Caution To The Wind
Unexpected Companion
Crime took a bit of a break the following day, allowing the team to get caught up with all the evidence that had piled up the day before. All but Eric, who was stuck with overtime, were ready to leave at a reasonable hour for a change. Tim assured Alexx he would indeed join her for dinner as planned. He was in a better frame of mind today and found he was actually looking forward to a night out and a decent meal. A good night's sleep, an easier day and the ability to put the previous day's discomfort behind him, all worked to improve his disposition. He would just need to keep Alexx talking about something other than him.
Showered and changed from his work clothes, he was actually on time and found the chosen restaurant without difficulty. He was pleased to find it was a small place and didn't appear to be crowded, despite being a Friday night. He wasn't in the mood for crowds tonight, hoping instead for a quiet dinner with a friend and an early night.
The restaurant was located in a prime spot, right along one of Miami's many beautiful beaches. At first glance, at least judging by the parking lot, it didn't appear to have been discovered yet by those looking for the next new hot spot to see and be seen. He was tired of those trendy places that people, tourists in particular, always migrated to. Walking in, he was struck by the casual charm of the decor. It looked like a place that might have been standing for the past few decades, now weathered, but otherwise unchanged from it's inception. Yet this shabby ambiance was brand new. He liked it, felt at ease in the place.
He checked his watch, it was only five minutes after the designated meeting time and he was surprised not to find Alexx already seated and waiting for him. Usually he was the one who showed up late, always as a result of work. He decided to take a seat at the bar while he waited.
Nursing his beer, he felt a hand lightly settle on his shoulder and turned, expecting to see Alexx standing behind him. Instead his eyes met the magnetic green gaze of another colleague, one he wasn't expecting to see tonight. For a long moment the two just stared at each other. She flashed him a dazzling smile and he couldn't help but notice that her hand still rested lightly on his shoulder.
"Calleigh," he said, confused. "I didn't know you were coming tonight."
"Well, you don't have to sound so disappointed. Alexx invited me to dinner, too. She, at least, likes my company," she teased in that southern drawl of hers.
"I'm not disappointed, just surprised. I don't mind you being here. I just didn't remember Alexx telling me you were coming." He shook his head, "But then, I didn't remember her telling me about dinner at all. It's been a crazy week." She nodded her agreement and moved her hand off him. The warmth from her fingers lingered.
"That's for sure," she laughed lightly. "Speaking of Alexx, where is she? It's not like her to be late. I know things were quiet when I left work. I would've thought she would've gotten out on time. Poor Eric, he was just tackling his paperwork." Tim smirked, thinking about his buddy's predilection for putting off his paperwork. It always came back to bite him.
"Leave it to Delko, he never learns. Maybe Alexx got held up in traffic. She'll be here shortly."
"I'm sure she will." She smiled brightly at him and the warmth of her smile echoed in her voice. "This place is adorable. I love the look they're going for," she said, looking all around. "I don't know how Alexx heard about it, I think maybe a friend, who had been here recently, told her to give it a try. I feel so out of the loop, I never hear about a place till it's almost a year old." She laughed lightly at her own comment, her eyes sparkling in the light. Her inherent enthusiasm was almost contagious.
He didn't know how she did it, but she seemed to bubble over with an almost child like glee about most everything. But there was nothing childlike about Calleigh. Strong, capable and intelligent, she was just naturally effervescent, about everything from shoes to bullets. In fact, she was the only one he knew who did get excited about bullets. Sometimes he found her exhausting, or just plain annoying, but tonight, she seemed adorable herself. He blinked hard, wondering where that came from, she wasn't someone he normally spent a lot of time thinking about.
The bartender came by then for her drink order but only, Tim noted, after raking his eyes appreciably over her body. She must get that a lot, he thought. If Calleigh noticed, she didn't seem offended by the attention, she just flirted right back at him. Now Tim couldn't help looking at her himself.
