by Kathy Harris
En route to the dog park near Thirty-First Avenue, they jogged passed flowering cherry and dogwood trees, a fountain, and a water bridge. Then a rustle of activity caught Danni’s attention. A man jumped up from a blanket on the ground and waved to her.
“Hey, what are you two doing here?”
Caleb Samuels.
He seemed happy to see her, but he cautiously eyed Sophie.
The dog growled, and Danni averted her attention to a young, red-haired boy still sitting on the blanket. Danni pulled back on the leash and signaled for Sophie to sit.
“Why is that dog growling at you, Caleb?”
Danni tightened her grip on the leash, remembering the first time Caleb and Sophie had met. “She’s just cautious about who to trust,” she told the boy, then turned the question on Caleb, “What are you doing here?”
“I asked you first.” Was it his lazy smile or the shock of stopping so quickly that caused her heart to palpitate?
Another low growl emulated from deep within the Newfoundland’s chest. “That’s enough, Soph.” The dog settled onto the ground, still watching the TBI agent.
He switched his attention to the boy, who was now standing behind him. “Zachary, I want you to meet someone.” The boy jumped up and stuck out his hand.
“Danielle, this is Zachary.”
She gave the boy’s hand a firm shake, a sense of illogical disappointment rushing through her. Could this be Caleb’s son? That was something she hadn’t seen coming. And all along she’d thought he was single because he didn’t wear a wedding ring.
“So what are the two of you doing here?”
Danni felt her cheeks flush when she realized she had repeated her opening question. Not to mention that it was obvious they were having a picnic.
Caleb placed his arm around the boy’s shoulders and drew him close. “Actually, we were just about to have lunch. Would you like to join us for barbecue sandwiches from Hog Heaven?” He motioned toward the blanket on the ground behind them. “I think we even have enough for Sophie, don’t we, Zach?”
“Sure!” Zach smiled up at Caleb and then turned his attention to Danni. “Could I take your dog for a walk?”
“Do you think you can handle her? She’s a big girl.”
“I can. I used to have a big dog.”
Danni looked to Caleb, and he nodded his approval. “Okay. But how about this . . . why don’t you play together inside the dog park?”
“Okay!” Zach reached for the leash.
Danni turned to Sophie. “Sophie, you mind your manners. Zach’s in charge.”
The Newfie wiggled her tail as if she completely understood. What dog didn’t love little boys? In fact, Sophie loved all children, as most Newfoundlands did.
“Call me if you need me, okay?” Danni reminded the boy.
“I will, but we’ll be fine!” He took off running, whisking Sophie away with him.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Caleb offered Danni a cold drink.
She fluffed her T-shirt. “That would be great. I’m a bit overheated.”
“We have bottled water.”
“Water sounds great.”
He escorted her to the blanket, and she eased herself to the ground, positioning her body so she could watch Zach and Sophie playing inside the dog park.
“He’ll be fine with her. He’s good with animals.” Caleb pulled a bottle of water from a small cooler of ice, wiped it with a napkin, and handed it to her.
“What kind of dog do you have?” Danni took a sip.
“Me? I don’t have a dog. They don’t like me, remember?” He laughed. “Zach and his mom used to have a lab.”
“Oh.” She was now more confused than before.
“I’m Zach’s big brother from our volunteer program at church.”
“Oh . . . church.” Danni could tell she was blushing again. Had she forgotten how to speak in complete sentences? Church? Another side of Caleb she hadn’t seen coming.
“Does that surprise you?”
“Oh, no . . . no. Not at all.” She took a long drink of water. “Where?”
“Mt. Zion on Ebenezer Road.” He studied her, his face unreadable, a reminder he made a living doing interrogations. “Where do you go to church?”
“Agent Samuels, I have the feeling you know everything I do, so I’m guessing a reply isn’t necessary.”
His lips curved into a warm smile.
“Would you please call me Caleb? And no, I don’t know everything about you. But it will be interesting learning more.” He gestured toward Zach and Sophie playing together.
