“Please,” Kaleb said.He held a hand out to her and waited.“Come sit back down.”
She released a shaky breath and let the tension go in her shoulders before sitting down again.
“I’m sorry, Myla.Can we start over?”
She paused for a moment, nodded, and held out her hand.“Hello, my name is Myla.”
He grasped her small hand in his.“My name’s Kaleb.It’s very nice to meet you.”
They sat holding each other’s hands and staring at each other.
She pulled her hand from his and cleared her throat.“I know I’ve never seen you with the group.Who’d you come with?”
“Kole.”
She smiled.“How do you know him?”
“I work with him.”
“You’re a police officer?”
He nodded.“How about you?”
She wrinkled her nose.“Promise not to hate me?”
Kaleb’s eyebrows rose, and then he nodded his head.“All right.”
“I work in a law firm.”
Right away, Myla saw the change in his body.She held up a hand.
“But wait, I’m not a lawyer.”She grinned when he relaxed.“I’m a paralegal.A glorified secretary.”
“That’s certainly several steps above a lawyer.”
She chuckled.“Kole and I have spent many hours talking about the profession, debating the law, and how we would change it.”
He grunted.“Don’t get me started.”
She laughed.“So, are you a beat cop like Kole?”
She watched his grip tighten around his glass.
“No.I can’t go on the streets anymore since this,” he said and indicated his face, and then he pointed at his leg.“I’m on desk duty while I study to be a detective now.”
She bit back all the questions she had about what caused his injuries.“Are you excited about that?”
He nodded, looking surprised.“Yeah, I hadn’t realized how much until I just thought about it.”
“I’m a huge believer that when one door closes, a better one opens.”
He grimaced.“I wouldn’t go that far.But I am moving on with my life.”
She raised her glass and took a sip.
He tipped his head at the drink.“What’s that?’
“Sprite.”
