Two #2
“I don’t remember anyone but Chelsea Connors from Bigelow and Stein.”
“That’s because you only remember the people who write us the check at the end of the job.”
“So what?”
“That’s not good business.”
She just grunted as her frown deepened. “You need to let me meet this guy.”
“Oh, I don’t think so, crazy hormonal lady.”
She growled at me.
“You see, that’s what I’m talking about right there.”
Dylan, Sadie, and I were coming back from our afternoon yogurt break when we turned the corner and there was Sam Kage leaning against the locked glass door of our office.
“Oh for the love of God, no,” Dylan groaned.
I shoved my half-eaten bowl at my best friend. “Take this into the office and please don’t make a scene,” I pleaded with her. “Let show him that I’m a grown-up now.”
“The hell is he doing here?”
“I do not know but I promise you, I will handle it.”
She growled, but remained with Sadie instead of following me down the hall toward him.
“Hey.” I greeted him, walking by the office, leading him away from the door. “What’re you doing here?”
“I talked to my mom and I talked to Michael,” he answered, following behind me. “It was interesting.”
I heard Dylan and Sadie walking into the office behind me, but I didn’t turn and have Dylan say hi to Sam or introduce Sadie. I didn’t want to extend the visit.
“Jory?”
Since I was far enough away, I turned and looked at him. “Sorry. You said the talk was interesting, how so?”
I could have kicked myself for talking to him in the parking lot the day before.
There were times when I blurted things out because I craved praise.
I really was far too externally motivated for my own good.
I liked to be told how great I was. Not all the time, but enough that it was a problem.
In this instance, if I had kept my big mouth shut, I would not be in the middle of a follow-up visit from Sam Kage.
“Hey.”
I looked up, realizing that, as usual, my mind had been drifting. “Yeah?”
“You got my mom her job.” He stared at me. “I knew she was the host of Date Night Friday Night on Channel Ten, but I had no idea you were the one who got it for her.”
And I had needed him to know it, which was just plain lame. “She got it for herself,” I assured him. “They wanted a concept from me and Dyl, and we gave them her.”
He nodded. “She loves it, ya know.”
“I do.”
Every Friday night Channel Ten screened a classic romantic movie, like From Here to Eternity, and Regina gave out tips on what to cook or what wine to serve.
It was fun, and she loved it. The reviews were really good.
People loved her and made a point of staying home with their loved ones and watching her and the movie.
“I had no idea. I mean, I’ve been back a year, and she never once told me that her new gig was all because of you.”
“Why would she?”
“She could have at least mentioned it.”
I shrugged. What he found odd, I saw nothing wrong with at all.
“She misses you. She said she hasn’t seen you in almost four months.”
“We’re both busy,” I commented. “I’ll call her, though. Maybe we can grab lunch soon.”
He nodded.
I walked farther down the hall, away from the office. When I turned to face him, he was closer than I thought, having followed right behind me. Before I could take a step back, he grabbed a handful of the front of my crew neck sweater.
“What?”
He just looked at me as his hand dropped away.
I tried to keep things light. “What’d Michael say?”
“He said his firm hired you, and that you and Dylan were phenomenal. He didn’t really get a chance to talk to you alone much, and he was sorry about that.”
“Me too.”
He took a breath and stepped closer to me. “Can I talk to you?”
“We are talking.”
“I mean, I’d like to sit and… I just wanna sit, if that’d be all right.”
I stepped back slowly. “I’m not trying to be a dick or anything, but why? I mean, what’s the point?”
He cleared his throat. “You must have questions about what happened and—”
“No, I know what I need to.” I forced a smile. “A couple of detectives came to see me when I got out of the hospital.”
“Oh yeah? Tell me what you know.”
I took another step back from him. “Well, I know when you got to Maggie’s place that night, it didn’t take her long to come clean that it was a diversion to get you away from me.”
He nodded.
“Except the detectives didn’t know about you and me, of course, they just said that Dominic used her to get you over there.”
His eyes didn’t move from mine.
“There was actually no mention of our relationship in any official report.”
He nodded. “No, there wasn’t. If there had been, I would’ve been thrown off the force.”
“So that was good.”
No response to that.
