CHAPTER 11 - REVELATIONS

Bobby and Alex sat in silence. After what felt like forever, Bobby asked, “More coffee?” Alex shook her head. Again, silence. It was deafening. Suddenly Alex leaned forward and lightly rested her hand on his. Bobby saw concern in her eyes; she saw surprise in his. Alex waited a beat, holding Bobby’s eyes and spoke, “I just don’t want you to be hurt.” Bobby could not stop from speaking his first thought, “Why?” Never moving her hand off his, she answered, “Because I care for you. Bobby, you are one of the finest men I have ever known with so many desirable traits,” was her quick response. When she heard herself say these words, it was her turn to drop her eyes as she moved her hand off his. It seemed like forever, and then Bobby reached over and took both of her hands in his. He gently caressed the back of her hands with his thumbs. He cleared his throat and started talking. “When they first paired us, I knew it was your job to keep an eye on me.” He gave a half smile and continued, “I do tend to be unconventional at times. You always accepted me for me. You have always, always been there for me.” He chuckled softly and continued, “Except a couple of times.” Alex frowned and looked up at him. Bobby squeezed her hands as he said, “You are very special to me and I care for you.” His voice came out in a whisper, “More than you’ll ever know.” They sat in silence, looking at each other. It seemed like eternity.

Finally, Bobby asked, “Sure you don’t want more coffee?” Alex shook her head, “I need to go. I promised my sister I would keep my nephew while she and her husband catch dinner and a movie.” They stood and walked out on to the sidewalk. “I’ll walk you to your car.” They walked in silence, both lost in thought about the afternoon. When they reached her car, he took the keys, unlocked the door and opened it. They smiled shyly at each other. Finally, Alex got in the car and Bobby leaned in. Just inches from her face, Alex looked into his rich chocolate eyes and her mind raced. “Oh god, please don’t let him know what I’m thinking.” Bobby told her “I’ll call you soon. Maybe we can have dinner.” Alex found her voice and told him, “I’ll look forward to it.” Bobby straighten up, stepped back as Alex started the car. He watched as she pulled in to traffic and turned the corner. Bobby promised himself “very soon” as he headed toward his car.

As he drove home, he replayed the information on Louise. He knew something and would have never mentioned it unless she knew it to be fact. Bobby knew the center cost more, much more, than the donations received. And of course, Louise picked up the slack, as she had in so many times with other projects. Louise being Louise would never admit to the financial squeeze, but even an heiress could go broke. As for working a crowd, Louise Gardener was a master. He had witnessed her telling tales of doom and gloom to the city’s blue-haired society crowd. She could have the whole room in tears and could turn on the water works herself. Yeah, she was good, very good. Deep in his heart, Bobby knew Alex’s information was pretty much on target. He recalled when Louise contacted him; he was drowning in feelings of abandonment and hopelessness. Her call gave him hope. Passions once again awakened. The passion for the opportunity to give back to his city as he had in Major Case. Then he met her-young, beautiful, vivacious Louise. Other passions had stirred. Bobby chastised himself for a serious lapse in good judgment. If he had been that careless when he worked the beat, he would have never survived. He shook his head to clear that very unsettling thought.

As he pulled on to his street, his thoughts turned to Alex. As partners, it was not unusual to spend 10-12 hours together, sometimes more. They had learned to read each other, anticipate each other-she more than him. They were good together, both sharing a deep passion for their work. This time Bobby’s heart jumped as he reacted to the term passion. His mind raced as he scolded both his mind-and body. He finally concluded that only time would tell and reminded himself “patience is a virtue.”

Bobby walked in to the apartment, grabbed a bottle of water and flopped down on the couch. He groped around, found the TV remote between the cushions and began surfing the channels. He stopped on the SyFy channel to watch one of his favorites, “Impostor”. After the final credits rolled, he hoisted himself off the couch and grabbed a quick bite to eat. He read for about an hour then decided to get ready for bed. He walked to the bedroom and turned on the bedside lamp. He turned down the bed, undressed and crawled in. He picked up the book and continued to read. Around 10:30, he turned off the lamp and closed his eyes. He was asleep in minutes.

Bobby had pleasant dreams of Alex and not so pleasant ones of Louise. When the alarm went off at 6:30, he hit the snooze button eking out another ten minutes. As the alarm resounded, he sat up and put his feet on the floor before silencing it. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. He finally stood and headed to the bathroom. He showered and shaved before he went to the kitchen for breakfast. He searched the ’frig and found a stale bagel, but then again, how can you determine if a bagel is stale? He had to smile at the thought as he warmed it, smeared on cream cheese and poured a cup of coffee. He padded back to the bedroom to get dressed. When he was ready, he picked up his keys off the desk and eased out the door.

By Lynn.