I blinked and straightened. Not realizing how far I was leaning back in my seat to overhear the conversation between my father and his friends.
“Sorry. What were you saying?” I asked, brushing non-existent crumbs from my black dress pants as I frowned in concentration at my 16-year-old sister.
Jane rolled her eyes but said, fidgeting with the hem of her navy blue, A-line dress, “I was saying, she knows I hate wearing these things so she makes me wear the most uncomfortable one she could find. I would’ve been happy wearing something like that.” She gestured to my own outfit before fidgeting with her collar. “I can’t move in this thing. And it’s itchy.”
I smiled sympathetically and checked the time on my phone, grimacing. “Well, we have another hour until this thing finishes, if that makes you feel any better.”
She groaned, huffing at a strand of her pin-straight, auburn hair that had fallen from her ponytail, and slumped back in her seat, letting her arms fall to her sides in defeat. Jane was far from looking like the ladylike image Mom would’ve liked. Thankfully, Mom was too busy mingling elsewhere to notice.
I glanced down at my own outfit. One of the many in my wardrobe meant only for my mother’s approval for an event like this; A salmon pink blouse with no sleeves, black dress pants, black slip-on shoes, and a simple gold pendant hanging between my collarbones. A pendant I hadn’t stopped fiddling with as I looked around the room.
I had felt on edge all through the ceremony earlier but dreaded the moment any one of the officers came to our table to speak with the Sergeant’s daughters. They would want to know how proud we were of our father. Jane would respond with a witty remark, and I would be trying helplessly not to look or come across as guilty.
My phone buzzed from within my handbag. I was grateful for the distraction as I fished it out.
It was a text from Oliver asking if I wanted to see a movie with him tomorrow. It would be an action thriller and he offered to pick me up to get there.
I told myself I would try at least one more date to find out if we could work. Even if it meant sitting through an hour and 43 minutes of jump scares and gore. Sending him my address, and hoping he wouldn’t figure out that I had been lying about being stuck in traffic when I was late on our first date, I agreed to go.
“Was that your boyfriend, Oliver?” Jane teased as I put my phone away.
I half smiled. “We’ve been on one date. But, yes, that was Oliver. We’re going to the movies tomorrow.”
Jane straightened slowly; brows raised. “You don’t seem very excited about that.”
“He’s nice.”
A snort. “That’s all you can say? He’s nice?”
“It’s only been one date,” I retorted.
Jane chuckled and sat back in her seat again. “You know, Mom has been talking about you two non-stop at home. I wouldn’t be surprised if she started planning a wedding.”
I rolled my eyes in disbelief, but when I went to respond, I snapped my mouth shut. Instead, I stared in shock at the person on the other side of the room. “Shit…”
“What?” Jane sat forward and looked over her shoulder, following my line of sight to one of the wait staff. A tall young man with long, curly black hair, shaved on the sides. He was smirking right back at us as he recognized me too.
Xavier collected an empty tray from a nearby table on his way over to our table.
“Well, well. What a small world we live in,” he drawled as he came to a stop, smiling quickly at Jane, and then raising his brows knowingly at me as he tucked the tray under his arm.
My heart was pounding. “Hi.”
“I’m sorry, who are you?” Jane asked, glancing between myself and Xavier in confusion.
“He’s no one,” I said a little too quickly.
Xavier pressed a palm to his chest in mock pain. “Ouch.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean—” I looked at Jane. “He was just a bartender at the club Kira and I went to.”
“Just a bartender?” he scoffed before smiling at Jane. “I’m Xavier.”
“Jane,” she said, frowning slightly.
“So?” Xavier widened his eyes at me with a smile. “What are you doing here? At a police function.”
“It’s, uh—” It was too close, is what it was. I had managed to keep my everyday life separate from the underground one but it was very quickly colliding.