I cleared my throat. “So, how is Maggie?”
“I have no idea. I never saw her again after that night.”
“She never called?”
“I have no idea. My life went a little bit crazy after that.”
“Yours?” I arched a brow for him.
His smile was quick. “Okay, you win.”
We were silent a moment, just our eyes locked together before I looked away.
“Did you talk to anyone after that, or you only saw the detectives once?”
“No. I want to say a month or so later, two other detectives came by to see me and caught me up.”
“Hey.” His voice was so soft I barely heard it. “Look at me.”
I was nervous and edgy, and I had no idea why. Why the weird reaction to Sam Kage?
“Jory.”
Lifting my head then, I met his gaze.
“What’d they tell you?”
I had to think. “I was told that Dominic went into protective custody and then into the witness protection program, like my friend Anna. Do you know where either of them are now?”
He shook his head. “No. I did hear that Anna got remarried, though, and she’s expecting a child. They told me that when Dom went in. You should be happy for her.”
I nodded. “Oh, that’s great. Thank you for telling me.”
“They let her take George with her.”
“I should hope so.” I glanced at the door of my office.
“What are you thinking?”
My eyes flicked back to his.
“I can always tell when your brain’s workin’ overtime.”
I smiled at him. “It’s just weird… I used to think I’d always know Anna, just run into her from time to time, ya know? Funny how nothing turns out like you think it will.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“So you just came by to—”
He took a step closer to me. “If you saw me that day in the street, why didn’t you come talk to me? That seems strange, that you didn’t.”
“You were with a lot of people, and I didn’t wanna intrude.”
He nodded, easing forward again. “And you saw my mom, you saw Michael…why not ask about me?”
“They told me without me even having to ask.” I sighed, leaning back against the wall to put distance between us.
“I guess they thought you cared. Sorry about that.”
“I did care,” I said softly. “I still do.”
His eyes were locked on mine.
“They said you’re working homicide now. You like it better than vice?”
He nodded.
“Good. That’s good. I’m glad you’re happy. I wish nothing but the best for you, Sam, you know that.”
He exhaled slowly. “I do know that.”
“So, see?” I grinned as I walked by him back toward the office. “Everything worked out.”
“Hey.”
I turned at the door.
“Would it kill you to eat with me?”
I smiled at his phrasing. “No. When?”
“How ’bout tonight?”
“Sorry, I’ve got a date. How’s tomorrow?”
“Date, huh? With who, that guy from the hardware store yesterday?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
He shrugged. “I saw ya talking… I figured, ’cause of the way he was lookin’ at ya.”
“Okay.” I had no idea what to say.
“So you’re just dating right now? Nobody serious? I figured by now there’d be somebody serious.”
“I’m picky.” I smiled at him.
“What about Aaron Sutter?”
My head snapped up. “How do you know about Aaron?”
“I’m a detective,” he said, giving me the crooked grin.
“That’s right,” I said over my pounding heart.
“So what happened there?”
I just looked at him, feeling my brows draw together.
“What?” He chuckled. “We’re just shootin’ the shit, right? Spit it out.”
I shrugged. “He wanted me to move in, and I thought it was too soon.”
“You still friends?”
“No.” I shook my head. “It was an all-or-nothing deal, and when I picked nothing, that was pretty much it.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Some people stay gone, Sam.” I turned to duck back inside my office.
“J.”
I leaned back out.
“Can I get your number so I can give you a call?”
“Your mom’s got it,” I told him. “I’ll see ya.”
“Yep,” he said as I closed the door behind me.
“Jory!” Dylan yelled for me from the other room. “Get your ass in here and explain to me why in the hell Sam Kage is loitering around our office!”
“Who’s Sam Kage?” Sadie asked me softly. “The hot guy in the hall?”
I waved my hands at Sadie to shut her up, but she missed the gesture completely.
“My God, Jory, that man could do whatever he wanted to me.”
“You’re not helping,” I whispered.
“Jory!” Dylan almost screamed. “Get in here now!”
I groaned and went to explain to my best friend why shrieking was no good for either her or the baby. I had to talk really fast to convince her that hurling her Rolodex at me wasn’t an acceptable solution either.