on the grill.

So, other than his new fascination with Amy Larson’s eating habits, he’d learned very little about the Ashwood PD officers on his suspect list. Detective Ryan Daniels was stoked to be leading his first homicide case, some guy named Gus. Ian Brannon was the big, silent type. And Bob Peterson had a huge man-crush on him. Trey rolled his eyes—one softball game and he had a groupie.