Page 25 of Love Undecided
“Yeah, I get that. Who is he to you?”
“No one, we work together, that’s it.”
Brad scoffs. “He calls you ‘Cookie’?”
“I’ve asked him not to.”
“How’s that working, Kat?”
Bauer comes back in the room, and I feel Brad tense beside me.
I turn to introduce them, but Bauer beats me to it.
“Chance Bauer, Detective, SSPD, Downtown Precinct,” he says, holding out his hand.
Brad takes Bauer’s hand and shakes it.
“Brad Matthews, Lieutenant, SSFD, Station 76.”
Even from where I’m standing I can tell both men are taking their shaking duties very seriously.
Ethan laughs behind a cough, muttering something close to “down boy,” then steps forward and offers a hand to Bauer.
“Ethan Stewart, SSFD, Station 76.”
Bauer drops Brad’s hand, somewhat reluctantly, and moves in to shake Ethan’s.
Their shake is brief and clearly not as intense. I look back and forth between Brad and Bauer, who are just glaring at each other, engaging in some sort of non-verbal testosterone driven communication.
“So, hey,” I say, hoping to break the tension, “did y’all see the camera? Should I start freaking out now? Good thing I haven’t done naked hot tub in a while, huh?”
All five men turn to look at me. Well, I guess that got their attention.
One of the uniformed officers clears his throat. “Ma’am, since it was a false report, we are going to excuse ourselves. Have a nice night and stay safe.” He tips his hat to us and leaves.
“It wasn’t a... oh never mind. Thank you, officers,” I say.
That leaves the four of us.
Oh goodie.
“So, now what?” I ask as I swing my arms back and forth making my hands clap in front of me and behind me. It’s not as easy as it sounds, believe me, but it is a great stress reliever, loosens up the shoulder blades and releases tension.
From the looks of it, Brad and Bauer should be doing it too.
“I’m going to dust for prints,” Bauer says. “But I’m guessing there won’t be any. That camera was pretty well hidden. It wasn’t a sloppy installation. How did you know to look there by the way?” He turns to Brad with his last question.
“There is usually a bird’s nest in that spot, I was looking for that.”
Bauer just stares at him.
“He used to live here,” I say.
“Oh, you lived here before Cookie?” Bauer asks.
I roll my eyes. He’s got to know this is Brad the sexy ex, and that he’s causing trouble with that question.
“I lived herewith Kat,” Brad says.
