sandwiches brought a welcome break and saved her from having to comment.
âHelp yourself,â he invited. âThereâs chicken, beef and cheese.â He grinned. âI wasnât sure if you were a vegetarian or not.â
The sight of food reminded her how long it was since sheâd last eaten. She tucked in, pleasantly surprised at how good the sandwiches were.
âYouâve eaten here before?â
âYes. Itâs my regular. I usually avoid it on Thursday nights because they have a live band playing in the Lounge Bar. Thatâs why itâs so packed in there. Other nights itâs quite civilized. Youâll have to come again sometime. The food is excellent.â
âOnly if you let me pay.â
âYouâre on!â He took another swig of his beer. âReally into this feminism business, are you?â
âNo! I do believe in paying my way, though.â
âEspecially when you are in the company of one of your subordinates,â he said with a humourless smile.
âI prefer to think of you as a team-mate not a subordinate,â she told him in a level voice.
His green gaze held hers, and she felt herself colouring.
âTeam-mate!â He repeated the phrase as if he was rolling a boiled sweet around in his mouth and testing it for flavour.
She took a deep breath. âI hope we can work as a team; as partners. You must have a wealth of experience, so Iâm sure thereâs a great deal you can teach me,â she added quietly.
He bit into a sandwich. âYouâre the inspector. Youâre the one who gives the orders, maâam.â
âOh, for goodnessâ sake!â Despite her intention to remain calm, to cajole him into friendship, Ruth found herself exploding with irritation. âDo you have to call me that? You said yourself we were off duty. If I call you Paddy then surely you can call me Ruth.â
âIf those are your orders, maâam!â His expression was deadpan, but his green eyes gleamed mockingly.
Ruth drained her wine and stood up. âCan I get you another pint?â
He hesitated, and for a moment she thought he was going to refuse. âBetter make it a half,â he said as he passed his glass to her. âIâm driving, and a pint might put me over the limit.â
When she returned with their drinks the atmosphere between them seemed to have undergone a positive change.
âThanks . . . Ruth.â He grinned as she set his beer down in front of him. âIâve told you about my background, and how I live, now how about you telling me something about yourself?â
âNot very different to you. Iâm renting a flat, and I live on my own. There didnât seem to be much point in buying a place because I donât know how long I will be in Benbury. If I make a mess of this case Iâll probably be moved on very speedily!â
âWhich is why you want us to work as a team, so that you can put the blame on me,â he teased.
She shook her head. âYou have so much more practical experience than me that I know I need your fullest cooperation. Iâve heard the rumours that you had hoped to be promoted to inspector yourself,â she went on, âso I can understand how you must resent me being brought in over your head, and put in charge. I know I would have felt resentful if Iâd been in your shoes,â she told him.
He passed a hand through his thick fair hair, averting his eyes. âAnd what would you have done about it?â
She shrugged. âThe same as you, I expect. Made the best of things.â
His green eyes narrowed. âSo thatâs what you hope Iâm going to do, is it?â
She nodded. âI hope so. It would be best for both of us if you did.â
He helped himself to the one remaining sandwich and chewed it thoughtfully. âYes, youâre right,â he admitted. âI knew I didnât stand a chance