Danni watched as the boy chased the dog, and then the dog chased the boy. Sophie had found a new friend, so she settled into a more comfortable position on the blanket. Perhaps she had too.
“This sandwich is good. Do you think I could give Sophie a bite?” Zach asked.
“It’s up to Danni.” Caleb deferred to their guest, who looked even more striking in her casual clothes than he’d ever seen her when she was outfitted in her fancy business suits.
“Sure. If it’s only the chicken and not the sauce.” In less than an hour Danni and Zach had become best buddies.
The boy wasted no time in giving the dog a portion of his sandwich. “You need to eat up, Sophie, because we have more to do after we’re done eating.”
Sophie was lying on her side stretched out between Danni and Zach, convenient to the food, as well as the fun, and opposite Caleb. He wasn’t certain if the dog trusted him yet. Although she hadn’t growled again, she had kept her eyes on him.
After his sandwich was completely gone, Zach started pulling bites of meat from the Styrofoam to-go container and giving them to the dog. Sophie took them eagerly but gently from his hand. It was obvious she understood kids. Now . . . if she would only warm up to him.
“You’re a good girl. I hope I get to see you again,” Zach announced.
Caleb smiled and leaned back on his hands. He was curious how Danni would react to such an overt invitation. She threw him a puzzled look and then turned to Zach. “I’m sure she would like that. Hopefully you’ll see her again sometime.”
“When?” The boy asked.
Ah. The innocence of youth. Caleb bit his lip, watching Danni.
“Well, I don’t know.” She seemed uneasy. Much more so than the dog. “Sophie and I don’t come to this park very often.”
“But you would come if Caleb and I invited you, right?” Zach turned to Caleb with pleading eyes.
Caleb ruffled the hair on the boy’s head and grinned. “You ask too many questions, Zach. We don’t want Danni to think we’re pushing her into anything.” He hesitated and then turned to Danni. “We want you to know that you’re welcome anytime.”
Danni wasn’t quick to reply. She watched Zach as he scratched the wavy hair behind the big dog’s ears. He was unaware of the implications of his request. “Well,” she finally said. “I believe I can speak for both Sophie and me.” She smiled. “We would be honored to take you up on the invitation some time, Zach.”
“How about next Sunday?” The kid was determined to pin her down. He turned to Caleb. “We’ll be here next week, right?”
Caleb nodded.
Zach quickly turned back to Danni. “Would you bring Sophie and meet us here then?”
Danni leaned back on her hands, mirroring Caleb’s position, her face glowing. Caleb wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or the early afternoon sun they had soaked up in the last hour.
She sat up and pulled her phone from her pocket. “Let me see. I need to check Sophie’s calendar to be sure.”
Zach grinned as he watched Danni search her phone. Finally, she looked at the boy and said. “Looks like she’s available. Want me to pencil you in?”
“Yes, please. If Caleb is okay with it.”
Zach and Danni both turned to face him. He threw his hands up in the air, palms outward, as if he had just been talked into the idea.
“Next Sunday works fo
r me. Same time, same place. Zach and I’ll bring Kentucky Fried Chicken.”
“I’ll bring dessert.” Danni volunteered. “If that’s okay?”
“We’d be happy for Danni to do that, wouldn’t we, Zachary?”
“Yes, sir!” The boy jumped to his feet. “It’s a date! C’mon, Sophie.” He grabbed the dog’s leash. “I’ll race you to the gate.”
“Be back in a few minutes.” Danni shouted after them. “Sophie and I need to leave soon.”
“Okay!” Zach’s response trailed behind him. The youngster appeared to be having more fun than he’d had in a long while.
“To say the least, Zach has enjoyed this afternoon. I have too.” Caleb hoped he wasn’t overstepping his bounds.
“I’m certain that’s because of Sophie, but I’ll try not to let it hurt my feelings.” She tucked her phone back into her pocket and prepared to stand.
