Undercover Cook. Jeannie Watt

to cook, so you wouldn’t have a heart attack like I did,” Gabe said.

       “I can learn by watching.”

       Eden came back and set a clean skillet on the counter in front of Nick. “Use this pan. Cook some eggs. Make your grandfather happy.”

       Gabe gave a soft snort as he started stirring his eggs in the bowl. A few minutes later, he said, “You know, she’s cute.”

       “Yeah.”

       His grandfather tapped the spoon on the side of the bowl. “Aren’t you ever going to start looking again?”

       Nick sucked in a breath. It’d been over two years since he’d lost his wife in a car wreck. And no, he hadn’t started looking again. “This isn’t the time to discuss this, Granddad.”

       “When is?”

       Nick shook his head and reached for an egg. He cracked it on the side of the counter and the whole thing blew up in his hand, splattering yolk on his shirt and pants.

       “Good one,” Marcus said.

       Nick gave him a shut-up-or-you’ll-be-wearing-an-egg look. The accountant took the hint and went back to his stirring.

       “Thin-shelled egg,” Eden Tremont said from behind Nick. “They need to feed the chickens more calcium.”

       “Good to know,” he said, glancing down at the yolk spots on his pants. Eden smiled at him and he smiled back, wondering what it would take to get her to trust him.

       “The cleanup towels are over there by the sink. Just throw them into that container when you’re done.”

       “Will do. Thanks.”

       “This is lame,” Gabe said as he poured his eggs into the pan, but Nick noticed he was smiling a little. His grandfather had never been much of a cook.

       “Maybe,” Nick said, “but I learned some things about eggs.” Such as milk wasn’t good to use for scrambled eggs. Water was better.

       Once they finished cooking, Eden talked about various kinds of bacon—beef, turkey, pork and a soy product she called bacon-oid. The guys got a kick out of that one, but when she offered them a taste they seemed to think it was a reasonable alternative for those who couldn’t eat regular bacon due to the high-fat and sodium content.

       Lois had nodded with happy satisfaction during the mini lecture. Indeed, the old guys seemed more prone to listening to a pretty and petite blonde than to a woman who looked as if she could wrestle them into submission if they didn’t eat right.

       While Eden was talking, Nick pretended to pay attention as he debated which of those closed door across the room might hold a computer and how he could get at it. There was a computer in the front reception area, but he doubted it was linked to financial accounts. He would check it out, though. When he got the chance. It probably wouldn’t be during cooking lessons, due to the open layout of the place.

       Every now and again he caught Marcus shooting small glances his way. Another problem.

       Oh, yeah. He and Marcus were going to have a discussion, and soon, because Nick was damned afraid of what the accountant might be up to. Especially after assuring Daphne he was not a dweeb.

       As soon as class ended and Lois started the guys toward the bus, Nick said goodbye to his grandfather and sprinted a few feet to intercept Marcus on the way to his car.

       “Why are you here?”

       His colleague adjusted his glasses and squared his shoulders. “I have my reasons.”

       “Why don’t you share them with me?” Nick’s worst nightmare was that Marcus was here on some kind of an I’ll-show-you mission.

       “I want to learn to cook.”

       “I’m going to count to three....” Nick said.

       Marcus’s eyes got wider behind the lenses of his glasses. “All right. I came here thinking that maybe I could ask Eden Tremont out to coffee or something. Get to know her.”

       This was his way of manning up? Proving he wasn’t a dweeb? Nick could live with that—he just didn’t know if Eden could.

       “I thought I might be able to come up with a way to get at her computers personally, review the information, and save you the trouble of trying to hack in and download,” the accountant added.

       Nick’s eyebrows rose. How had Marcus planned to do that? Maybe while Eden was in bed asleep, after an invigorating romp?

       His mouth went flat. “I can see, though, that I’m not her type.”

       “Yeah?” Nick asked. “How can you see that?”

       “Because she was ogling you.”

       Nick snorted. Ogling? Somehow he had missed that, and he didn’t miss much. But it had been a while since his woman radar had been up. Two years this past January.

       “Therefore,” Marcus said smugly, “the obvious solution is for you to get to know her better. And I can help.”

       “Please don’t help,” Nick said instantly.

       “Too late.” He gave one of his superior smiles. “I’ve already laid the groundwork.”

       “What groundwork?” Nick growled.

       Marcus simply smirked and then started for his car without giving an answer, leaving Nick staring after him.

      Groundwork… He hadn’t had time to lay any, whatever the hell he had in mind. Nick had been within a few feet of Marcus the entire night, and other than a couple quick conversations with Eden… The guy was delusional.

       And a pain. “Hey!” Nick shouted. Marcus turned back. “How’d you hook up with Lenny?”

       His colleague shrugged. “I stopped by Candlewood and asked the woman if I could put in some community service hours. Told her I worked for Reno PD, and showed her my credentials.”

       “Well…it worked.”

       “I know,” Marcus said smugly, before turning back toward his car.

      GABE STOOD NEXT to the van, between the vehicle and the sidewalk, not exactly eager to settle himself in one of the uncomfortable seats, and heartily wishing that Lois would hurry up already. But he could see her through the kitchen window, still talking to Eden Tremont, the cute teacher who’d been watching Nick all night. Just as Nick had been watching her.

       Gabe felt a stirring of hope. As far as he knew, Nick hadn’t shown any kind of interest in a woman since Miri, and he’d definitely been focused on the teacher tonight.

       Gabe smiled a little as he recalled Nick telling him he wasn’t taking the class because of the teacher. Ha. So much for that. This was a good beginning and Gabe was going to see to it that Nick and the teacher got some alone time.

       But right now he was tired and wanted to go home.

       He resisted the urge to knock on the window to hurry Lois along and instead started up the steps into the van. Once he got into the van and took his seat beside Lenny, he could see that Nick hadn’t left yet. He was on the far side of the parking lot talking to that dark haired guy who’d attached himself to Lenny.

       “So who was your little helper?” Gabe asked.

       “Damned if I know,” Lenny said, half turning in his seat. He reached up to stroke the edge of his mustache, as if he was a detective solving a case in an old movie. Drove Gabe crazy when he did that. “Marcus somebody. He just showed up and told Lois he wanted to help out.”

       “And adopted you.”

       “Guess he knew talent when he saw it.”

       Gabe snorted.

       “You know what I think?” Lenny asked in his gravelly voice.