Laila Collins was trying to decide what to wear. She had narrowed it down to a silk turquoise blouse and a khaki skirt, and a green button up shirt with jeans. She finally decided on the shirt and jeans. She pulled out a pukka shell necklace, a reminder of a Mexican vacation, and put on a pair of seashell earrings. It was best not appear to fancy. Her advertising consulting business had been doing very well, but that didn't mean she needed to show off her money. As her mother said, class went a long way.
Actually she had told Laila she had class out the ass, but Laila had decided to clean it up a little bit.
What Laila was preparing for, was something that she herself had organized. It had taken few weeks, trying to find a weekend off where they all could get together, but she had succeeded in the end. Today, she would be having lunch and shopping with the women of Horatio's CSI team. Calleigh and Alexx had been more than willing to go out for a girl's day, but their schedules were always a little chaotic. Today had managed to work, so far. Laila drove her way over to the cafe she had told them to meet at. She had planned for a light lunch, and then shopping along one of Miami's many streets. Those streets contained boutiques and high name brands that she was just itching to get at.
Driving had actually become a pleasant experience for Laila. After GlobalGraphics had broken up, she had been given a nice chunk of change. The Disney deal had been completed and the profit had been split between the designers and the executives. It was enough for Laila to buy herself a brand new, Royal Blue Ford Mustang. She loved that car. She parked it in a garage, then made her way to the cafe. She ordered a cafe Cubanoand sat down to wait.
They came in a pair. She recognized Calleigh Duqesne. Blonde with a tooled leather purse in hand, she cut a path down the street. What Laila knew, from both personal experience and information from Horatio, she knew this sweet Southern belle could turn fiery in a minute. She also knew more about guns than most Civil War re-enactors. Beside her walked a tall, confident woman. Laila guessed that must be Alexx Woods. Alexx had her hair up in a ponytail that curled over one exposed charcoal shoulder. She was quite striking in a yellow off-the-shoulder blouse. Laila waved them over.
"Hi, you must be Alexx." She said, rising to shake the woman's hand. "And Calleigh, it's nice to see you again."
"These are certainly better circumstances than last time." Calleigh replied, sitting down. Her white blouse seemed to shine in the sunlight. Laila couldn't help but smile at her comment.
"Last time?" Alexx asked, pulling out the iron chair.
"Let's just say it involved an interview room and a large glass bottle." Laila tried to cleverly divert the subject, hoping Alexx wouldn't pry. Thankfully, she didn't.
"Well, it certainly had taken awhile to do this." Alexx responded. There were general noises of agreement from the table, and then a rush to get their orders in to the waiter. Soon they were munching on paninis, biscotti, and sipping sugary coffee. Laila found she liked both of these women. Alexx had a tendency to call her Honey or Sugar. It made Laila feel like she was back in Iowa, her mother had called her those sweet little names. That was a word to describe Alexx, motherly.
Laila got to know these women well over the course of the lunch. Not as well as Horatio probably did, but well enough. Soon though, it was time for shopping. Laila quickly found that Calleigh favored a more conservative style while Alexx went for a more daring look. Both women shied away from the more expensive clothing, preferring to shop the clearance racks and sale tables. They were in a leather store when Laila glimpsed Calleigh looking longingly at a piece in a glass display.
It was a gun holster. Made obviously to try and blend functionality and fashion, it did just that. The leather was tooled all along the side, leaves and flowers twining their way down. A few rhinestones shined in the lighting, they had been mounted all along the edges of the holster. It was quite apparent that Calleigh was in love. Equally apparent was that she couldn't afford the holster. With a sigh, she turned around and told them that they should go before she decided to rob the store. Laila nodded, reaching up to act like she was going to scratch her hair. She was actually loosening her earring, letting it fall to the ground. Once they had begun to walk away from the store, she put on a fairly convincing panic.
"Oh, I must have lost my earring! Damn." She cursed, looking around the sidewalk. Alexx and Calleigh both paused to look back. "Just go on ahead. I'll find you." With little motions she shooed them on, then waited until their backs were turned to make her way back to the leather store. Her earring was still there, under the end of a belt. Laila decided to turn on the charm as she asked the salesman to show her the holster. He did, acting very proud of the thing. The price he named may have been enough to cause a government employee to shrink, but to Laila it was acceptable. Laila also pointed to a embossed portfolio and had him take it to the register. She immediately regretted spending the money as he wrapped both of them up, but put it out of her head. Laila might be a miser, but she did love to see her friends happy. Besides, she owed Calleigh. And she might as well give Alexx something as well. She slipped the bag into her purse, something large enough to be considered a tote, and made her way back to Alexx and Calleigh.
"You found it?" Calleigh asked as she walked into the store they had gone into.
"Yeah, it must have just slipped out." Laila answered, considering a gray blazer that was marked down.
"I hate it when that happens. Had one fall into a chest cavity one time." Alexx said. Laila felt her face begin to move into an expression of disbelief. She tried to stop it, but eventually it happened and she began to laugh. "What's so funny about that?"
"Nothing, just that you said it so matter-of-factly." Laila giggled, shaking her head. Alexx rolled her eyes, then went to ask a salesperson for a changing room. The day was actually quite fun, and Laila had a feeling that these women had needed a girl's day for awhile. Of course though, everything had to wind down. They stopped outside the cafe where they had ate. She pulled the bag from her purse, pulling out the portfolio and holster.
"Now, I don't want to her any protests." She began, "Calleigh, I owe you for the investigation. And Alexx, I'm glad to have met you. I want both of you to have these." She extended the portfolio and the holster, still wrapped in tissue paper to the CSI and the Medical Examiner. They opened them with excitement. Alexx seemed quite pleased witht he portfolio, quickly hugging Laila. Calleigh tried to give the holster back, saying it was to expensive, that she didn't really need it, and about a thousand other things. Laila held up a hand, trying to stem the tide. "Calleigh, it's a gift. Just take it."
"I-I, well, alright." The ballistic expert finally relented, cradling the holster in her hands.
"Good, I'll see you guys later." With a hug for both of them, Laila left. What she didn't know was that her little display of generosity would make its way through the CSI grapevine, and suddenly everyone wanted to meet Horatio's girlfriend and go shopping.
Now, look for the next major part of the series, Repairing the Present to be out soon!
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