Page 16 of What Started In Deception
He nodded. “Zoey. She’s two years younger than me. And I really have a niece. Charlotte.”
“Where does Zoey live?”
“In Austin, Texas. With her husband. My mom’s down there, too.”
She finally grabbed a chip as he helped himself to another one. “Did you go to college?”
He nodded. “College is a definite prerequisite if you want to be an FBI agent. I have a master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice. I graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park.”
“Where do you live?”
He grabbed another cheesy chip. “Here. In a staged condo over on Wallace Street. Number 2050. It’s pretty nice.”
She shook her head. “For real. In real life, where do you live?”
“In DC. I have an apartment a couple of blocks from FBI Headquarters.”
She took another chip, dipping it in the salsa. “I want to see it.”
He raised his brow. “You want me to take you to my place in DC?”
She nodded. “I do.”
He clenched his jaw as he held her stare, recognizing the challenge in her eyes. Two days ago, he’d walked into her life and more or less blew it up with a flash of his badge. Clearly, she wanted an all-access pass to his. “Okay. Fine.”
She wiped her hands on her napkin. “Okay.”
He paused to take a drink of his water. “So, do you want to get together tomorrow? We could do lunch or take a walk or something.”
She shook her head. “I still have work. Tomorrow’s my last contracted day. I need to take care of my classroom.”
He reached for another chip, adding sour cream and salsa to his bite. “I can come give you a hand.”
She shook her head again. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Actually, it’s a great idea,” he said as he wiped his greasy fingertips on his napkin. “I’ll get a chance to see where you work, which is important. Every experience we share. Every truth we can tell will be better for both of us. I can bring you a coffee.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I hate coffee.”
“There you go. That’s something your boyfriend would know. You hate coffee. What do you like? What’s your favorite?”
“I like chai lattes. Iced now that it’s warm outside.”
“Got it. What’s your room number?”
She took her time selecting her next chip, clearly debating whether she planned to tell him.
“If we’re doing this, we need to start moving things forward.”
Her gaze darted to his. “Room 104. You’ll have to check in at the office. I’ll let them know you’re coming.”
“Okay. What’s a good time to stop by?”
“We don’t have meetings tomorrow, so pretty much anytime.”
“Sounds good.” He went after another bite with plenty of taco-flavored meat. “You know, this would be a great opportunity for a picture.”
She froze as she wiped her mouth.
