Page 14 of Sleigh My Heart

“No. I billed the mall. But I can check the signature.”

“That would be helpful.” Michelle followed her into the office. Inside a room smaller than her closet and just as cluttered, Nick squeezed in behind her. His arm brushed her back, and she fought the urge to flinch. The warmth of his body had her mind journeying back to a time when she would have leaned back into him to soak in his heat. Not today.

“This may take a few minutes.” Billie Dee circled her finger over the touchpad on the laptop. A second later, she was tapping keys. Her brows pulled in and she mumbled as she scrolled through files. “Ah. Here it is.”

The printer in the corner chattered. A moment later, it spit out a slip of paper. Billie Dee handed it to Michelle.

“Jonny Staniski.” She turned to Nick.

Nick leaned over her shoulder and squinted at the scribble that was the signature. “If you say so. I will check my seasonal employee list.”

Michelle knew the name. It was on the case file Jim emailed her this morning. She wasn’t about to mention it in front of Billie Dee. She thanked the woman for her assistance, then turned, running directly into a wall of muscle. Nick.

His eyes bore into hers. Crap, she knew that look. The assessing look. The same one most cops used when they sensed a person was covering something up. Twenty years, and he could still read her like a stinkin’ book.

She stared at him, then cut her gaze to the door. He must have got the hint, because he stepped back. Michele held her breath until they were in the parking lot.

Nick hustled past her and leaned on her driver’s door. “Spill.”

“This is police business.”

He didn’t speak, just crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

Two could play at that game. Michelle mimicked his pose and stared at his freakishly long lashes as they collected snowflakes. One… Two… Three… Any minute now. She tapped her toe. He’d crack any minute.

A chill zipped across her neck. Dang, it’s cold out here. “Fine, but only because you want the case closed as much as I do.”

He didn’t move.

“Jonny is the one who was in the sleigh.”

He lowered his brows. “The dead guy?”

“Yeah.”

Silence. No swearing, kicking the snow, or grabbing his hair, but she knew he was feeling those frustrations. She watched Nick’s face carefully. His jaw muscle flexed. That single tick spoke volumes.

He looked off into the distance, then back to her. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Go?”

“Yes. We have to solve the homicide so I can get the sleigh back.”

“Oh, is that all?” Michelle threw up her hands. “Really? You think you can just snap your fingers and it will be magically solved?”

“No. But at least we know who took the sleigh.”

“We do, but I have more questions, not answers.”

He snatched the invoice from her hand. “This says he picked it up last Friday. We will go check the video for the loading dock, but I doubt it came back to the storage area. So, it was in his possession. He was dead in the sleigh. Murdered, if I understand your brother correctly. So, now, we need to keep digging.”

Wow, Nick was definitely not backing down. Michelle slumped against the front fender of the patrol car. She had two options—ban him from the case or accept his help. The first would be like trying to stop a freight train at full speed. And the second would be an emotional barefoot trek over shards of glass.

“We work well together.”

She looked up at him through her lashes. They had. “That was a long time ago.”

“Prove me wrong.” He pushed off the car and leaned in.