“But it wasn’t, okay? It was me. And that’s fine. Life moves on.” Nick had known it would come up considering Bart was never one to mince words, but he wasn’t interested in discussing it.
“So, you’re a big time detective now, huh?” Nick asked, quickly changing gears.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Nothing like nepotism on the force.”
“Hardly. You remember my brother? You think he’d ever give me a leg up? Not quite. I had to work twice as hard. Plus, a little luck helped.”
“Well, you sure moved up the ranks fast. Detective in, what, six years? That’s pretty impressive.”
Bart shrugged. “Right place at the right time. I took down the head of a drug ring and got him put away. I got a commendation and a promotion.”
“Drug trafficking, huh? Brookfield doesn’t seem the type of place.”
“Eh, all cities have their share of troublemakers, even in the Midwest. In fact, it seems we are attracting them more and more lately.”
“Is that right?”
Bart took a drink from the beer that had finally been served him. “So, what are you up to these days? I haven’t heard anything about you since you left.”
“I’ve been around,” Nick said, followed quickly by a large slug of his own beer. He nodded to the barkeep for another.
“What are you doing,” Bart asked hesitantly, “for a living?”
“All kinds of things. I get by.”
“I’m sorry about that. It shouldn’t have turned out like this.”
“Dude. Forget it, okay? It’s done.” Nick looked Bart directly in the eye. After receiving his fresh beer he motioned towards the empty pool table. ”You up for it?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Tell me about your wife,” Nick said as he racked up the balls. “How long have you been married?” He needed to find something else to focus on. Ever since he had entered the bar, all he could seem to think about was Kelsey and the amazing night they’d spent after meeting right here just a few hours before. He had to concentrate. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he could move on with his life.
“We got married last year, but I’ve known her since we were kids. Her family grew up not too far from mine, so we all kind of hung out together.”
“Girl next door, huh?”
“In a way, I guess. She was actually good friends with my sister until we were older. After the academy, things changed.”
“Yeah?” Nick said as slipped off his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. He lined up his shot and hit the cue ball with a smack, sending the balls scattering around the table.
“Huh. My wife gave me a shirt just like that one,” Bart said as Nick walked around the table. “Anyway, my sister went away to school, so Faith and I started spending more time together and, well, one thing led to another.”
“Faith?”
“Yeah. That’s her name.”
“Congrats, dude. You sound really happy. Guess you’ve matured over the years. Married, good career, settled down. Now all you’re missing is the white picket fence and the baby.”
Bart laughed. “Actually, we’ve got the fence, too. We just bought a house about a month ago. It wasn’t planned, but the house does have a white picket fence.”
“Wow. You sure have changed.” Nick tried another shot and missed. “Damn. Well, let’s see if you can still shoot.”
“So what about you, man?” Bart asked as he surveyed the table. “Anyone special?”
Nick stared at the pool table while thinking of the special someone who’d just happened into his life out of nowhere. “There’s someone.”
“Oh yeah? Is it serious?”
“We just met, actually. But there’s potential.”
“Yeah? What’s she like?”
Nick smiled for the first time since Bart had walked in the door. “She’s amazing. Smart, funny, sweet, and sexy as hell.”
Bart gave him a familiar smirk. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were hooked. Then again, you could be on to the next one by the time we finish this game. What’s her name?”
“There you are. I was wondering where you’d gotten off to, Kapman.” By the look on Bart’s face, the feminine voice was a pleasant interruption.
“Hey, beautiful. Your ears must have been burning.” Bart gave the lady a kiss. “Nick Jensen, I want you to meet my wife, Faith.”
“Nice to meet you, Nick.” Faith rounded the table to shake his hand.
“Same here,” Nick said, giving her a strange look. “You look awfully familiar. Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so.”
“I swear I’ve seen you before. But you had longer hair. Where do you work?”
“Faith’s a cop,” Bart said as he stepped up behind her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “She went through the academy two years ago. She works patrol. Did you pull him over or something, beautiful?”
