“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry,” she scolded. “Maybe we had to go there to get here.”

He swallowed the bite he’d been force-fed. “Maybe. I still hate that I made you sad.”

“So make me happy again later,” she said cheekily.

He ate another piece, then pulled her hair aside so that he could reexamine the tattoo on her back. He still had so many questions about the tattoo artist. “That guy Sergio Iglesias? He did an amazing job with this.”

“He did. I’m really pleased with it.”

“Do you have to go back to have it colored in?”

“I do. Probably next month. I thought I’d go before I start nursing school.” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why?”

“Maybe I’d like to go with you.”

She clearly wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “Why?”

“Maybe I’d like a day to get away with you, to take a drive. To go to lunch after your session is over. Like we did with the first tattoo. I assume wherever you went had restaurants nearby.” He nearly winced because he didn’t entirely believe himself.

Neither did she, because her lips twitched. “Are you trying to get me to tell you where we went on Thursday?”

“Maybe.”

“Why, Tom? Just tell me the truth.”

He sighed. “Maybe I’m curious. Maybe I just like knowing about your day. And maybe I feel bad for the guy. You said the Bureau visit sent him into hiding.”

“He thought they were ICE,” she said, scowling. “He has a green card, but some entitled bitch wasn’t satisfied with the tattoo he did, even though she signed off on the design. She threatened him. Even got some guys who claimed to be ICE to harass him.”

It was his turn to scowl now. “That’s wrong.”

She chuckled, leaning sideways to kiss his biceps. “You are really cute, you know that? Such a Dudley Do-Right.”

“Will you stop calling me that?”

She tilted her head. “Does it really bother you?”

He sighed again. “No, not really. It’s fair enough.”

“Well, I’ll stop anyway. You are very earnest, though.” She sobered. “It is wrong, and he’s scared to death. It wouldn’t be the first time someone got deported on made-up charges.”

“I’ll make some calls,” he promised. “Let me see what I can do.”

“Thank you.”

“So . . . where did you go?”

She laughed so loudly that Pebbles ran in circles, barking. “Oh my God. Okay.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Monterey. If Sergio says it’s okay, you can come with me next time.”

“I’ll still make the calls.”

“Because you are sincerely earnest. Nothing about you is an act.” She smiled at him and he thought he’d never get tired of the sight. “You’re a good man.”

“Thank you. So how did you find him?”

“Instagram and Facebook. It wasn’t hard. Any one of you Feds could have done it standing on your heads. Why didn’t you?”

That was a damn good question. “Raeburn didn’t think it was a lead worth pursuing. It wasn’t like that person had been to Eden and could tell us where to find it.”