Chapter Twelve
KNOX
Iknocked twice on the door before letting myself in. I couldn't miss Lily's smile of relief when I walked into the kitchen. Deputy Dave's scowl of aggravation was almost as satisfying.
Busy pouring cream into the potatoes, Lily tipped her head in the direction of the fridge. “There's beer if you want one. Dinner is almost ready.”
I looked over to the table, bare except for the placemats. “Need help setting the table?” The deputy shot me a dirty look as Lily graced me with a warm smile.
“If you don't mind, that would be great. Dishes are up there—” she nodded to a cupboard not far from the table. “Silverware is in the drawer next to the dishwasher.”
I kept my smug smile on the inside as I set the table. Deputy Dave had been standing there with his thumb up his ass for half an hour while Lily worked on dinner. I would have bet he had no plans to clear the table or put the dishes in the dishwasher either.
I was guessing, from the surprise in Lily's appreciative smile, that her husband hadn't been one to help either. Dumbasses. I was eating the food too, wasn't I?
I found paper napkins in the pantry. I didn't think Lily would want me to use cloth with a five-year-old at the table. Lily pulled the meatloaf out of the oven as I finished setting the table. However bad she was with baked goods, so far, her cooking was fucking spectacular.
The meatloaf smelled so good my mouth watered. She set the bowl of mashed potatoes in the middle of the table and went back to cut the meatloaf. Deputy Dave and I both had beers, but Lily didn't have anything.
“What do you and Adam want to drink with dinner?” I asked.
Again, the look of pleased surprise. “Hmm, I'm going to get myself a beer. Adam would love some apple juice.”
It was easy to tell which cups were his, lined up on the first shelf of the cabinet, all plastic and featuring brightly-colored cartoon characters. I poured Adam's apple juice, grabbed a beer for Lily, popped the top and put them on the table.
The whole time Deputy Dave stood there nursing his beer, his eyes narrowed on the two of us. I wasn't offering to help Lily with the table to piss him off, that was just a side benefit. The nights I'd eaten dinner here the table had already been set, but I'd helped her clean up.
Unlike Dave, I wasn't the kind of asshole who was going to sit around letting her wait on me hand and foot. “Want me to get Adam?”
Busy slicing the meatloaf, Lily said, “Please.”
I took a few steps down the hall and called his name.
He must have been hungry because he barreled down the stairs a second later in that reckless way children had.
I watched his feet fly down each step, ready to catch him when they tangled.
He made the descent unscathed and skidded to a stop in front of me.
“That was longer than fifteen minutes,” he said with an accusing glare.
The kid didn't miss much. “I know, bud. I'm sorry. Sometimes work is like that.”
Adam nodded sagely as if he knew exactly what I meant. He joined us at the table, sitting beside me. Deputy Dave took the seat beside Lily. I didn't miss the subtle way she inched her chair further from his side.
Why didn't she tell him to get lost? It was obvious she didn't like him. She didn't need him for anything, so why was he still hanging around?
Conversation was sparse as we dug in. Adam told a story about a Lego fight at preschool I couldn't quite follow. Dave wasn't getting it either, but Lily was completely clued in and nodded along, asking all the right questions.
Dave told a funny story about the neighbor's dog, the same one that had drawn him to this side of town a few hours before. Lily was starting to relax when he said, “Have you had any more trouble with teenagers? Vandalism, anything like that?”
It would have been more natural for him to address the question to me considering that I was the security expert on site. Lily, focused on her meatloaf, flicked a glance up at me. I gave an almost imperceptible shake of my head.
Picking up my cue, she lifted her eyes to Dave and said, “Nope, everything's been quiet.”
“Good to hear. I was worried about you there for a while.” He raised his hand to pat her shoulder, his fingers curving around to squeeze tight. My chest burned at the sight of his hand on her, at the line between her eyebrows, her tight lips.
Where did he get off touching her? Didn't he see he was making her uncomfortable?
I couldn't decide if the deputy was oblivious or enjoying the way he pushed Lily's buttons, using her innate politeness to subtly bully her.
Not for the first time, I wished I wasn't here because of my father.
Wished I was only here for Lily, so I could forget all this bullshit and ask her what was wrong.
Offer to help without the risk of betraying my family.
I wanted to erase the worry from her eyes.
To find out why she was putting up with Deputy Dave so I could get rid of him.
Lily pushed her chair back from the table, shaking off Dave's grip on her shoulder. “Dessert anyone? I made chocolate chip cookies.”