Faith laughed. “I don’t think so. I’m sorry, Nick, but I don’t think we’ve met. Maybe I look like someone you know.”
Nick shook his head, certain he’d seen her face, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember where. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I was curious what kind of sweet thing would be able to wrangle this guy down.”
“That’s me,” she said as she wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist. “Listen, honey, I just wanted to let you know that I got called in tonight, so I won’t be home until later.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll try to survive without you.”
“I’ll make sure he gets a good meal,” Nick said with a wink.
“Just make sure he gets home in one piece.” Faith gave him a knowing glare. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Be safe,” Bart said, kissing her goodbye.
“Nice meeting you, Nick.”
“Same here.” Nick watched her walk away. “Wow. Quite the catch. How the hell did you pull it off?”
“Very funny. It’s your shot.”
“Looks like Bartholomew is free for the evening. Wanna make it interesting?” Nick challenged.
“You’re on. Let’s do it.”
Chapter Eleven
Kelsey was knee-deep in small paper packages when she heard the unmistakable squeak of the front door. “Oh, I need to get that fixed,” she reminded herself as she stood from her inventory and dusted herself off.
“Can I help…?” She stopped when she saw who’d just arrived. “Mike, what are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been stocking shelves all day. I’m a bit on edge. It’s nice to see you.” She stepped closer and gave him a half-hearted hug while trying to avoid getting him dirty. He was known to be rather protective of his brightly coloured Hawaiian shirts. “I see you’ve shaved the beard again.”
“I can’t seem to decide.” His long hair and occasional beard were regularly a hot topic of conversation. “Hopefully my news will help cheer you up. I’ve been assigned to work here.”
“Really? You’re going to be the doctor here?” She finally cracked a smile. “Mike, that’s great! I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with an arrogant SOB who looked down on nurses.”
“Who says you won’t have to do that now?” He gave her an evil laugh. Doctor Michael Hinson was not only the grandson of the Chief of Staff at University Hospital, he was also a dear friend. He was several years older than Kelsey, but they shared many of the same interests. He’d inherited his grandfather’s passion for medicine and had become a very talented and well-respected doctor despite his rather unconventional appearance and bedside manner.
“With you? Hardly. So you’re not working at the hospital anymore?”
“Once this place is running, it will be only if they need me. They’re going to work out some sort of rotation eventually, but for now, I’m yours.”
“Thank God. You just made my job so much easier, you know that?”
They both turned quickly when the loud squeak of the door again echoed through the mostly empty space. “I think you might want to get that fixed,” Mike laughed as he elbowed her side.
“It’s on my list. Back off.” With a friendly smile, she approached the confused-looking man who’d entered. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Kelsey Braden?” he responded, reading the tag off the box he held.
“That’s me.” She grabbed a pen to sign for another delivery, having long since given up keeping track. She’d grown accustomed to delivery men dropping off all kinds of things in no particular order, on a daily basis.
“Sign here, please,” he said and set the box down on the counter.
Thanking him as he walked out, she looked curiously at the box. It took a moment, but it finally occurred to her that this was not a delivery for the clinic. This box was white, long and slender. It was a box of flowers.
She nervously lifted the lid and saw the small envelope taped to the tissue. After opening the flap, she pulled out the small card and read the typed text.
‘Until Friday, Bright Eyes. I can’t wait. Nick’
She smiled when opening the fragile tissue to reveal a gorgeous bouquet of long-stemmed roses in a shade of pink she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen. Her heart raced, and her thoughts once again returned to him.
“Well, well, what have we here?” Mike teased as he peered over her shoulder. “Looks like you made an impression on someone, huh, Miss Braden?”
“I guess so.” She was unable and unwilling to hold back her smile.
“What’s his name?”
“Nick.”
“Hmm…and Nick seems to have made an impression on you as well, huh?”
“You could say that.”
“Good for you. You deserve to find someone who makes you smile like that.”
“Thanks, Mike.”
