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“Got one in the car. Follow me.”
He led her to the ’65 Mustang. Hid a grin when her eyes went wide.
“Wow. That’s quite a car.”
“Been tinkering on it for a while. Decided to bring it out for a drive today.”
The two-seater looked sweet in the early-morning light. Or maybe he was jazzed to have taken it out for a spin, windows down, a fresh breeze blowing out the cobwebs after being cooped up all week.
“This is what Chambers meant when he mentioned your interest in restoring cars?”
“Yep.” He opened the door and leaned in to rummage through the glove box, pulling out a checkered square of cloth. “My dad and I logged a lot of hours working on cars like this. Mostly muscle cars. We’d restore and flip them.”
“A side business?”
“Not really. It was a reason to make time to be together.”
Her eyes took on a wistful gleam.
“How about you? Any hobbies you share with your folks?”
“Not unless you consider lecturing your daughter a hobby?”
Okay, then. He handed her the bandanna. “This should work.”
She took it, twisted it between her fingers.
“Don’t worry so much. This is going to be fun.” He nodded to the cloth. “Might help keep your glasses in place, too.”
Her fingers flew up to the arms of the glasses as she adjusted them. “Brought an old pair. Just in case.”
“You’ll do fine.”
Doubt and fear competed for prominence across her gentle features. Before he could stop and think about what he was doing, Dante laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. There was a spark from the connection. At her surprised glance, their eyes met and held. The deep, coffee-brown depths started his heart to hammering, which had nothing to do with the anticipation of the race and everything to do with the woman standing before him.
As if scalded, he jerked his hand back to his side. Eloise ducked her head. Uneasiness hovered between them.
“We should join the team,” he said finally.
They began to walk away when Eloise stopped.
“You forgot to lock your car.”
“No need.”
“Really? With all the auto thefts we investigate, you’re willing to take a chance?”
A slow grin curved his lips. “Never with my car.”
She waited for an explanation.
“One, I take my keys with me. Two, I disconnect the fuel cell. Even if someone tried to hot-wire my car—and with dozens of cops around that would be stupid—they wouldn’t get anywhere.”
She shrugged. “Your decision.”
He was about to defend himself when his phone rang. Yanking it from his pocket, he read the caller ID. His brother Dylan. “I need to take this.”
“I see Brandy. I’m going to talk to her.”
He watched her stroll away, shoulders hunched just a bit, before he tapped the green button. “Hey, bro. What’s up?”
“Got a minute?”
“Only. Getting ready to compete in a mud race.”
“A mud what?”
“You need to get out more.”
“Whatever. Listen, we have a problem with Mom.”
Unease skittered over his neck. “Is she okay?”
“Physically, she’s fine.” Dylan paused. Either for effect or composure. Knowing Dylan, the ultimate protector, Dante banked on the second.
“She’s dating.”
Dante blinked a few times. Had he heard Dylan right? “Dating?”
“As in going out with a guy who isn’t our father.”
“Our mother?”
“The only one we’ve got.”
Huh. She hadn’t mentioned this when he’d last talked to her. But then again, Jasmine Matthews could be cagey when she wanted to.
“In all fairness, our father is in the forever after.”
“Yes. But she’s dating.”
Dante and his brothers had talked about what they’d do if their mother ever decided to put herself out in the dating world again. Jasmine was in her late fifties. Young enough to find interest in another man. But growing up around his parents, seeing the depth of their devotion to each other, he and his brothers had been convinced she’d never take the plunge. Apparently they were mistaken.
“When did this start?”
“I just found out about it last night. Mom swore Kady to secrecy.”
Their mother had moved to Cypress Pointe, where Dylan was currently residing, to work with Dylan’s girlfriend, Kady, at her family’s floral shop.
“How could you let this happen?” Dante accused.
“Really? Have you met our mother? She has a mind of her own.”
No joke. Still... “Have you talked to her about this?”
“She told me to mind my own business,” Dylan answered gruffly.
Dante snorted. “Rich, coming from a woman who has made it her life’s mission to interfere in ours.” He shook his head. When their father had died, the brothers had promised each other to protect their mom, no matter the cost, and not let anything hurt her again, if they could help it. If this was one of those situations, they’d find any way possible to safeguard her. “Who is this guy?”
“She won’t say.”
“But being the dutiful son that you are, you found out, anyway, right?”
He paused. “She didn’t exactly confide in Kady, only mentioned a man in her life, and has refused to tell me his name.”