Adam kicked me under the table, a smirk on his face. I kicked him back and shook my head. I was actually looking forward to trying Lily's cookies. It had become a game to figure out how she could fuck up her newest baking project.
“Sounds great,” Dave said heartily. Lily returned with a stoneware plate piled high with cookies, thick and generously spotted with chocolate chips. They looked good, but they didn't smell like anything, not a good sign for freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies.
Adam eyed the cookies dubiously. Lily didn't look so certain herself. Dave snagged one and took a big bite, saying with a full mouth, “You seem like you're doing a lot better lately. But if you're not worried about vandalism, why did you call Sinclair to have the alarm beefed up?”
Lily shrugged a shoulder. “Oh, peace of mind, I guess.”
Dave sent a pointed glance at Adam, then to Lily. “You're under too much stress. I know it's hard with Trey gone, being a single mom. No one was surprised you started imagining things. It's normal to want attention when you're lonely—”
“That's not what—” Lily's eyes flared with anger, and for once, her good manners stripped away to reveal the frustration brewing beneath. As much as I wanted the deputy gone, until I knew what he was up to, I didn't want Lily to alienate him.
I cut in, “I thought you knew Lily pretty well.”
“A lot better than you do,” Dave said petulantly.
Giving Lily a warning look I hoped she'd read right, I said.
“This isn't the right time to have this conversation.” A tilt of my head in Adam's direction.
“But since we're having it anyway, Lily's perfectly capable of balancing the changes in her life with being a mom.
I've spent a lot of time with her and Adam, and they're a great family.”
“Look, you don't know what you're talking about. You've only been here a few days, I've known Lily for years.”
“Then you should know that you're full of shit.” I looked down at Adam. Oops. “Sorry, Lily.”
“It's okay, Mr. Knox,” Adam piped in. “I've heard the word shit before. Mom told me it's a grown-up word, so I'm not allowed to say it until I'm old enough to know when it's 'ppropriate. Right, Mom?”
With an exasperated sigh, Lily agreed. “Yes, that's right, Adam. But I'd prefer if you didn't say it at all, even when you're repeating what someone else said.”
Adam flushed and looked at his plate guiltily. Being a five-year-old, he'd known he wasn't supposed to say it but couldn't resist the opportunity.
“This is the kind of thing I'm talking about,” Dave said, trying again. “This guy is a stranger, and you're letting him practically live with you. He's not a good influence on Adam. He's got him swearing already—”
Lily grabbed a cookie off the plate and snapped with irritation, “Dave, Trey said worse in front of him, and so have you.”
Seeing he was outnumbered, Dave gave in. “Lily, I'm just trying to help.”
“I know, Dave, and I appreciate it. I do. I don't know what we would have done without you since Trey died. But we're okay. I appreciate the concern, but I promise, we're okay.”
Dave gave an abrupt nod and took another bite of the cookie, forcing a smile as he chewed. “You made these?” Lily nodded. “They're good.”
Okay, now I had to try one. The grimace hiding beneath Dave's smile told me he was a liar. I doubted 'good' described Lily's cookies.
Yep, he was a fucking liar. The cookies tasted like sawdust, and that was an insult to sawdust. They were terrible. Worse than the muffins and almost as bad as the coffee cake. Lily took a bite and chewed slowly, her face falling as the lack of flavor hit her tongue.
Adam looked up at me. “How is it, Mr. Knox?”
I set the cookie on my plate and opened my mouth to tell Adam it was fine. Instead, I said, “I'll teach you to make cookies, Lily.”
Where the hell did that come from?
I could do it, that wasn't the problem. One of my best friends ran a bakery and café. She taught me to bake cookies back in high school. She'd taught me to bake a lot of stuff. I wasn't a great cook, but I knew my way around cookies and brownies. I could even make a decent cheesecake.
Deputy Dave's eyes narrowed at my offer, and Lily's brows shot up in surprise. “You know how to make cookies? Really?”
I should have made my impulsive offer into a joke. I didn't need to cozy up to the widow until I knew how deep she was in her husband's business.
She could be sweet, sexy, a great mom and still be a criminal. None of those things were mutually exclusive.
I needed to stop thinking about the sexy part.
Focus on 'criminal', Knox. Figure out what she and her husband were up to. You're not here to bake her fucking cookies.
I knew it, and looking at her warm brown eyes, the genuine smile on her face, I couldn't dredge up a shred of regret.
I always did the smart thing.