“Are you really okay with meeting us next weekend?” he asked. “We don’t want to push. And I know you have a lot of other commitments.”
“No, I’m good with it, if you are.”
The woman blushed more often than anyone he’d ever met. There was an awkward moment of silence, and Caleb wondered if his attraction to Danielle Kemp could be mutual. If that was the case, he had a whole lot of thinking to do.
“I’m great with it,” he said. “In fact, I’ll look forward to it.”
CHAPTER 22
The next day – April 8
Monday morning Jaycee stepped inside Danni’s office door. “Thanks for meeting me at church yesterday. I hope I haven’t beaten you up too badly in the past about going. I have to admit, I never thought you would go.”
“I enjoyed it a lot.” Danni returned her focus to her paperwork.
“Does that mean you’ll visit again?”
Why not? “Sometime. It’s a beautiful church.”
“This Sunday?”
Jaycee could be relentless. As relentless as Zach had been. “Maybe.” Danni grinned.
“Really?” Jaycee squealed. “Great!”
Danni laid her pencil on her desk, put her paperwork aside, and looked up. “Jay, why do you keep asking when you don’t think I’ll do it?”
“Just hoping, I guess.” Her smile reminded Danni of the Cheshire cat. “Want to go to lunch afterward?”
“I can’t. I have a date.”
“Is Rob in town?”
“No. I have a date with a ten-year-old boy.” She might as well have some fun with her friend.
“What?”
“Go ahead and have a seat, Jay.”
Jaycee sat tentatively. “This should be interesting.”
“It is. But it’s not what you think.” Danni leaned back in her chair. “I took Sophie for a run in the park after church yesterday and . . . well, we ran into Caleb Samuels.”
“The TBI agent?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And his son?” Jaycee’s expression dropped. “He’s married, and you’re meeting him at the park with his ten-year-old son? I don’t get it.”
“First of all, the boy is not his son. Zach is from Caleb’s church. Caleb is his mentor. Sort of a big brother.”
“Oh . . . kay” From the look on Jaycee’s face, it was evident she liked what she was hearing. “And?”
“Zach fell totally in love with Sophie, and it was Zach who asked us to meet them at the park next weekend.”
Jaycee nearly tumbled off her seat. “Are you going? Please tell me you’re going.”
“Relax. It’s not a date date. It’s just a play date for Zach and Sophie.”
“Right . . .”
“I’m serious.”
“I hope so.” Jaycee had that catlike expression again.
“You’re bad.” Danni didn’t try to hide her amusement.
“I’m not only bad, I’m happy!” The chef stood and pumped her fists in the air.
“You will be disappointed when this turns out to be just a play date, like I’m trying to tell you.” Danni picked up her pencil and made an attempt to return to her work.
“What are you planning to wear?”
“Oh, Jay, don’t be silly. I’m going to wear shorts and a T-shirt, just like I did yesterday.”
Her friend rested one elbow on her hand and placed her other hand beneath her chin mimicking Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker.
Finally, she shared. “Here’s what I’d suggest . . . You look great in running shorts and a T-shirt, but since this won’t be a chance meeting, why not dress up a bit more? You know, jeans and a plain white blouse with a sweater. Or cute shorts and a white top would look—”
“Jay, you’re making too much out of this. He doesn’t care what I wear. The boy just wants to play with my dog, and Sophie needs more opportunities to play with kids, so I accepted.”
“Okay. One question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Jaycee tapped her foot. “Absolutely, without a doubt, you have no interest in Caleb; is that correct?”
“I know he’s not interested in me. That’s the same thing. He’s working with me on a case. Just like he’s working with you.”
“Yes, but he didn’t invite me to a picnic at the park.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that I ran into him yesterday? Sophie is the connection between the boy and me, which naturally makes a connection between Caleb and me. Don’t you see it? It’s innocent.”
