Christmas Coda 70 - Zach Davies and Flint Carey from PUZZLE FOR TWO

Christmas Coda 70 – Zach and Flint from PUZZLE FOR TWO

 

“God bless us, every one!” Brooke raised her plastic champagneflute and downed the last mouthful of bubbly.

They all laughed, but Zach couldn’t help opening his mouthto remind her she still had to drive home after their office Christmas partywas over. He was forestalled by Flint’s light nudge—Flint was standing behindhim, methodically disposing of the last butter cookies Arlisse had baked for theirlittle get-together.

This was their first official celebration as SecuritySolutions, LLC, and there was plenty to toast to. The last two months had been busy,even chaotic, as Carey Confidential merged operations with Davies DetectiveAgency. While business couldn’t be said to be booming, it had definitelypicked up, and with two investigators—well, two-and-a-half, since Brooke wasnow working part of the time as a trainee-investigator—they were able to takeon more complex cases.

Next month, Flint’s lease was up on his space in the DelSello Center, so they would be paying one less office lease. And with Arlissetaking on office manager duties, Brooke was freed up to handle a lot of theresearch and background checks in between her Criminal Justice courses.

“Did you want this last cookie?” Flint inquired, handhovering over the solitary remaining butter cookie on the grease-soaked paperlace doily.

Zach threw him a sardonic look. “No, no. You go on. You’vegot to keep your strength up.”

“Ha.” Flint finished off the cookie, brushed the crumbs offhis hands. “I’ll remind you I didn’t have lunch.”

Zach and Brooke exchanged knowing glances, then Brookeexclaimed, “Oh my gosh! Is it that late?” She hopped off the reception desk andgrabbed her coat.

“Where are you running off to like your hair’s on fire?”Zach inquired.

“I’ve got a date with Devin.” Brooke’s tone was breezy asshe wrapped a long blue scarf printed with cherry blossoms in an elaboratearrangement around her neck.

Zach frowned. “I thought you weren’t—oww!” He glaredat Flint.

“Have fun, kiddo.” Flint wrapped his arm around Zach’sshoulders, mostly in affection but partly in restraint. He gave Zach a littlesqueeze for good measure.

“I plan to!” Halfway out the door, Brooke paused. “We’ll seeyou guys Monday for Christmas dinner?”

“Of course,” Zach said.

“Yep.” Flint was a lot more cheerful about it.

He had briefly fallen out of favor with Mrs. Davies when sherealized his buying out her share of Davies Detective Agency did not mean hewas going to oust Zach from the PI biz and back into accounting. But she hadsince forgiven him, and he was now, to Zach’s exasperation, the apple of hereye. Something Flint was smugly aware of.

“Great! Have fun you two crazy kids. Don’t do anything Iwouldn’t!”

“Is there anything you—” Zach began only to have Flintgive him another of those increasingly-less-subtle squeezes.

The glass door swung shut with the sweet chime of jinglebells, and Brooke was gone, her slender shadow darting past the plate glasswindows as she hurried to her car.

Zach didn’t move out of the circle of Flint’s arm, but hesaid shortly, “The guy’s married.”

“Separated. They’re getting divorced.”

Zach groaned. “Like we don’t spend half our time followingaround guys who claim to be separated from their wives?”

“I know,” Flint said soothingly. “But McLaughlin really isgetting divorced. And he seems like a pretty decent—”

“He’s almost seven years older than her.”

“Uh oh,” Flint said. “Is the age difference a dealbreaker? Because…”

Zach made a face and wrapped his arm around Flint’s waist. “That’sdifferent. We’re both adults. Anyway, you’re only five years—”

“Brooke is an adult too,” Flint cut in.

“Maybe technically.”

“And I’ll tell you something else, she has to figure thisone out for herself. In fact, the more you kick, the more likely she is to digher heels in.”

Zach scowled, met Flint’s green-gold gaze, and sighed. Flint’smouth curved into a slightly sympathetic grin. He turned Zach so that they stoodface-to-face.

For a moment they just studied each other, half-smiling,half-serious.

“Alone at last,” Flint murmured, and swallowed Zach’s laughin a kiss.