Her blonde hair was loose and curling around her shoulders, swaying a bit whenever she laughed, which was often. The scent she had on, perfume, or maybe it was just her shampoo, was pleasantly fragrant, reminding him of a garden. She was no longer wearing what she had worn to work. He had no idea what she had on earlier, but he was certain this wasn't it. This was attire he wouldn't have forgotten.
She was wearing a sleeveless dress in a rich peacock blue that complemented her coloring. The deep V of the dress revealed just a hint of tantalizing cleavage, without being provocative. The fabric hugged her curves in a gentle sloping fashion all the way down her body, ending above her knees and exposing spectacular, shapely legs. She wore a belt loosely draped across her hips that served to emphasize her tiny waist. A sparkling pendant worn around her neck, captured the light and reflected it back onto her face. All of this was perched atop what he thought must be three inch heels and the effect was simply stunning. She was beautiful and judging by the looks she was getting, he wasn't the only one to notice. He briefly wondered if she might be dressed for a date later in the evening.
"This place is nice. It's such a nice night, we can eat outside," she said with a delighted smile on her lips. Jarred from his thoughts, he realized she was still standing and he motioned to the stool next to him, pulling it out for her.
"I guess," he said, still watching her intently.
"Have you been here before?" she asked. He shook his head. "Alexx says the food is wonderful." He cocked his head to the side and continued to look at her like he hadn't seen her before. It was a good thing he didn't see her like this very often, he'd never get any work done. "You look very nice, by the way. I always thought you cleaned up nicely," she told him with a flirtatious smile after casting an unmistakable appreciative eye over him. "Nice jacket," she added as she ran her fingers along the fabric, her eyes never leaving his. He shifted in his seat, averting his eyes from hers, suddenly uncomfortable under her intense and appraising gaze.
"You, uh, look... nice as well," he stammered. He just wasn't good at this and certainly wasn't used to seeing Calleigh in this manner, or being on the receiving end of her flirtations. Their relationship was more businesslike than flirty, he left that kind of thing to Delko. His phone rang just then, giving him a reason to finally look away from her. He checked the caller ID, it was Alexx.
"Alexx?" Calleigh asked. He nodded to her before answering the call.
"Hey Alexx. You got held up? Usually it's me who's keeping you waiting," he chuckled. "She came home? That's too bad, I hope she feels better. No, it's okay, we can do this another time. Not a problem. Yeah, she's here," he said into the phone while he looked over at Calleigh. "Yeah, I'll tell her. See you Monday. Bye." He hung up and put the phone away, before turning to meet Calleigh's many questions.
"What's wrong? Someone sick? Is Alexx stuck at home?" she asked, rapid fire.
"Yeah, seems her daughter came home from her sleep over feeling sick and her husband is still at the football game with her son. She's gonna be stuck at home tonight. Looks like we'll have to do this another time. She said to tell you she's sorry."
"Oh, she's sweet. It's not her fault. I hope it's nothing serious. Poor Alexx, she was so looking forward to this."
"Yeah. We can get going then. It's not too late for you to make other plans." She listened while he spoke, her eyes never leaving his. He watched as a frown marred her delicate features.
"You don't want to stay here and have dinner with me? Is there somewhere else you'd rather be?" she asked, her voice an octave higher.
"No, no, it's not that," he answered, surprised by her reaction. "I just thought that since this was Alexx' idea and she can't be here," his voiced trailed off as he thought about spending the evening alone with her. While she looked like that. He swallowed hard. He didn't know what to think, not while she was still staring at him so intently, with such disappointment in her eyes. Maybe he'd said the wrong thing before. "We can stay... if you want to." He shrugged and she smiled brightly at him, causing him to once again shift uneasily in his chair. "I guess then we should check on the reservation," he said hesitantly and looked away hastily, busying himself with getting out his wallet.
They both motioned to get off their stools at the same time, causing him to inadvertently brush up against her breasts. The stirring he felt was unexpected and he blushed self consciously. She seemed to take no notice and turned away to grab her purse from the bar, before joining along side him. They were silent as they waited to be seated.
tbc