“What I see is you going through a whole lot of grammatical calisthenics, trying to keep from admitting this guy likes you.” A knowing smile spread across the chef’s face. “Stop making excuses. You have the perfect opportunity here to get to know a nice guy, play the field, and date somebody without getting serious. Maybe it will help you see that Rob is not your only option in life.”
“May I say something now?” Danni looked up from her paperwork.
“Sure.”
“Dating around is not a bad thing when you’re unattached, but I’ve been dating Rob for almost three years. I don’t want to date someone else just for variety. After all, he thinks we’re getting married in January.”
“What did you just say?”
“What do you mean?”
“You just said you didn’t want to hurt Rob because he thinks you’re getting married in January.”
“Yes, and your point is?”
“Evidently that means you’re already convinced, or never were fully committed to the fact, that you won’t be getting married to Rob in January.” Jaycee stepped back and studied her. “What are you not telling me? I have the feeling you’re leaving out important information.”
Danni stared at her friend. She had to be careful or she would tell Jaycee too much. But what to say . . . where to stop? And how did she really feel? Had she made up her mind that she wasn’t marrying Rob in ten months?
“I’m going to come clean, Jay.” She nodded to the chair. “Sit back down.”
Jaycee flopped into the chair in front of Danni’s desk.
“I believe Agent Samuels does have a special interest in me. But it’s not what you think. He’s working on a case, and he thinks I have information. Apparently he’s not the only one.”
Danni explained about the man who had followed her to her fathers. “He says the man isn’t TBI, but I don’t know. That’s why they want to put us both with an artist. You for Ramirez and me for my stalker. So this is just business. He sees me as someone who can help him with his case—a case he’s very committed to solving. Guess what that makes me? It makes me a source and not a date. Do you understand?”
Jaycee lowered her chin. “I hope it’s more than that. And I think it is more than that. I’ve seen him look at you, interact with you. All I know is I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Danni smiled. “That’s why I’m not building any of this up to be something it’s not.” She leaned across her desk toward her friend. “Now, can we leave this where it is? Just a play date for Sophie?”
“And if somethi
ng else comes from it?”
“Fine. Then you can say, ‘I told you so.’” Danni tried to refocus on her paperwork for the third time. “I’m already almost engaged, so I’m not sure why I would even want to explore other options.”
About an hour later, Danni took a call from Caleb. He had made arrangements with a sketch artist to meet her and Jaycee at Danni’s condo the following day. He explained he wanted to do it away from the restaurant to avoid alerting the Amoré staff that something was up.
“Your condo is neutral ground for you and Jaycee,” he said. “The artist’s name is Amy Force, and she works for us here at the TBI. She’s great at what she does and will make it as easy as possible for you.”
The following morning, Agent Force met Danni and Jaycee at the condo. Danni glanced behind the woman who stood at her front door, hoping to see Caleb. But she had come alone.
Sophie nosed her way to the front to greet the female artist.
“What a beautiful baby. May I pet her?”
“Of course, but step inside.” Danni moved out of the way, holding Sophie’s collar until the woman walked into the foyer.
Amy Force bent down to rub the Newfie’s neck. “Sophie, you’re such a pretty girl. I’m so happy to meet you.”
Danni cocked her head sideways. “How did you know her name was Sophie?”
“Oh, she’s famous down at the Bureau.” The woman grinned. “We’ve had great fun teasing Agent Samuels about his dog bites.”
“Oh . . .” Danni had never thought about that possibility. “That’s an unfortunate reputation for Sophie to have.”
“Don’t worry. We know she was protecting you.” The woman gave Sophie one last pat. “Isn’t that what dogs are for? Especially the big ones. And this girl is certainly big.” She looked around the condo. “Where do you want me to set up?”
“Would the dining room be okay?”
“Sounds great.” She followed Danni and Sophie through the living room and into the dining room, where Jaycee was waiting.
“Ms. Force, this is Jaycee Alexander. “Jaycee, Amy Force.”
“Nice to meet you. Is that all you brought with you?” Jaycee asked as she took a seat.