Page 21 of Rookie Days

“How do you say‘Best waffles’,in Italian?”

“I migliori waffle.”

Ellie caught Joe’s eye and repeated the phrase, earning her-self a chuckle and a thumbs-up.

“You nailed that.”

“Grazie, dottore.”

Janet smiled, amused and more charmed than she’d care to admit.

“What about your family, Ellie?” she asked, eager to move on from her own stuff. “Are you close to them?”

“I don’t have any.”

From the way she frowned and suddenly averted her eyes, Janet understood that it must be a touchy topic. Not wanting to make a big deal out of this, she fought the urge to apologize; andalso, the impulse to slide over to Ellie’s side of the table. The need to be close to her was strong, although not sexual in nature at this point. Janet was baffled by that too.Crazy hormones…She glanced up when Ellie chuckled.

“What?”

“You.” The detective was smiling. “Lost in thoughts, staring at your waffles with such a furious look on your face.”

“I’m a lousy breakfast companion, aren’t I?”

“You are excellent company. Are you okay though, Janet?”

This was new to her as well. Janet was not used to being on the receiving end of the question. Normally, she’d have no time or patience for this kind of introspection, but the way that Ellie spoke her name made her glad she’d asked, and her heart beat a little faster still.

“I’m fine,” she nodded. “Just lots going on.”

“Should I ask?”

“Maybe not. Please, don’t take it personally.”

“No problem.” With a polite nod, Ellie focused back on her food.

Janet should probably leave it at that. Stop asking questions of her own. She knew that for sure. But hey… She could always blame it on the hormones later if it backfired.

“How are you doing?” she ventured.

“Fine, too. I won’t rush recovery, on your expert advice.”

“What about the rest? What you said before about returning to duty… Are you having trouble at work?”

It was another daring question, and Ellie stared blankly at the wall for a second or two before flashing a tentative smile in reply.

“You know what? I hope not. Ask me again on Monday.”

chapter 7

Quinn started her new week the best way she knew, with a hard workout at the Lewiston P.D. gym. She opted for the standard CrossFit ‘Murph’ which consisted of a 1-mile Run, 100 Pull-ups, 200 Push-ups, 300 Squats, and another 1-mile run to finish. Then she had a quick shower, grabbed herself a coffee and bagel from the canteen, and was at her desk by 07:00. Civilian life had never put a dent in the discipline she’d learned in the army, although she would admit that leaving her warm bed when her hot wife was still in it, and laughingly tempting her to stay a bit longer, was harder than any number of pull-ups.

“Morning, Wesley.”

Her captain, Mike Wilson, appeared in the doorway armed with his own breakfast.

“Good morning, sir.”

He was a mountain of a man who enjoyed lifting weights; with a pugnacious face, a nose which appeared to have survived a few good fights over the years, and a slick black mustache that he had a habit of twirling when he was mulling over a problem. No twirling in effect now, Quinn noted. Always a good sign.

---