“Okay, well, I’ll leave you to it and I’ll be back when we’re fully functional,” he said as he headed for the door. He peeked out of the window before looking at her over his shoulder. “Are you going to be okay getting home by yourself?”
“Yes, Mike. I’ll be fine. It’s only a mile down the road. Now go. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay, but lock the door behind me. It’s getting too late for deliveries, anyway.”
“Goodbye, Mike,” she said in a sing-song voice while rolling her eyes. After escorting him out, she dutifully locked the door behind him. She laughed at his smiling face descending on the opposite side of the dingy glass as she lowered the shade and returned to her beautiful arrangement of flowers.
Gently lifting one of the beautiful pink buds to her nose, she inhaled the sweet fragrance and closed her eyes to the memory of their incredible date. Spending the night alone after she’d left him in the parking lot had been tough for her. It seemed everywhere she looked she thought of him. She could even smell him on the pillow where he’d laid his head. It would be a long week—she was already counting the minutes until she’d see him again.
She pulled out her cell phone and typed a text message.
The flowers are beautiful. Thank you so much. I can’t wait until Friday.
She signed her name with a makeshift heart and giggled as she sent it. “Until Friday,” she sang to herself as she happily made her way back to her inventory—work that wasn’t as daunting and tedious now as it had been just half an hour before.
* * * *
Nick had just made it back to the rat’s nest he called an apartment when his phone chirped with a message. He set his papers down and pulled out his cell, hoping it wasn’t another harassing text from his unfortunate employers.
Pleasantly surprised, he smiled when he read Kelsey’s message and lamented that he couldn’t have been there to see the look on her face when she’d received the flowers he’d sent. The text may have been short, but he could read the tone. She was thrilled and he couldn’t have been happier about that. He especially liked the little heart she’d signed next to her name.
After saving the text, he slid his phone back into his pocket and started sorting through his strewn papers. He’d met with the manager at Shindigs and agreed to rent the upper apartment, effective immediately. Although a bit larger than the hovel he currently called home, Nick just saw it as moving from one hole in the wall to another.
He stacked the papers after double-checking they were signed appropriately, and tucked them into an old leather briefcase he used in lieu of a file cabinet. He grabbed his duffle from under his bed and began gathering things, preparing for his move. It wouldn’t take long considering his personal effects were limited, but he saw no reason to wait.
Just as he was staring to pack, a loud banging on the door startled him. “Hold on, I’m coming!” he shouted as he unlocked the door.
Without waiting for an invitation, a distinguished-looking gentleman in his mid-fifties pushed his way past him and into Nick’s barren apartment. His thousand-dollar suit was tailored perfectly, his silver-white hair slicked back, and his ice blue eyes were probably intimidating to many, but not Nick. It was Vincent Gianelli, a mobster whose merciless reputation was as well known as his occupation. “Are you holding out on me?”
“What? What the hell are you talking about?” Nick checked whether anyone else was following then closed the door with a bang.
“You talk to Kapman?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Well?” Gianelli asked impatiently. “What do you have for me?”
“What do you want me to say? He’s in? You expect it to be that simple?”
“Well, what happened?”
“Look, Vinny, I told you this would take some time, right? You have to be patient.”
“I don’t want to be patient. I’ve got people waiting on me. I thought once you made contact you could get him to go along.”
“We haven’t seen each other in over six years! I can’t just breeze back into his life and say, ‘I know you’re a police detective and everything, but there’s this great group of guys who have some business to conduct that isn’t exactly legitimate and they want you to play ball.’ It doesn’t work like that. I have to warm him up. You know, get to know him and gain back his trust. When the time is right, I’ll see what I can do.”
“When is the time going to be right? I have a lot of money riding on this, Jensen!”
“I know that, dude. In case you’ve forgotten, I do too. I’m not in this for a walk down memory lane. I expect to be well paid for my efforts.”
“You will be. If you uphold your end of the bargain.”
“Not a problem, chief.”
“Don’t screw with me, Jensen. You don’t want to be on my bad side.”
“Not interested in screwing you, Vinny. You’re not my type.”