“Poor Voss.” Sharp shook his head.

“My guess is that he saw Tessa’s murder and it severed any remaining thread of sanity he was holding onto. Maybe he felt guilty for not being able to stop Emerson.” Morgan put the last photo in the box and closed the lid. She looked around the office. “I suppose we can box all this up and put it in storage now.”

“I hope Nick can move on from this,” Sharp said.

“Physically he’s going to be fine, thank goodness, but his emotional recovery will be more difficult.” Morgan shifted the box to the floor. “I talked to Bud this morning. He’s putting the house up for sale. He and Nick are going to move in with Bud’s sister in Manhattan for a while. He thinks the city might be a totally fresh start for them.”

“That might be the best thing for Nick,” Lance said. “I have some news too. Vanessa Lewis called me earlier this morning. Jamie is out of the hospital and recovering at home from pneumonia. They have an appointment scheduled with a new psychiatrist, but the specialist they saw at the hospital thinks Jamie’s bipolar diagnosis was bullshit. Fake Kevin was already getting handsy with her and telling her that no one would believe her because she was crazy. So Jamie was freaking out. She stayed out of his way the best she could, but when her mom announced they were getting married, Jamie knew that when Fake Kevin moved in, the abuse would get serious. So she left.”

“Fake Kevin has to deal with federal charges, plus state charges in Florida and New York,” Sharp said. “He’s going away for a long time.”

“Good,” Lance continued. “It seems Kevin targeted Vanessa from an online support group for parents of teens with learning disabilities.”

“Ugh. I hope he rots in prison.” Sharp turned for the hallway. “Morgan, let me know if you need help clearing out your office or ordering furniture.”

Lance turned his head toward the empty doorway. “Did I hear him right?”

“You did,” Sharp called from the hall.

Morgan blushed. “Sharp made me an offer. He thinks adding a lawyer to the team will be a benefit.”

“Plus, she’s damned good at this,” Sharp shouted from the kitchen. “And she classes up the place. Makes us look legitimate.”

Morgan got up and closed the door. “Working together isn’t a problem, is it?” She walked closer.

“No, of course not.” Lance didn’t move as she stopped right in front of him.

How did he feel about it, really?

Poleaxed.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“It’s a good fit for now. When the girls were born, John was away. I worked a lot. I didn’t realize how insane our life was. But after being home with them for the last two years, I don’t want to give up all my time with them. Except for the occasional crazy case, I can set my own hours. I hear your boss is pretty flexible.”

“He is,” Sharp shouted through the door.

She reached up and placed a hand on Lance’s chest. “Is it OK with you? I don’t know where we stand.”

Lance’s heart did a touchdown dance. “It’s fine with me. More than fine.” Geez. He sounded like a blubbering idiot.

“Good. I was wondering if you wanted to go out on a date or something.”

Yes. Yes. Yes!

For crying out loud, be cool.

He cleared his throat. “I’d like that.” But he shouldn’t be so selfish. She’d only met his mom once, on a good day. Morgan had no idea what she was getting herself into. Being involved with him could be complicated.

“Good. I hope the boss is OK with fraternization in business.” A smile curled her mouth.

He wanted to taste it.

“He encourages it.” Sharp’s voice came through the door.

“Go away, Sharp.” Lance put a hand on her waist and tugged her closer. “So where do we start?”

“Beats me.” She leaned into him. “I haven’t dated in more than a decade.”

“How about lunch?”

“Lunch would be nice.”

“Just kiss her already,” Sharp yelled.

Lance bent his head and pressed his mouth to hers. The kiss was unhurried, her mouth soft and warm. She sighed, a sound of utter contentment, and leaned into him. The softness of her body nestled into the hardness of his. Though the kiss remained sweet, he tasted the promise of much more on her lips.

He lifted his head. “We make a pretty good team.”

“We do.” She smiled. Looping her arm around his neck, she pulled him down for another, not-so-tame kiss that left them both breathless.

Who knew what would happen tomorrow? He and Morgan had enough combined baggage to sink an ocean liner, and she had no idea of the chaos his mother brought to his life.

But she fit against him in a way that made him think well beyond lunch. Today he was going to live in the moment. He’d waited too long for this simple kiss.

But it had been worth every second.