Chapter 4 #2
“You’re a friend, Harmony. And even if you weren’t a friend, I’d still worry about you.”
“You’re the best,” she smiled at him. “Tell Kate how lucky she is.”
He shook his head. “I’m lucky to have her in my life. So damn lucky.”
The tones sounded and everyone stopped moving and talking to listen to the announcements from the loudspeaker. “Ambo 19 - Suspected heart attack. Address is-”
CROIS
Crois was smiling through roll call, and more than one person was staring at him by the end of the meeting. It didn’t surprise him that Kate walked over to his table when she excused everyone from the meeting.
Pilar, who had been sitting next to him, raised a brow in his direction.
He read her expression like a book, knowing that she could read his just as well.
His partner was wondering what the fuck he’d done to deserve a personal meeting with their sergeant.
Kate stopped at the front of the table and looked at him as if she was staring through a microscope. “Well, well…”
Pilar looked at him and crossed her heart like she was in church.
Her expression told him that if he’d broken the law he was on his own.
He smiled at his partner. “Relax, Bravo. I’m not going to jail.”
Her reply was made in a bland, matter of fact tone. “Am I going to have to kick your ass?”
Crois looked up at Kate. “Did Rock call you?”
She put her fingers to her temples. “No, I’m telepathic, St. Cyr.”
Ohhh…
She called him St. Cyr.
Not good.
“What did he tell you?”
“The question is, what did he have to tell me about you?”
Crois pushed his chair back slowly and stood. “Nothing. Yet.”
He’d added in the last word thinking it might be funny.
He was wrong.
Kate was almost fuming at him.
He lifted his hands in surrender. “I didn’t do anything. I promise, Sergeant.”
Pilar got to her feet. “What happened, Crois?”
“I went to the fire station this morning to see if Harmony was there.”
Pilar smiled a little and leaned her hip against the table. “And I’m guessing she was.”
He smiled, ear to ear. “Yes, she was there. And while I was trying to get her to agree to go out to dinner with me, her partner showed up with Rock and two other guys.”
Pilar tipped her head to the side and Kate filled in the gaps. “Halo and Mats.”
“Ah…” Pilar nodded and smiled. “That’s a pretty good audience.”
Crois looked at his partner. “Hey. You’re not helping, Bravo.”
Kate poked him in the chest. “Don’t pass this off on your partner. I just want to know if you’re going to be respectful.”
Crois folded his hands over his heart. “Ouch. I might like to flirt, but I’m not an ass.”
“Is that what this is? Flirting?”
He turned to look at Pilar.
“Because,” she continued, “if that’s what this is, I’ll kick your ass.”
“I’m flirting with Harmony because I’m interested in her, Pilar. This isn’t just about playing. I just… I want to spend time with her outside of work. I think… no, I know she’s amazing.”
“You’ve known her for a while now,” Pilar shook her head. “What’s different now?”
Kate smiled and then gestured at him with a hand. “I doubt it’s because she saw the social media posts about you.”
Crois shrugged. “This is all because of how I feel. Maybe it was because of the call the other day, at least for me. I’ve seen her work before.
At accident scenes and other calls, but now…
things are different. I think,” he wasn’t sure about it before, but under the microscope of Kate and Pilar’s concern, he finally felt like he could put a name to it, “I know that I’m different.
I want to get to know her more. And let her get to know me. ”
Kate gave him a suspicious look. “Harmony’s a country girl at heart, Crois.”
“I’m not much of a big city boy myself. I came from Cajun country.”
Kate let out a slow exhale and shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Look, I’ve just asked her out to dinner-”
“And she said?”
He looked at Pilar and saw a curious look in her eyes.
“She said no to dinner because she’s on an overnight shift, but she said she’ll be done in the morning, so I said I’d pick her up for breakfast when she’s done with her shift.”
Pilar and Kate turned to look at each other and Crois watched as they carried on what was likely a whole conversation without a word.
It had to something on the X chromosome.
He wouldn’t be able to understand a word.
Maybe he’d ask Harmony about it at breakfast.
Or was inquiring about the mysteries of women a second date thing?
Pilar was the one who spoke next. “You told her that you’d pitch her up or you asked her?”
He smiled at that. “I told her and then I had to leave so I could make it here on time for roll call.”
“Told her?” Kate’s tone was almost a laugh. “I don’t know Harmony well, but how do you think she’ll react to that?”
Pilar leaned in closer and gave him a strange, almost wincing look.
“I’m worried about you, partner.”
“Me?” He wanted to wave off her concern. “How so?”
“It sounds like you’re all but bulldozing the woman. She seems, at least to me, a… a softer person. Maybe you should be a little softer yourself.”
Crois looked between the two women and gave them a sly smile. “Do women really want a ‘soft’ man? I can’t see how that’s a plus.”
Kate covered her ears with her hands. “I’m not listening to you, St. Cyr.”
Ahhh…
They were back to St. Cyr again.
He turned to look at Pilar. “I really want to get to know her more. Is that so bad?”
Pilar shook her head.
“It’s not bad. I just think you come off as a comedian sometimes. You joke about a lot of things, women included. And Harmony is just as sweet and genuine.”
Genuine.
Pilar said it as a comparison to show how different they were.
And damn, it hurt.
If Harmony was genuine… than that left him on the other side of the coin.
“I’m not sure how I feel about this,” he looked at them in turn. “If neither of you think I’m good enough for her…”
He saw another look pass between the women he spent the most time with.
Kate still looked worried and he had the feeling it was worry for Harmony. He’d seen how Rock treated the EMT and he had the feeling that Kate likely felt the same way about her.
Pilar’s expression was a little more chagrin. “It’s not about being good enough, Crois. Center City is a big city. She’s a small-town girl.”
“I… I get it. But am I that big of an ass that you think I can’t take care of her? Have I ever treated you,” he turned to look at Kate next, “or you in a way that said I can’t be trusted?”
Pilar put her hand on his arm, and he could see the worry in her eyes. “I don’t think that’s what we’re saying. You’re both so different. It might end up being a clash of personalities.”
Crois stepped away from Pilar, keeping his back to the wall. “I don’t think I want to talk about this with either of you.”
He headed out the door, stopping to call back over his shoulder. “Are you riding with me today? Or do I go on my own.”
Pilar came up beside him, and he saw the hesitation in her expression.
“Crois?”
“Can we… can we just not talk about this?”
He heard Pilar sigh and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Okay, let’s get on the road.”
They walked down the stairs into the parking lot and headed for their cruiser.
He meant his words. He didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
They’d both said words that he didn’t want to hear but that didn’t mean they were wrong.
But it also didn’t mean that he couldn’t be the kind of guy that could make Harmony happy.
If he wasn’t, he’d let go.
He just hoped he’d get a chance to try to make things work.