Paranoia (Michael Bennett #17)

CHAPTER 121

ROB TRILLING FELT like he might need to take a moment and just breathe. The anticipation and, frankly, nerves were threatening to overwhelm him. But it was all good. He had a smile on his face. He was getting ready for an honest-to-God nighttime date. Not a lunch or ice cream or family dinner at a colleague’s house but an actual date that included dinner and a movie.

This was a big deal for him. He’d had a girlfriend his last year of high school, but it was never serious, and his time in the Army hadn’t given him many opportunities to date. Rob was looking forward to going on a date with no drama or ex-boyfriends showing up. At least that’s what he hoped.

So did his roommates. They were always encouraging him to get out and meet a nice woman. This was a big deal to them too.

Sabiha had done a good job on his hair. She’d used just the right amount of gel and given his short bangs a little flare up into the air. When she was done, she’d pinched his cheek like he was a kid in a barber’s chair.

Katie had picked out his clothes. Like the American-sounding name she’d selected, her fashion choices were simple. His best pair of blue khakis and a white button-down shirt. He liked the look. It almost made him feel like an adult for a change.

Rob caught some of the news stories on Celeste Cantor’s arrest. He’d also gotten some texts from his few friends at the NYPD. Rob tried to downplay his role, but everyone wanted the inside scoop. It didn’t take much for people to figure out that if Trilling was on leave, he’d probably been one of the officers involved.

Rob appreciated one of the local TV stories about the incident, which used eyewitness testimony to describe how Detective Michael Bennett had purposely stood up to draw fire away from patrons at the restaurant. The other stories on the news were about a Brooklyn diner owner being shot and, lastly, the possibility of a cold snap approaching.

Rob realized he’d been focusing on the TV because he was nervous. Just a step from actually being scared. He didn’t know why. It was just a movie and dinner. He’d even made reservations at a sushi place a few blocks away. His grandpa always called sushi “bait,” but Rob had really developed a taste for it.

His roommates scurried around the apartment, cleaning up any mess, no matter how small. He appreciated their interest in him having a good evening.

Katie said, “We wait in bedroom, no?”

“No, this is your apartment too. We’re done hiding.” Then he looked around at all five of the women. “Except for hiding from Mr. Kazanjian. I don’t want us to lose the apartment.” That earned smiles and giggles all around.

There was a knock at the door.

Rob took a moment to check himself in the only mirror in the living room. He glanced over at his roommates. A couple of them gave him a thumbs-up. Then Sylvia slapped him on the butt and pushed him toward the door. Rob took a deep breath, turned the knob, and opened the door.

The smile on Juliana Bennett’s face made his knees go weak. It also erased every last concern he had about dating his boss’s daughter. She stepped right past him with two bags in her arms. She greeted each of his roommates by name. That was impressive, considering she’d only met them once. Then she started handing out clothes from the bags.

Juliana said, “A nice clothing store in Midtown gave us some clothes for a show. All we had to do was mention the shop’s name in our printed program. These are some of the extras we’re not using. I can bring more when the show closes. The way things have been going around the playhouse, that might be next week.” She’d said it with a smile.

Rob watched as the girls absolutely flipped over the new clothes. Rob was glad he had told Mariah, the paramedic, that he couldn’t see her anymore. She seemed to take it okay. She understood. She even said, “I saw how your partner’s daughter looked at you.” Rob didn’t admit to anything.

Once the clothes were distributed, Juliana came over, gave Rob a peck on the cheek, and said, “You ready? I’m starving.”

Rob Trilling was going on a date!