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Matthew glanced at her. “Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know, I guess, because I’ve never seen you with any of your friends before.”

“You’ve seen me with Justin and Peter.”

“That’s true,” Katherine said, biting her bottom lip. “Do you think you’d wanna do it again sometime? You know, not any time soon, but sometime in the near future?”

“Sure, it was fun,” Matthew answered, focusing on the road.

“It seemed like your parents had fun. Do youreallythink they’d wanna get together again?”

“Why so many questions?” Matthew turned to look at Katherine. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Maybe the more important question is, didyouhave a good time?”

“Yes.”

“And doyouwanna do it again?”

“Yes.”

Though Katherine answered quickly, she sounded unsure, and Matthew didn’t want her feeling any more doubt than she already seemed to be.

“Good, because I think everyone will enjoy getting to know each other more. And I’m sure your family’s going to like the riverfront property. The kids can run wild, and the adults can relax. Even Cameron might loosen up a bit.”

“Oh, poor Cam,” Katherine sighed. “Is it really that obvious?”

“To me, it is. But I wouldn’t be much of a cop if I couldn’t read people. Although sometimes that can be a curse. I’ve seen things I could’ve happily gone without ever knowing.”

“I bet,” Katherine said, knowing first hand how the job sometimes took a toll on her dad over the years. “But Cameron’s always been quiet. Especially around my dad. It took him a while to really trust Cam, and some bad circumstances set up a shaky foundation between them.”

“He doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”

“Cam? A bad guy?” Katherine scoffed. “Not even if he tried. Don’t let the Marlon Brando-style brooding fool you. Cameron’salwaysbeen a good guy with a great heart.”

“If Cameron’s such a good guy, what would make your dad question whether he could trust him with Ellie? There’s only so many reasons why a father doesn’t trust someone around his daughter.”

“It’s complicated,” Katherine said.

“It’s notthatcomplicated. Disrespect, drugs, drinking, bad attitude, or sex,” Matthew said. “Dads have the right to be protective of their daughters. But if you say Cam’s always been a good guy, four of those five things don’t fit. So, that obviously leaves sex.”

“Wow! Cop brain!”Katherine laughed.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, and if it was, I wouldn’t know the difference. I grew up with it, so it’s not a big deal to me. But there really were complications in their situation. And my dad’s first impressions weren’t exactly fair.”

“The Chief unfair?”

“I know, it’s hard to believe. If Jerome Bennett is anything other than quiet and reserved, it’s fair. Still, Ellie went through a tough situation around the time she and Cameron started dating, which unfairly affected my dad’s opinion of him.”

“But they worked it out?”

“Of course they did. Any misunderstanding can be worked out.”

“I agree,” Matthew said. “As long as both sides are willing.”