“Good morning, Donna. How are you this morning?”
“I am doing well. I see you and the new girl are getting along well.”
I could tell Donna was fishing for something, but I wouldn’t give her anything. If she asked a particular question, I would answer honestly. I trusted Donna as much as I trusted Chief Keith, and I knew if I told her anything, she wouldn’t tell.
“We are. She’s doing a good job.”
Donna pinned me with that look that said she didn’t believe shit I said.
“Yeah, she is. It’s obvious you two are attracted to each other. You know I’m not going to tell you what to do, but don’t lose this one.” She patted me on the shoulder and left the break room before I could respond to her.
It didn’t matter how many times people said be careful; I knew what I had to do, and I wasn’t going to jeopardize anything.
When the microwave stopped, I grabbed my tacos and headed to my office. Mycah was already sitting at the long desk on the side of the office, with a slew of papers spread across it. She was so focused that she didn’t even realize I’d entered the room.
“I see you got started,” I said, causing Mycah to jump.
“Yes, and how are you so quiet all of the time?”
“You just don’t be paying attention to your surroundings.” I sat in the chair next to her instead of going to my desk or even sitting across.
“I do, but I don’t think anything is going to happen here.”
I opened the tacos and smiled when I saw they were my favorite ones. Mycah had even got me some of the red sauce I liked on them. I took a bite, then chewed it before I addressed what she said.
“Ideally, nothing would happen to you here since you are surrounded by police officers. Unfortunately, there is always someone who is crazy enough to do some shit, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.” I moved her hair out of her face so I could look into her eyes. “With that being said, please be aware of your surroundings.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you.” I returned to eating while she tackled the pile of papers in front of her.
I paid attention to everything Mycah did while I ate. When she read something she didn’t understand, her brows would bunch, and she would read it multiple times before she asked me anything. When she wasn’t using her pen, she would tuck it behind her ear. I noticed that she had taken her shoes off and tucked one of her legs under her butt since she had on pants.
I didn’t feel the need to fill the quietness with unnecessary conversation. I also didn’t feel like I had to look over her shoulder, because she asked questions when necessary.
After I finished eating, I grabbed a pile of papers and went to work.
For a while, we worked together, and the only noise was from Mycah sighing occasionally and the noise through the station. We were in our own little bubble.
Every so often, we would catch each other’s gaze and smile. We ended up so in sync that we both took sips of our coffees at the same time.
“By any chance, are you going to tell me where we are going on our date?”
I gave her a sly grin as I stroked my beard.
“There is no chance.”
She sucked her teeth and softly punched my arm.
“Shouldn’t I know how to dress?”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” I winked. “Make sure you wear something red though.”
Her phone buzzed on the table before she could comment. She picked it up and frowned when she looked at the screen.
“You good?”
She silenced the buzzing, then put the phone back down.
