Her elbow nudged lightly into my ribs. “Flattery will not get you out of helping with dinner.”
“I was going to help.”
She turned in my arms then, studying my face more carefully. “You’re distracted.”
“I got a message earlier.”
“From who?”
“Drew.”
Her expression shifted slightly. “Everything okay?”
“He’s in town for meetings. Asked if I wanted to grab a drink.”
She watched me before speaking. “You want to go?”
“I should.”
Her hand moved up my chest, fingers resting briefly at the collar of my shirt.
“Okay,” she answered quietly.
I kissed her forehead before stepping back. “I won’t be long.”
The bar sat two blocks off campus near the lake. Students filled most of the tables, voices carrying through the open windows while the late evening air drifted inside.
Drew had already claimed a corner booth when I walked in.
He looked exactly the same as the last time I’d seen him in Blackwood. Same calm posture. Same unreadable expression that never gave much away.
“Michigan suits you,” he observed as I dropped into the seat across from him.
“You came all this way to evaluate my location?”
“Partly.” A faint smile touched his mouth. “How’s the team?”
“Good.”
“Classes?”
“Manageable.”
His attention rested on me. “And Mila?”
“She’s good.”
His head tilted slightly. “That girl always had more backbone than anyone gave her credit for.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
A server dropped two drinks on the table before disappearing again. For a few minutes, the conversation stayed easy. Hockey. Campus. Claire’s latest attempt to reorganize the company’s marketing division.
Eventually, the subject shifted.
“The investigation wrapped faster than expected,” Drew continued.
“Lorne’s still going down for it?”