Blake White chuckled softly on the other end of the line. “Don’t mention it.”
Then, after a brief pause: “You free tonight? Let me throw you a proper welcome dinner—get you settled in.”
Ambrose hesitated. He thought of Gwendolyn alone in the apartment, probably still fragile, probably wondering when—or if—he’d come back. He also thought of the stack of files waiting on his desk and the Joint Investigation Task Force orientation tomorrow morning.
“I’ve actually got plans tonight,” he said evenly. “And I’m jumping straight into the Joint Investigation Task Force rotation. Once things wrap up at Lakeport Properties, I’ll take you up on that. Promise.”
There was a tiny beat of silence—disappointment, quickly masked.
“Fair enough,” Blake replied, voice still warm. “Just say the word when y
