Page 64 of Family Jewels

My date with Levi was already off to a better start. He hadn’t been coerced by my brother-in-law, didn’t look scared that I was about to bean him in the head with a rolling pin, and he was charming.

Our waiter came by with menus and took our drinks order. After he left, I cleared my throat. “So, Dr. Romano—I mean, Levi—how did you end up in Henryetta?”

“My grandparents live here, in the Forest Ridge neighborhood. I always loved coming to visit when I was a kid, and when it came time for me to start looking for a practice, my grandmother told me Dr. Ritchie was retiring. It was kismet.”

“You’re not from Arkansas, are you?” I asked.

He laughed. “Does my non-accent give me away?”

I grinned. “That and the fact you don’t say yes, ma’am and yes, sir.”

A grimace crossed his face. “I guess I should work on that.”

“No,” I said. “You just be you. But you still haven’t told me where you’re from.”

“Missouri. I grew up in the Kansas City area.”

The waitress came back with our drinks and took our orders. When she left, Levi’s eyes lit up. “So, Rose Gardner, what about you? Are you originally from Henryetta?”

“Born and raised,” I said. “Never left except the semester and a half I went to Southern Arkansas University.”

“What brought you back?” he asked.

“My father died.”

His smile fell. “I’m sorry.”

I shook my head and picked up my glass of wine. “I came home to take care of my invalid mother. It was seven years ago, and she’s since died, but everything worked out in the end.”

“And now you own a landscaping business.” That reminded me of what he’d said earlier, how he’d asked around about me.

“Indeed, I do. If there’s one thing you need to know about Henryetta, it’s that there’s no such thing as a secret here. Or at least it’s much harder to keep one.” I put my glass down. “So what else did you hear about me?”

“Not much.”

“Come on,” I said. “If you asked around about me, I know you heard things, which are probably either untrue or only partially true. Tell me what you heard, and I’ll let you know if you can believe it.”

He grinned as he picked up his glass. “I think I like this game. I heard you dated both the sheriff and the district attorney.”

“That’s only partially true.”

“Which part?”

“I dated thechief deputysheriff, but he was with the state police when we were together, and Mason was theassistantdistrict attorney.”

“So am I already out of the running because I’m not in some type of law enforcement career?”

“No,” I said. The wine had already dulled my inhibitions, and I was surprised when I added, “I think it’s time for me to branch out.” But then I flushed and looked down at the table. “So what else?”

“Your sister is in Texas . . .”

“Dying?” I asked, looking back up to him as I shook my head. “She has cancer, but she had a bone marrow transplant. She’s doing really well and should be coming home soon. Anything else?”

“You’ve been the target of a few dangerous criminals.”

“Which is how I became involved with men in law enforcement,” I said. “But my time with criminals is done. I’m a simple landscaper now.”

He gave me a wicked grin. “Who helps homeless men.”