Read Between the Tines

by Susan Sleeman

  We shared an understanding look, and I dug into my food as a diversion from his steady gaze. I searched for a topic other than the one I really wanted to talk about, but my mind refused to give anything up. So I shoveled spoon after spoon of sugary beans into my mouth. I risked one quick peek at Adam, and his eyes were locked on me as he chewed.

  "How are you, other than hungry?" he asked.

  I laughed with my mouth closed so I didn't spew beans all over his crisply ironed shirt. I chewed then swallowed. "Glad to see you."

  "Me, too," he said and shoveled a spoon of potato salad into his mouth. He reached out then snapped back his hand. "That bruise is something else."

  "It's no biggie." I tipped my head at Lisa and Karen who seemed barely able to keep from rubbing their villainous hands together. "Their purpose is kind of obvious."

  He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. "Yeah, but I'm glad they got us together."

  "You are?"

  He nodded. "Perry told me you were okay, but I've been waiting for you to call so we can work this out."

  Work this out? Did this mean he wanted to stay together? "Uh, I kinda, thought you would call me. When you didn't I thought you might not want to see me."

  Our eyes met, and we laughed. The awkwardness seemed to melt a bit, but still, an underlying tension remained. So we ate and made small talk. Bit by bit our ease with one another returned until we were laughing about how much trouble Perry would be in for keeping this event a secret.

  Suddenly, Adam's eyes darkened. "I know how Lisa feels. Not knowing what was going on."

  Okay, here it was. The discussion. "You do know I'm sorry about that. If I had to do it over again I would tell you right away."

  "And you'd still investigate, and," he looked away, "I'm still not sure I can handle you taking risks."

  "I don't know what to say. I don't think I can—"

  He held up his hand. "When Karen called me to come tonight, she told me something that made sense. She said, if Gary had come to her about the theft, she would have insisted that he go to the police and confess right away. Maybe if she'd been in the loop, things would have turned out differently. But she didn't have a second chance."

  Oh, I was so hoping he'd finish this with saying we had that second chance.

  He pushed his plate away and stared into my eyes. "Just now, she reminded me that I do have a chance to reconcile with you. That life is too short and to do something before I regret it."

  Yes! I resisted the urge to shoot my fist into the air and settled on smiling.

  He smiled back. "Karen's right. Life is too short. I should have realized that when Olivia tried to kill you. So, how about we give this another try? If you promise to tell me what you're up to, I promise to work on being okay with it."

  I raised my hand. "I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help me God."

  We laughed together and clasped hands across the table.

  Adam's cell rang, and he reached for it with his free hand. "Sorry, I have to take this." He clicked the phone and greeted his caller.

  I sat back and unabashedly listened in. His caller was someone at the McMinnville jail. Apparently, one of his clients had done something that Adam was growing upset over. He listened for a long while then said, "Fine. I'll be there in about an hour." He hung up.

  "Let me guess. One of your clients broke the law and you need to go."

  He nodded. "Tank's accused of killing someone. Claims he didn't do it. He was set up."

  I couldn't help the grin that escaped over the client's name. "Tank?"

  Adam grimaced. "Yeah, Tank."

  "Want me to come with you?"

  His eyes flashed wide. "Why would you want to do that?"

  "Well, if Tank's innocent, I would imagine you'd need some help in finding the real killer."

  Adam sighed and came around the table. He bent down and ran a hand over the top of my head while gazing deep into my eyes. His eyes warmed and my heart thundered in my chest. He moved closer and settled his lips on mine. I didn’t care if half the town was in the other room. I kissed him back for all I was worth until he lifted his head.

  He gently moved a strand of hair behind my ear. "I have to go. Remember your promise. With God's help you'll tell the truth." He grinned and tweaked my nose. "As nosey as you are, you better start praying for that help now. It won't be long before you need it."

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  About Spyglass Lane

  Spyglass Lane Mysteries is a collection of Christian cozy mysteries—modern-day whodunnits with colorful characters and plenty of wholesome romance.

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