Okay. Enough of the foolishness! She was ready. Erin glanced down at her melon-colored jacket dress, sighed and climbed from the car. Why hadn’t she worn her new, flax-colored suit today, which made her look older, more professional? Because she didn’t know David Carlson would call and ask her to meet him for coffee after work.

And there went those flitters again. Stop it! It’s only a business appointment. Erin frowned, crossed the parking lot and reached for the chrome bar on the diner’s blue-painted door as she stepped into the canopied entrance.

“Allow me.”

Erin jerked sideways and glanced up straight into David Carlson’s smiling face. He must have been waiting for her. Had he seen her primping in the car? She turned away as the telltale warmth of embarrassment crept into her cheeks. So much for presenting a professional demeanor.

“A dollar for your thoughts.” David reached around in front of her and pulled the door open.

“A dollar?” Erin stepped into the diner. “That’s generous of you.” She slanted a look at him. “Last I knew, thoughts were only worth a penny.”

“Inflation.” David followed her inside. “Besides, you looked so serious, your thoughts are probably worth more than a dollar.” He ushered her to a booth by a window. “Did you have a hard day at work?”

Erin shook her head and slid onto the red vinyl bench seat. “I never have a hard day. I love my job. The children are wonderful.” She looked over at him, feeling more at ease with the width of the aluminum-edged table between them. “How about you?”

“Well, I can’t say I never have a hard day.” His lips twisted into a wry smile. “Not everyone appreciates the job I do. In fact some of them get downright nasty when I’m investigating a story they’re involved in. But, like you, I love my work—in spite of the rough situations I occasionally encounter.”

“Are you ready to order?”

Order? We just sat down! Erin glanced up at the young server. The teenager was staring at David and practically drooling on her order pad. So that was it. Well, she could certainly understand. David Carlson was hands down the most handsome man she’d ever seen. She cleared her throat to get the girl’s attention. “I’ll have an unsweetened iced tea with lemon, please.” The girl’s gaze didn’t so much as flicker in her direction. She might as well have been mute and invisible.

“Make mine coffee—hot and black.”

The girl smiled at David and wrote it down. “Is that all? Are you sure there’s nothing else I can get for you? The menu’s there on the table.” She gestured, but didn’t take her eyes off David. “I’ll wait if you need more time.”

The girl was all but cooing at him! Erin ducked her head and stared down at her lap, freeing David to respond to the teenager’s blatant flirting, if he so chose.

“Only the coffee and iced tea with lemon, thank you.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Erin watched the server walk over to the counter, hips swinging seductively.

“You can come up for air now.”

So he’d been aware of what she was doing! She lifted her head and met David’s gaze head-on.

“I’m sorry, Erin, that was awkward.” His lips tilted in a rueful smile. “She’s young.”

He sounded kind and a tiny bit embarrassed, which—she knew perfectly well—meant absolutely nothing. Men were such liars. She gave him a cool look. “Yes, she is. Anyway, it’s over—until she comes back.”

David folded his arms across his chest, relaxed back against the seat and fastened his gaze on her. “That sounds a little skeptical. I’m surprised. Cynicism doesn’t fit you, Erin.” He shifted his position toward her and lowered his voice. “You don’t think I’m going to respond to her flirting, do you? She must be ten years my junior!”

That doesn’t stop Jerry! Erin’s skin prickled with anger. She yanked her thoughts back to David. “I have a sinister side to my nature.”

“Sinister? If you think that’s sinister, you need to read the newspaper more often.” He sat back and grinned. “I can recommend a good column.”

His grin was contagious. Erin smiled in response, then reached up to tuck the hair that had swung free back behind her ear. Professional, remember? Keep it professional. “Speaking of your column—you had some questions you wanted to ask me?”

David’s eyebrows rose. He stared across the table at her, and the intensity of his scrutiny made her want to get up and walk away. After a moment, his lips spread in a smile that trapped the breath in her lungs. “Business only, huh? You’re an enigma, Erin Kelly. But I’m not an investigative reporter for nothing. I’ll figure you out. Now, about the questions.”