“Nate.” At a touch on his arm, he lifted his gaze from the dark depths of the coffee Jolene had poured him. Becky was watching him now, her features taut. “Is everything okay?”

He had no idea.

And until he figured out the answer to that question and dealt with the sudden, unsettling restlessness swirling through him, it would be a mistake to change anything. One wrong word could cause irreparable damage.

He took a deep breath and wove his fingers through hers. “I have a lot on my mind. Adjusting to the new job has been challenging. I’m still learning the territory and the personalities. There have also been a few cases that deserve more attention than my deputies have time to give them, and I’m trying to pick up the slack. I’m sorry if I’ve been preoccupied.”

Her brow crinkled as she extracted her tea bag from the mug. “The preoccupation is a recent phenomenon.”

Yeah, it was. As of last night—and today.

But Becky wouldn’t be that specific. It would be too in-your-face, and she never created waves or initiated arguments.

Nevertheless, she deserved a response—if he could phrase it without hurting her.

“To tell you the truth, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.” He spoke slowly, cherry-picking his words. “I’m not suggesting we change anything, but I could use a little breathing room.”

“So you’re okay if we stick with our usual schedule?”

That would be Wednesday dinner out, Saturday dinner at her house, and church together on Sunday with breakfast afterward.

He’d been fine with that routine until Friday.

Now it felt predictable. Stale.

Because he’d met Grace—and in the handful of minutes he’d spent in her presence, there’d been more zing than he’d experienced in eight months with Becky.

But relationships weren’t built on zing. All that angst and electricity and raging hormone stuff was for teenagers in the throes of their first crush. It was immature. Juvenile.

So maybe, once he got past this adolescent testosterone surge, the status quo would be fine again.

Nice try, Cox.

He throttled that little naysaying inner voice and squeezed Becky’s hand. “If that works for you.”

“Yes. It does.” She smiled, and the tension in her features eased. “I do understand about the pressures of adjusting to a new job—especially one in law enforcement.”

No, she didn’t. He’d tried to talk with her about the challenges he was facing and the cases that had come across his desk during his first few weeks as sheriff, but those discussions had upset her.

Odds were they wouldn’t upset a woman who cut up bodies for a living, though—and who saw man’s inhumanity to man up close and personal in her forensic work.

“You two ready to order?” Jolene rejoined them. “Of course, I already know what you want.” She winked at Becky.

Nate picked up the menu. “I haven’t had a chance to read this yet.”

“Too busy with sweet talk, I imagine.” She grinned and waggled her eyebrows. “I saw you two over here with your heads close together.”