Page 19 of Shadow Justice

When Mrs. Alvarez dropped her pen, he picked it up and returned it without making a production of it. When a delivery driver left wet footprints near the entrance, Reid found the mop, dried the floor, and set out the caution sign as if he’d been doing it for years.

Worse, people liked him. He didn’t chat too much or lean into charm. He didn’t have to. He was calm, polite, and attentive, and he listened when people spoke. He remembered which table had asked for extra napkins. He stepped aside before customers had to squeeze past him.

Holly found herself watching him when she should’ve been watching the milk thermometer.

“Your new guy is good,” Maya murmured as she reached for a stack of plates.

“He’s adequate.”

“He’s been here forty minutes and already found the mop without asking. That’s above adequate.”

By the time the rush eased, Holly’s feet ached, her head throbbed faintly, and Reid had managed to make himself useful without once touching the espresso machine. She should’ve been relieved. Instead, she was mildly offended by his adaptability.

Maya untied her apron and retied it tighter, preparing for cleanup. “I’ll handle the dishes and wipe down tables.”

“I’ll take Blue out,” Holly said. “He’s probably plotting structural damage by now.”

Reid looked up from where he was stacking clean saucers. “I’m coming with you.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am.”

Maya, blessedly, had already disappeared through the swinging door with a bus tub and didn’t witness Holly’s jaw setting.

Holly kept her voice low. “I’m walking my dog to the park down the block and back. It’ll take fifteen minutes.”

“That sounds like a routine.”

“So?” She walked Blue after the lunch rush most days. Down Laurel, across Main, around the little park by the courthouse annex, then back for whatever lunch she could eat standing up.

“It’s predictable.”

“It’s necessary. Blue needs exercise. I need air so I don’t become feral before three o’clock.”

Reid’s voice gentled, but his words didn’t. “Until we know who left that card, you don’t leave the building alone.”

She couldn’t hold back her sigh. “This is going to get old fast.”

He simply stood there, and she knew this was a fight she was going to lose.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll get the dog.”

She went upstairs through the private stairwell, taking a few extra seconds to collect herself while Blue danced circles around her in the apartment entry. His speckled body wiggled with delight, his tail a blur, his mouth open in a wild grin generated by the appearance of his leash. He needed a break.

“You and me both, buddy,” she murmured, clipping it on. She grabbed her raincoat. “Except I’m less delighted about our guest.”

Blue sneezed, which she chose to interpret as solidarity. That interpretation lasted until she brought him downstairs and he saw Reid.

Blue lost his mind. He erupted into a series of joyful yips, lunging toward Reid with his entire body vibrating. Reid crouched, and Blue shoved his head against Reid’s chest, tail whipping hard enough to threaten nearby furniture.

“Traitor,” Holly muttered, slipping on her coat.

Reid rubbed Blue’s ears, and the dog leaned into him as if they’d been separated by war and destiny. “She means you.”

“I meant both of you.”

Reid looked up, and the faint amusement in his eyes did something inconvenient to her stomach. “Noted.”