Page 25 of Champagne & Handcuffs

God, I wanted to kiss her. Fucking cock block Joss. Instead, I kissed the top of Cat’s head and then pulled away. “Call me when you get home.”

“I will.” She smiled and waved goodbye.

It was then that I realized a part of me was leaving.

HavingCat visit was good for both me and Joss. For me because I’d finally acted on my feelings for Cat. But for Joss, it was like she was a different person. She seemed to be happy finally. On the way home, she turned to me and asked, “Will you help me become a cop?”

I turned my head and looked at her for a second and then back at the road. “Of course. I told you whatever you need that I’m here for you.”

“I know. Having Cat here, and knowing she has future plans, makes me want to have plans.”

“Plans are good, Jossie.”

“Maybe we can be partners one day.”

I turned and looked at her again. She was smiling. I smiled in return. “Yeah, maybe.”

“I hope so. I’d be the best partner.”

I chuckled. “You think so?”

“Yeah because we know so much about each other. We already have each other’s back.”

“I’ll always have your back.” I pulled into the parking lot of our apartment complex. “Partner or not, I’ll always protect you.”

She took a deep breath as I pulled into my parking space. “Yeah,” she breathed.

It wasn’t convincing.

Things returnedto normal when Cat left. We talked on the phone most nights, and we discussed her coming back before school started. We didn’t know when, but we had a few months to figure it out.

“McKenna, I need you to do me a favor.”

I turned my head in Gibbs’s direction as he drove the patrol car during or shift. “Of course. Anything.”

“I’m glad you said that.”

“Oh God,” I groaned. “I’m not getting a good feeling about this.”

He chuckled and turned his head to me. With a shit eating grin, he said, “It’s nothing bad.”

I stared at him for a beat not believing him. “What is it then?”

“So listen, I need you to take my sister out.”

“What?” I laughed, staring at him as though he had two heads.

“She saw you at Lola’s one night and has been hounding me to set you two up.”

“What?” I laughed again.

“She ain’t ugly if that’s your hang up, and you owe me for covering your ass when Joss showed up a year ago.”

“Fuck.” I did owe him. The day Joss showed up at my precinct, I didn’t think. I’d just reacted and took off in a marked car. That was a no-no since I was barely out of the academy. Gibbs covered for me and said he was with us. “Okay. Fine. One drink.”

“Drinks and dinner.”

“What?” I sounded like a broken record.