Her shoulders had straightened and she stood up again. “Understood. Thank you for coming to my rescue, Sheriff. You should get back. I will try to keep my 911 calls to a minimum.”

He stayed exactly where he was. “Or you could actually date me. I have zero interest in playing games, Lila. I’m too old for that. I’m going to be open and honest. I’m very attracted to you. I don’t normally think about women I haven’t talked to, but I’ve been thinking about you ever since I saw you at Remy and Lisa’s wedding. I thought you were beautiful and remote and mysterious. I became a cop because I like a good mystery, and that’s what you are to me.”

“I’m not a mystery. You know what happened to me.”

“There’s more to you than one incident.”

“I don’t know. I think it summed me up nicely.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about that, Armie. I think you should go.”

“And I think I should stay,” he replied. “Tell me you won’t sleep better if I’m on your couch.”

“You don’t have to sleep on the couch. I’ll be fine.”

Ah, but she’d said the magic words. He didn’t have to. Not he couldn’t. He shrugged out of his jacket. “Go back to bed. I’m going to secure the house and I’ll be out here on the couch.”

“What about Noelle?” she asked.

Noelle was asleep and wouldn’t even know he’d left the house unless she woke up and got his text. “She’s fine. She can get around and I’ve got my radio on me. She keeps hers on at her bedside. We live next to your in-laws. Delphine, Sera, and Zep will all help out if she needs something. Go to bed, Lila.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

She groaned. “I don’t want to be this person.”

“The person who needs help every now and then?”

“Yes. That person.” She wrinkled her nose his way and sighed. “I’ll get you some sheets.”

She walked away and Peanut was staring at the empty dish again.

“Yeah, buddy, neither one of us is getting everything he wants tonight.” Maybe he should have taken her up on the fake-date thing, but that wasn’t what she needed. She needed to really fit in, not make some kooky plan to trick people.

Although kooky plans were pretty much the only plans people made in Papillon.

Peanut wandered into the living room, like he was looking for something. Bill, more than likely.

Armie followed, kicking off his sneakers while Peanut managed to jump up onto the lounger that had been Bill’s favorite chair. The dog huffed as he settled in.