Sharon grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair as she stood, stretching a little as she glanced around her office. She grabbed her purse and tossed her jacket over her arm as she walked to the door, switching off the light just before Rusty walked in front of her.
"Ready to go?" She smiled at him and he returned it, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder. "We agreed on hamburgers, yeah?"
"I'll never turned down hamburgers, Sharon. C'mon." Rusty led the way through the desks of Major Crimes, both tossing a sincere "goodnight" over their shoulders to the only remaining detectives, Tao and Flynn.
They made their way down to the garage and Sharon started the car before she tossed her purse into the backseat, pausing to take her heels off and scoot them to the side. She stifled a yawn and started for the street, smiling a little as Rusty fiddled with the stereo. The ride was relatively silent, both people grateful that the long day was finally over. It was only when they finally reached the small hamburger shop around the corner from home—the one thankfully open until late at night—that Rusty started talking.
"I heard Lt. Flynn ask you out to dinner earlier." He shot a grin at Sharon before he hurriedly climbed out of the car, shutting the door before she could respond. It took her a few moments to get her heels on and grab her purse before she followed him, eyebrow raised.
"I saw you staring at my witness earlier," she retorted, walking through the door to enter the small building overwhelming with the smell of grease and hamburgers. It smelled delicious at the moment.
"W-What witness? I was busy working on history notes." Rusty's defensive tone made Sharon laugh a little as they walked to the counter.
It didn't take them long to put in their order and find a table in the relatively empty restaurant, Rusty settling across from Sharon. She took a drink from her soda and leaned back in her seat, one leg crossed over the other. Rusty looked around for a moment before he turned his gaze to his adoptive mother who couldn't help but smile.
"It's lucky you caught that guy today. Stop him from hurting anyone else." Sharon nodded slightly and took a deep breath. "Since DDA Hobbs made a deal with him, that witness… Tyson or something, won't have to testify in court, right?"
"No, Tyler won't have to testify. The murderer is going to prison and that's the end of it." She rolled her shoulders and leaned forward, anxious to see home—it had certainly been a long day.
"Good. I wouldn't want him to have to go through a trial." Sharon wrinkled her nose in sympathy.
"He seemed rather interested in you while you were in the break room." A small smile crossed her lips, eager to turn the conversation away from the recently committed and solved murders. "And it seemed you returned said interest."
A light blush covered Rusty's face and he focused intently on his soda while he took a drink. "Oh, come on. Sharon, Flynn was in your office for quite a while after the case was solved. I'm surprised you had enough time to notice Tyler in the break room." Rusty raised his eyebrow this time and crossed his arms over his chest. "Anything you'd like to come clean about?"
"There is nothing going on between Lt. Flynn and I, Rusty." Sharon laughed and shook her head a bit.
"Right. Then there was nothing going on between Tyler and I."
A tired waitress delivered their hamburgers and fries before disappearing into the kitchen and Sharon uncrossed her legs to take a large bite. Her stomach rumbled and a chuckle from Rusty let her know he heard.
"Good hamburger," Rusty mumbled through a mouthful of food. Sharon shot him a look and he quickly swallowed. "Sorry, sorry. It's just really good."
"Definitely good. Now, how much did you hear about my conversation with Lt. Flynn?" Rusty's response came almost immediately, followed by him leaning across the table toward her.
"Oh, we heard nothing. But you forgot to close your blinds so we saw most of it." He realized his mistake instantly and cleared his throat. "I saw most of it, didn't hear anything." Sharon's eyebrow arched up, but she took another bite of her food before she decided to reply.
"We? Who else was watching." She stared at Rusty and after a few sips, his empty drink meant he had to reply.
"I… Um, No one?" Sharon only continued to stare at him. "Provenza. Maybe." He shook his head and finished his hamburger off with a few large bites. It reminded Sharon of exactly how much her other son ate at this age.
"You and Lt. Provenza were watching my office?" Her eyebrows shot up and she rested her hand on the table.
"Well, Flynn was talking to Provenza before he talked to you and I was talking to Provenza when Flynn went into your office so naturally…" Rusty shrugged and Sharon huffed softly.
"Rusty! Next time, I'll close my blinds so you'll mind your own business." She couldn't help but smile at the small grin threatening to break out across her son's lips.
"Only if you'll mind your own business when I'm hanging out with friends."
"I'm your mom. It is my business."
"I'm your son. It's my business too." They stared at each other for a long moment, scraps of food abandoned on their plates. Rusty cracked first, bursting into laughter and leaning against the table. It didn't take long before she burst into laughter too, head shaking with her laughter.
It took them several minutes to calm down, breathing uneven as they recovered from their laughter. Sharon brushed crumbs off her skirt and ran her fingers through her hair. She pushed her plate away and took a deep breath, glancing at Rusty again.
"For the record, I don't think there's anything going on between Andy and I. But he did ask me out to dinner."
"I knew it! Provenza owes me twenty bucks!" Rusty all but jumped up, gathering their trash and throwing it away. Sharon rolled her eyes and stood up, gathering her purse before turning back to Rusty.
"I take it that doesn't bother you?"
"Course not. God, the tension between the two of you—" He cut off abruptly at a look from Sharon and instead hurried to the door. "Never mind, I'll wait for you in the car!"
Sharon let him go, arms crossed over her chest as she paid and then followed him outside, wondering how any of her children would react if they found out she was seriously considering dating someone after decades of a technical marriage.