Key Lime Pie Read Free Page B

offered by his touch. Wanting his touch, however, made her feel like a hussy—inches away from kissing Eric one minute and pining for Pete’s tenderness another. “And I’ll finish planting the flowers,” Pete added.
    She took note of his business attire. “You’ll get dirty,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ll do it.”
    “I want to,” Pete said, and Sadie wondered if he was feeling competitive with Eric somehow. Just like when Eric offered his help, she chose to take it at face value.
    “Okay,” she said. “I’ll meet you at your car in a few minutes.”
    “Perfect,” Pete said with a nod.
    He turned toward the flower beds, and Sadie turned to the back door of the city offices. As she let herself inside and headed down the hall to the bathroom, however, she couldn’t get Eric out of her head. No matter how much she tried to distract herself from his situation, she couldn’t help but picture Eric standing over a fax machine as he sent dental records across the country in order to see if the body the police had found was that of his only child. What was it like to face such a life-altering situation? What was it like to face it alone?

Chapter 3

    So, what’s with you and Eric?”
    Sadie’s head snapped up. Hadn’t Pete been talking about work? “What?”
    Pete was watching her closely from across the table at Baxter’s. His plate was clean. Sadie had taken a few bites of her chicken Caesar salad, but mostly pushed the lettuce around the bowl while listening to Pete’s voice and the other sounds of the restaurant. She wasn’t hungry. “I asked about the relationship between you and Eric.”
    Sadie searched his tone for some kind of accusation, but it was hard to read. He probably learned that trick at the police academy: Neutral Tone 101. “I’m not sure what you mean,” she said, hedging.
    Pete took a breath and leaned back in his chair. “It’s not a difficult question, Sadie, and I’m not looking for any specific answer. I’d just like to know exactly what Eric means to you.”
    “He’s a friend,” Sadie said, the almost-kiss racing to the front of her mind, taunting her once again. Was he a friend? Did friends try to kiss you, then tell you that you would kiss them first? She took another bite of her salad without looking at Pete but could feel his eyes on her as she did so.
    The waitress took Pete’s plate and asked if they were interested in dessert. “None for me,” Pete said. He lifted his eyebrows at Sadie. “You?”
    “No, thanks,” Sadie said. She felt guilty enough for not eating the entire meal; too bad salad didn’t keep well as leftovers. She gave up on the meal she didn’t want to eat and pushed the salad away. The waitress took the cue and picked up the bowl before returning to the kitchen.
    Once they were alone, Sadie looked up into Pete’s face, realizing that it would do neither of them any favors to avoid this conversation. “How would you define our relationship, Pete?”
    “I guess I would say we’re dating,” he said. “We see each other a couple times a week and seem to enjoy our time together.”
    “But we’ve been doing that for months,” Sadie said. “Do you see this going anywhere?”
    “I don’t know,” Pete said, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together before resting his hands and forearms on the table. “The answer to that question might be wrapped up in my original one.”
    Eric.
    Sadie looked down, mostly to avoid his gaze long enough to come up with an appropriate response. She’d dropped a piece of lettuce on her pants and picked it off to reveal a splotchy oil spot on her left thigh. Perfect. She looked up to find Pete just as intent as before. “What about Eric?” Sadie asked, putting her hands on the table in an attempt to stop her fidgeting.
    “You light up when he’s around.”
    “I do?” Sadie said without thinking. “I mean, um, I don’t think . . .”
    Pete surprised her by reaching across the table and