“I’m off the clock, remember?”
The chief was unmoved. “This will only take a minute.”
Sullivan followed him in and sat down. He regarded his boss with raised eyebrows as the man ignored his office chair and stood hipshot on the edge of his desk. Sullivan was reminded of being in the principal’s office after a scuffle in the recess yard with Barry Bemeltree, AKA Barry Bumblebee. Recalling that occasion now, Sullivan manfully tried not to squirm. “Yes, Chief?”
“Ease up, Day,” said Bailey. “This isn’t job related.”
“Oh.” That was good, he supposed, and adopted a more relaxed posture. “What can I do for you, then?”
“The missus and I went out to dinner a few nights ago. Valentina’s. It’s a favorite place for Italian.”
Sullivan knew where this was heading. Bailey was on a fishing expedition. “I guess you saw me there.”
“We did.”
“Why didn’t you make yourself known, come over to the table?”
“I wanted to, but Angie said to leave the two of you alone. She said you and Ramsey Masters were on a date. I saw two people bent over their cell phones, looking more interested in their Twitters than each other, so I was wondering which one of us was right. Me or Angie.”
“I guess that depends on who you ask.”
“You see anyone else in this room? I’m asking you.”
“Then it was a date, and what you observed was us looking at our calendars to compare schedules. Our shifts don’t make it easy to arrange a date.”
Baily considered that. “Huh. Guess I owe Angie a ten spot.”
“You made a bet on whether or not Ramsey and I were on a date?”
“Sure. I still don’t know what Angie saw that I missed, but then she’s a Hallmark-Christmas-in-July kind of woman, so I suspect she’s got a sense for these things that goes right over my head.”
“Well, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep it to yourself. Ramsey’s not made her mind up about me and I’d rather not blow it.”
“I can do that. I can’t speak for Angie. Hard to say who she’s already told.”
“Why would she tell anyone? Who would care? We’re just not that interesting.”
“Says you. Angie’s been putting this bug in my ear about setting you up with her first cousin’s daughter. That notion’s off the table now, so I thank you for that.”
“Does Mrs. Bailey know Ramsey?”
The chief shook his head. “Angie thought she looked familiar, probably because she’s seen her at the Ridge, but she couldn’t place her. Because of Ramsey’s position at the store, I didn’t enlighten her.”
Sullivan blew out a breath. “Thank you.”
Bailey removed his glasses and began cleaning them with a handkerchief from his pocket. “So, what did you mean when you said Ramsey’s not made her mind up about you?”
“Just that. We’re in that let’s-see-how-it-goes phase. Been there for a while. She’s cautious.”
“Yeah? Well, don’t screw it up. I was serious when I spoke to her about the academy. She would make a fine addition. It’d be a shame if you were the reason she doesn’t consider it.” He replaced his glasses but didn’t slide them up his nose. He bent his head forward and regarded Sullivan over the top of the frames. “You know if she’s considering it?”
“She hasn’t really talked about it.”
“I see. Maybe you could…”
“I can’t be your recruiter, Chief.”
Bailey said nothing. After a moment he nodded and then stood. He went around his desk and sat. “You can go.”
