Chosen (Partners in Crime Book 1)

Chapter 4

Dominic woke the next morning to find he had rolled off the couch. By the looks of it, Grace was still sleeping in his bed. They watched two movies last night and she fell asleep at the end of the second. He carried her off to bed and she hadn't woken up since. Which was good. He didn't want her having any nightmares.

He hated to wake her up, but he knew how persistent she was about getting to church when she could. He got up and knocked quietly on the bedroom door. "Grace? You up?"

A mumble that sounded a lot like "Come in" answered him.

He opened the door and saw the sheets misplaced, and the comforter half on the ground. He knew immediately what had happened. "Grace, why didn't you tell me?" He strongly disliked the fact that she had a nightmare and didn't tell him.

"Not everything about me is your business." She snapped. Then sighed, "Sorry. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed I guess."

"It's fine." His phone vibrated and he checked it. "Nicole will drop off some clothes for you. Says she won't make it today."

"Okay. I'm going to take a shower. Do you have a hair dryer?"

He snorted, "A hair dryer? Who do you think I am?"

She laughed, "Shoulda known."

Forty minutes later, they arrived at church. Grace stepped out of her car and met him at the door. "Right on time."

"That never happens."

Grace laughed.

They made their way into the sanctuary together and the service went by uninterrupted. Afterwards, they mingled with others. Olivia waved at them, "Hi guys."

"Hey Liv. Heard you were at a crime scene yesterday."

She scrunched up her face, "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Fine, but at least tell me if you had any nightmares."

Grace rolled her eyes, and Olivia shrugged, "One I think. But then I took a melatonin and was out."

Like magic, Jack appeared at Dominic's side. "Hey partner. Grace. Olivia." He let his eyes linger on Olivia for a second, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Hey Jack. Did you hold everything down for me at the office while I was gone?"

He slapped his back, "Oh yeah. No problem. I saw your parents just a second ago. They told me to say hi to you. They had to leave right away. Some luncheon they needed to head to or something."

Grace punched his stomach, "A luncheon? What are we, the fifteenth century?"

Jack shrugged. He looked at Olivia, "Are you guys doing anything for lunch?"

Grace and Dominic exchanged a look. Olivia checked the time, "No. Not that I know of." Jack smiled and Dominic glared at Olivia. "What?"

Jack grinned, "Yeah, what?"

"Oh my word." Grace crossed her arms.

"Olivia," Jack started. Dominic turned his glare to him but Jack ignored it. "I would like to take you to lunch today."

Olivia blinked. "Um."

Grace answered for her, "Liv is eating lunch with me today actually. I have some things to prepare, so I need to go."

Thankful that she was just saved from answering Jack, Olivia smiled, "Oh, don't do it all by yourself. I'll help you. See you guys."

Grace waved at Dominic and gave him another look before taking off with Olivia.

Dominic pulled Jack aside, "What was that, man?"

Jack scowled, "Sorry. Can't a guy ask a girl out?"

"Jack. Do I have to spell it out for you?" At Jack's blank look he continued, "She's. Not. Interested."

Jack's face fell. "Are you sure? Cause you seem awfully protective."

"Comes with being the big brother."

"But Olivia's not five. She can make her own decisions."

Dominic's phone beeped. "Grace and Liv want me to join them for lunch. I'll see you around."

Jack nodded, "Yeah, have fun."

Dominic chuckled at his sour expression, "I'll talk about you. Give Liv some good things to know."

"Like she'll change her mind." Jack groaned, "I thought I was persuasive. Here she is not even knowing that I've fallen for her."

Dominic squeezed his friend's shoulder, "Don't stress. She'll come around eventually. See that you aren't half bad." Dominic left while Jack tried to think of a comeback.

                                                                                      ~~~~~

Dominic arrived at the fifth house showing two and a half months after his dinner with his family. He was attracted to Chloe, that much was sure, but that was all it was. A simple attraction. Like before, Chloe was waiting for him. He stepped out of his car to see her unlock the front door. She smiled at him and he picked up his pace.

"Hi." He said when he walked up to her.

"Hi." Her voice sounded tense.

Concern flooded his features, "Is everything all right?"

She plastered a fake smile, "Yep. Come on let's get this show on the road." He followed her inside. "This house is 30 years old. The flooring was redone seven years ago. The countertops are a nice granite. There are four bedrooms, and three bathrooms. The master has a double sink. And, you probably already noticed the security system."

"Yeah, I did. This place is nice."

"Agreed. Would you like to see the rest of it?" Chloe asked.

"Yes ma-am."