as a disgusted look, she dropped a few dollars onto the table and headed for the door.
“Wait!” Asprey jogged to catch up. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, her whole body whirling and coming to stop against his, like they were dancing and about to do a dip. If he’d have planned better, he’d have done just that, taking advantage of her proximity to prove that loving was just as effective as fighting.
As it was, he’d have to be content that he still had all the connective tissues in his joints. “You didn’t give me a chance to explain.”
She didn’t pull away, just tilted her head up so her gaze—sharp and to the point—met his. “Explain what? Excuse me if I don’t jump at the chance to be bought by a group of inept thieves. If you didn’t want to work with me, you could have just said so.”
Nothing about this woman made any sense. According to the arrest records they’d creatively accessed via one of Tiffany’s backdoor programs, she’d turned herself in to the police about two and a half years ago, walked right into the police station as though she hadn’t a care in the world. There was no resistance, no attempt to delay the proceedings. She’d provided a written confession of her guilt in exchange for a sentence of two years.
Took the easy way out.
So why was she refusing the easy way now?
The waitress made an irritated noise and pushed her way between them, breaking the hold.
“So, what? You’re just going to walk away?” Asprey asked.
“Yes.” But she didn’t. Instead, she softened a little, her shoulders coming down about an inch. “I don’t want your money, Asprey. I mean—I do, obviously, since I asked you guys for help. I can’t set Todd up without a cash infusion, and I’ve invested too much time in him to give up. Since you guys are already, ah, comfortable with bending the law a little, having you on the job would make a big difference.”
Asprey was not immune to such flattery. “I am rather handy in a pinch.”
The look she gave him voiced an entire stadium full of doubts. “But I’m not going to turn you guys in—if you don’t want to help, there’s no need to buy me off. I might be a con woman, but I’m not a bad person.”
“I never said you were.”
“You implied it, and where I come from, that’s ten times worse.”
“Let me imply this,” he said, knowing as they came out that the words didn’t make any sense. He didn’t care. It suddenly seemed important that he make this call. They needed a partner, and so did Poppy. All the rest of it—the pesky details of her criminal record, Graff’s objections—weren’t nearly as important as making her part of their team. “Graff doesn’t trust you, but he barely trusts me , and I’ve known him for twenty-eight years. And Tiffany doesn’t care one way or the other.”
“And you? What do you think?”
He stuck his hand out and waited for her to shake it. “I think I’d like nothing more than to see what we can do for each other, you and me. We’ve got ourselves a deal, Poppy. Welcome to the Charles family.”
Poppy.
He didn’t realize he’d used her real name until she left—and by then, it was too late to recognize that the glittering look in her eyes hadn’t been the natural feminine appreciation he’d been going for.
In fact, he’d have said it was a declaration of something much more dangerous.
And Lord help him, but he couldn’t help but feel that was better .
Chapter Seven
“Hey, that guy’s cute.” Bea peered over Poppy’s shoulder at the computer screen. “Is he some kind of movie star or something?”
Poppy closed the laptop and faked a smile. More lies. “Yeah. He’s in that new romantic comedy. We should go see it one of these weekends.”
Given the hectic whirlwind of their respective schedules, Bea at work slinging coffee to the masses, Poppy falling further into the rabbit hole of her own folly, movies were far from a realistic option for the two of
“Wait!” Asprey jogged to catch up. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, her whole body whirling and coming to stop against his, like they were dancing and about to do a dip. If he’d have planned better, he’d have done just that, taking advantage of her proximity to prove that loving was just as effective as fighting.
As it was, he’d have to be content that he still had all the connective tissues in his joints. “You didn’t give me a chance to explain.”
She didn’t pull away, just tilted her head up so her gaze—sharp and to the point—met his. “Explain what? Excuse me if I don’t jump at the chance to be bought by a group of inept thieves. If you didn’t want to work with me, you could have just said so.”
Nothing about this woman made any sense. According to the arrest records they’d creatively accessed via one of Tiffany’s backdoor programs, she’d turned herself in to the police about two and a half years ago, walked right into the police station as though she hadn’t a care in the world. There was no resistance, no attempt to delay the proceedings. She’d provided a written confession of her guilt in exchange for a sentence of two years.
Took the easy way out.
So why was she refusing the easy way now?
The waitress made an irritated noise and pushed her way between them, breaking the hold.
“So, what? You’re just going to walk away?” Asprey asked.
“Yes.” But she didn’t. Instead, she softened a little, her shoulders coming down about an inch. “I don’t want your money, Asprey. I mean—I do, obviously, since I asked you guys for help. I can’t set Todd up without a cash infusion, and I’ve invested too much time in him to give up. Since you guys are already, ah, comfortable with bending the law a little, having you on the job would make a big difference.”
Asprey was not immune to such flattery. “I am rather handy in a pinch.”
The look she gave him voiced an entire stadium full of doubts. “But I’m not going to turn you guys in—if you don’t want to help, there’s no need to buy me off. I might be a con woman, but I’m not a bad person.”
“I never said you were.”
“You implied it, and where I come from, that’s ten times worse.”
“Let me imply this,” he said, knowing as they came out that the words didn’t make any sense. He didn’t care. It suddenly seemed important that he make this call. They needed a partner, and so did Poppy. All the rest of it—the pesky details of her criminal record, Graff’s objections—weren’t nearly as important as making her part of their team. “Graff doesn’t trust you, but he barely trusts me , and I’ve known him for twenty-eight years. And Tiffany doesn’t care one way or the other.”
“And you? What do you think?”
He stuck his hand out and waited for her to shake it. “I think I’d like nothing more than to see what we can do for each other, you and me. We’ve got ourselves a deal, Poppy. Welcome to the Charles family.”
Poppy.
He didn’t realize he’d used her real name until she left—and by then, it was too late to recognize that the glittering look in her eyes hadn’t been the natural feminine appreciation he’d been going for.
In fact, he’d have said it was a declaration of something much more dangerous.
And Lord help him, but he couldn’t help but feel that was better .
Chapter Seven
“Hey, that guy’s cute.” Bea peered over Poppy’s shoulder at the computer screen. “Is he some kind of movie star or something?”
Poppy closed the laptop and faked a smile. More lies. “Yeah. He’s in that new romantic comedy. We should go see it one of these weekends.”
Given the hectic whirlwind of their respective schedules, Bea at work slinging coffee to the masses, Poppy falling further into the rabbit hole of her own folly, movies were far from a realistic option for the two of
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