“But you’ll ferret it out of her, right?”
“You bet. She isn’t the only Matthews with mad interrogation skills.”
Dante didn’t doubt his brother for one second.
“Have you told Derrick and Deke?”
“Derrick laughed for about five minutes. Deke wanted to jump on the next plane home and start a search for the guy.”
“Well, I won’t add to your troubles by showing up. It’ll only make Mom clam up more.”
“Any chance you’ll be free in the coming days if we need a brotherly chat?”
Dante inhaled the smoky scent of the grill being prepared for the barbecue lunch. His stomach growled in anticipation. “Starting a new case on Monday. I’ll be undercover so I can’t make any promises. I can videoconference call with you guys if necessary.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know.” Dylan went quiet for a long-drawn-out moment. “This case dangerous?”
“Shouldn’t be.”
“Watch your back, Pretty Boy.”
Dante ground his back teeth before answering. “Got it under control.”
“I’ll keep you informed.”
Dante signed off, struggling to keep his cool between the Pretty Boy remark and the fact that their mother was keeping secrets from them. She’d never done that before, unless it was leverage to get him or his brothers to do her bidding. It had always been in fun, the Matthews family game, until now. He didn’t like it. Not one little bit. And he was sure his brothers felt the same way.
“You all right?” Eloise asked as she tentatively moved toward him.
He controlled the scowl he was sure would scare anyone away.
“Family drama.”
“Okay, well, the team is gathering for a pep talk before the race starts.”
He shook off his mood and strode toward her. “Lead the way.”
The group huddled together, speaking in low tones. Dante pushed forward, making room for Eloise beside him. He clapped his hands. “Are we ready?”
Everyone responded with a resounding yes, except Eloise.
“We’re going to follow one another in the staggered starts. Two each from our team at a time, as well as the other departments participating.” He glanced at Eloise. “There’s a chip in the wristband they gave you. At the end, we’ll see which team has the best time.”
He raised his hand, to which the team high-fived. “Good race, everyone.”
Eloise moved away, scanning the course set out before them. Her cute nose wrinkled in distaste. “Smells like soggy grass out here.”
“Makes the challenge more fun.”
The race announcer called the teams to the starting line.
“You’re running last,” Dante told Eloise. “You can watch us, get a feel for the course. If you have a hard time maneuvering an obstacle, one of your fellow runners will give you a hand.” He tried to read her face, but it had gone blank. “Ready?”
She looked at him. “Our team really holds the record?”
“So far.”
With a deep breath, Eloise squared her shoulders. “Okay. I can do this.”
Dante grinned. He couldn’t wait to watch.
* * *
THE ANNOUNCER PUMPED up the challengers with a rousing pep talk before lifting up the small, black device in his hand. A loud electronic beep sounded among the excited cries of runners, and they were off. Brandy stood beside Eloise as they watched, cute in a bright pink T-shirt and black running shorts, her thick hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Eloise had grabbed an old ratty shirt and a pair of baggy shorts she’d worn years ago when she was at the police academy. Hardly a fashion statement, but then...this was mud!
“I’m pumped,” Brandy gushed. “This is my second time in a mud race.”
“So it’s not awful?”
“Are you kidding? You’re going to have a blast.”
Eloise doubted it.
She’d studied the course description when she’d logged on to the race site online. Three miles, short by most mud race standards, with eight obstacles in all. They didn’t seem terribly daunting. The hardest part would be keeping her feet from getting sucked into a mudhole. Watching previous race videos to get an idea of what she’d encounter, she now stood before the real thing.
“What am I doing here?”
She had better things to focus on, like the details of her very first undercover operation. She’d made lists after the briefing, took care of personal business and started packing, even though they didn’t start until Monday. She would have liked to go over the official reports of previous car thefts today, try to find a pattern or similarities in the crimes, but that wasn’t happening. Even Lieutenant Chambers had been on board with her joining her fellow Palm Cove officers in the race. Being a team player would go a long way toward the promotion.
Glancing around, it seemed like everyone but Eloise was a competitor. If they’d entered a race on reading books, she bet she’d come in first every time.
The next group lined up, ready to take off. She caught sight of Dante, looking very athletic in a tight tank top and running shorts. His leg muscles, defined as he struck the starting pose, reminded Eloise that he liked to run. She shuddered. Running had never been her forte, her average times gumming her up at the academy, but she’d pushed herself because the goal of graduating was more important than the misery of running. Could she pull this off?
