One morning before work, Alan Travers accidentally bumps into Detective Jim Garrison at a cafe where both men stop for coffee. The handsome younger man interests Alan, but he misses his chance to get to know the detective better and wonders if he'll get another.<br><br>With the help of his nephew Bryce, Alan concocts a plan to try and get Jim's attention "accidentally on purpose." It works, but as things heat up between them, Alan worries what Jim will think if he finds out their getting together was no accident.<br><br>Then Bryce goes missing, and Alan's going to have to come clean. But is he the only one not being truthful?

Accidentally On Purpose

At the top of the staircase is a closed door. Jim fumbles his keys out of his pocket and unlocks it. “It isn’t exactly a palatial mansion—”


“Come on, mate, mine isn’t either,” Alan says.


With a smile, Jim leans against the door as he opens it, letting Alan inside. “But it’s home. Come on in. Don’t mind the mess.”


Alan doesn’t know what he’s talking about—the place is spotless. The door opens onto a small foyer with a coat closet on the right, a hallway on the left, and the living room dead ahead. Off the living room is a small dining area with a bistro-style table surrounded by a quartet of tall chairs, and from where he stands, Alan can see a pair of French doors leading to a small balcony.


Closing the door behind them, Jim says, “It really isn’tmuch.”


“You have a balcony.” Alan nods in that direction. “That’s more than me.”


Chapter 28