Max had told Ellie to stay home, and she planned to do just that after she stopped at Whole Foods to get groceries. She was in the mood for stir-fry with chicken and mounds of vegetables. Just thinking about food made her stomach grumble, and no wonder, she hadn’t eaten anything since the PowerBar and orange juice she’d inhaled at breakfast.
She ended up with three large bags of groceries. She emptied the contents onto her kitchen counter and reached for an apple to eat while she checked her answering machine for messages. There were only two, neither of which required quick attention. Ellie hadn’t wanted to spend money on a landline, but her father had insisted. He didn’t trust cell phones. What if the charge was low and she got into trouble? How could she call for help? Ellie let her father win the argument because she wanted to give him peace of mind.
After she checked the time, she showered, blew her hair dry, and put on a pair of faded jeans, a pink T-shirt, and flip-flops. She even took the time to dab on some perfume and add a little lip gloss before starting dinner. She made enough for six meals, munching on salad while she worked. The two agents arrived just as she finished eating.
Ellie silently lectured herself on the way to the door. Okay, you’re not a teenager, she reminded herself. This time she was going to take it all in stride or, rather, take him in stride. No heart palpitations, no breathlessness, just an ordinary “Hi, how are you doing?” Normal, she thought. She was going for normal.
The best-laid plans…
She opened the door, and boom, her heart started pounding. It really was the most amazing thing, having absolutely no control over her physical response to him.
His expression didn’t give her a hint as to what he was thinking, yet she was certain he wasn’t having the same crazy, heart-pounding reaction to her. But then, why would he? If she weren’t a potential witness, he probably wouldn’t have given her the time of day.
“Something smells good,” Max remarked as he walked past her.
“I just made stir-fry.”
“Yeah, that smells good, too.”
Ben heard the comment and rolled his eyes as he followed Max into the apartment.
When Max turned around, Ben was staring at Ellie, spellbound. Ben shook his head and shot an accusatory look at Max, who responded with a satisfied grin. Maybe he should have told Ben about her, but seeing the expression on his partner’s face was priceless. Ellie looked amazing with her hair down around her shoulders. The snug jeans and T-shirt hugged her slender body and long legs and showed the curves that had been hidden by the scrubs. The woman was just about perfect.
He glanced around her apartment and liked that, too. It was simply furnished, but there were a couple of bright touches that made it feel warm. He smiled when he spotted the brick wedged under one of the legs of the desk. A couple of packing boxes sat in the corner, and neat piles of papers were stacked on the desk and a chair.
Ellie shut the door and automatically flipped both dead bolts. She offered her hand as Ben MacBride introduced himself. He wasn’t as tall or as muscular as Max, but he had an athletic build and a nice smile that instantly put her at ease.
Ben turned back to Max and shook his head.
“What?” Max said.
“You could have mentioned…”
“Mentioned what?” he asked innocently.
Ben decided to be blunt. “That she was frickin’ beautiful.” He quickly turned to Ellie to add, “You remind me of my wife. She’s beautiful. At least I think she’s still beautiful.”
Ellie gave him a quizzical look. “You don’t know?”
“Every time I see her, she’s in the bathroom throwing up. But, yeah, I’m sure she’s still beautiful.”
She laughed. “She’s pregnant.”
He nodded. “Yes. Man, it does smell good in here.”
“Stir-fry,” she repeated. “There’s plenty left, and it’s still hot. Would you like-”
She didn’t bother to finish her question because both Max and Ben were already in her kitchen. Max looked for plates as Ben sampled a piece of chicken. While they devoured every bit of the stir-fry, Ellie straightened up her living room. Her desk was covered with stacks of papers, and there was another stack on the swivel chair that she needed to go through and decide to either shred or pack for storage. She quickly moved the papers from the chair to form another stack on top of the desk. It looked a bit precarious, but as long as no one bumped the desk, the papers should stay put.
The two agents set their empty plates in the sink and joined her. When they were standing in her living room, the small area seemed even smaller. Ellie went to the sofa and sat down. Ben took the swivel chair and turned it to face her.
“Thanks, Ellie,” he said. “The food was great. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she replied.
Max moved around the room as though he were inspecting it. He seemed uptight, unlike the man she had met earlier who appeared to be so relaxed.
“Is there something you need, Agent Daniels?” she asked.
“Max,” he reminded her. “No, I just noticed you don’t have anything on your walls.”
“No, I don’t.”
“How come?”
“Everything I like is too expensive, and I don’t want to put up posters. I had enough of those in college.”
“So you’re poor,” Ben said.
She laughed. “Yes.”
“I thought doctors made a lot of money.” Max made the comment.
“Some do,” she agreed. “But, like many of my colleagues, I have substantial student loans.”
“Don’t they pay you at that hospital?” Max snapped the question.
“Yes, they do.”
“Must not be much.”
“No, it isn’t.”
He slowly circled her living room, acting like a caged animal searching for a way out. Ellie had the feeling he was angry about something and trying to keep it in check.
“What about photos? I know you have family. Don’t you like them?” Max asked, frowning.
“I like some of them, and, yes, I do have photos. They’re packed away.”
“Why are they packed away?” he demanded.
“I’m finished at St. Vincent’s Hospital on Tuesday.”
The rapid-fire questions continued until she began to feel like a suspect, not a witness. Irritated, she started to answer just as rapidly.
“Those boxes in the corner by the window have been sitting there a long time. There’s dust on top of them. Why is that?”
“I’m a bad housekeeper,” she said with a straight face.
“You never unpacked them?” He made the question sound like an accusation.
“No, I never did.”
“Why not?”
“I like to be ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“Ready to pick up and leave at a moment’s notice,” she snapped back.
“Where are you going?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
He stopped pacing and was now standing over her, making her extremely nervous. How could she have ever thought he was relaxed? She was beginning to think she should confess something just to get him to stop interrogating her.
Ben was watching the exchange, astounded by Max’s aggressive behavior. Had he been alone with his partner, he would have asked him what in God’s name was wrong with him. He was acting as though he were about to pounce on her.
“You must have some idea where you’d like to go,” Max challenged.
“No, I don’t,” she answered sharply. “Is there any other personal information you need?”
Seeing Ellie’s indignation and suddenly realizing he’d sounded as though he were grilling her, he said, “I guess I’m not very good at small talk.”
That was small talk?
“No kidding,” Ben drawled.
Max could see the scowl deepening on Ellie’s face, and he could almost feel the fire flashing from her eyes. He would have laughed had she not looked so annoyed. When he’d first met her, his opinion of her had been rather indifferent. Of course, he’d noticed that she was a beautiful, sexy woman he would love to take to bed. Nothing unusual about that. But then he’d watched how great she was with Sean Goodman. She was so calm and reassuring as she worked on him. Maybe it was all part of her job, but her kindness seemed genuine. Then, when she went back to the hospital to perform Sean’s surgery, Max’s impression of her expanded. Not only did he want to go to bed with her, he admired her as well. And when she gave him a little attitude in the stairwell and let him see her sense of humor, he realized he actually liked her… and wanted her. Nothing unusual about that.