TWO
Chapter two
Going out with Deeks should have made Kensi uncomfortable, but what she was feeling was more like anticipation. Truthfully, it gave her just the slightest tingle. At that thought she groaned and turned to her closet. What is the appropriate attire for a hockey game? A hockey game-really?
On Friday, Kensi left work more than a little freaked out. Once she got home she had plenty of time to shower and dress before she needed to leave and meet Deeks – scratch that, Jason. She was tempted to drink something before she left to help her relax but thought being too loose was far worse than being a bit uptight.
She dressed and did her makeup carefully. To avoid thinking about why she was making such a big deal about this, she told herself she was just trying to give Deeks' idea a fair try. It really was her responsibility to put some effort into it. Right?
Driving into the parking lot, Kensi glanced at the clock on her dash, noting that she was two minutes early. Typical.
Looking around she wondered what kind of car Deeks had borrowed. She waited until a couple minutes after the agreed on time before she got out of the car. "He'll be late as always." she mumbled to herself but as she reached out to grab the door, it swung open and she looked into those crystal blue eyes.
He was dressed in a black leather jacket, a royal blue shirt and dark wash jeans. He had actually tamed his unruly curls and even trimmed his beard short. For just a moment she thought she wouldn't be able to speak.
As Deeks pushed open the door he fought down his disappointment that this wasn't a real date. Kensi always looked hot but tonight he knew the guys that saw them together were going to think he was one lucky dog. Damn! Her outfit was surprisingly similar to his. A dark leather jacket with black skinny jeans and a deep rose colored top with a row of ruffles. Oh, and the boots. And she'd done that thing with her hair that made him crazy. The soft curls everywhere. This might turn out to be a very long night.
Sitting in the bar a few minutes later, each with a drink that Deeks had insisted on buying, they were surprised at the lack of awkwardness they were feeling. Deeks was telling Kensi about the time he had spent undercover on that first mixed martial arts op when they'd "met". Kensi found herself laughing at his version of the comments made by the guys at the gym the day she showed up. They were having a little trouble staying in character and got confused several times by "who" was talking at that particular moment but instead of being uncomfortable it just gave them something more to laugh about.
"So. You're quite the hockey fan, huh? Tracy." Deeks added and rubbed his head. This was a challenge.
"What? No, I've never been to a hockey game. I thought you were a hockey fan. Jason." She added with a smirk.
"I've never been either." he admitted with a shrug. "I thought you might like it though -lots of action, a little blood on the ice and big, strong, sweaty men with only one tooth." They both laughed.
The drive to the arena was short and traffic was not as bad as it could have been. When they pulled into a parking space, Kensi reached down to grab her purse and gather up her coat when she realized that Deeks was opening her door. How did he do that? Taking an extra second to collect herself she took the hand he offered and let him pull her lightly from the car. "Thanks." She said softly. He grinned at her with that look that usually made her say something snarly, but instead she just chuckled and shook her head. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"
"You're not?" he asked, with just a little more sincerity than he had intended.
"Yeah, I guess I am," she breathed.
As they headed out Marty crooked his arm and offered it to Kensi with a raised eyebrow. She hesitated but shook her head slightly, then felt a funny heaviness in her chest when she saw his face cloud over. But the moment passed and they moved comfortably into the crowd that was flowing toward the ice.
Searching for the correct entrance they passed several food vendors. The place smelled like all sporting events, county fairs and concerts and brought back the good memories that went along. Kensi's stomach growled and she wondered if maybe she should have eaten something before they came. " You want anything?" he asked.
"No thanks. I'm saving myself for dinner." She replied.
"Saving yourself for me." He quipped with a grin.
"No, for dinner, Deeks. I mean Jason. Unless you're taking me someplace cheap. Where are we going?" she had gotten confused again and was rushing her words.
"Ouch. First date and you're doubting me already. I'm hurt."
"Sorry. Forgot who I was with for a second. I'll do better. Watch."
"So. Jason. Are you going to tell me where we're going to dinner? A LA native like you probably knows some interesting restaurants, huh? " She looked up and met Deeks' eyes with a smile.
Returning her smile he purred, "Tracy, I'm taking you to Leo's, a local dive so steeped in LA culture that you'll think you've died and gone to heaven."
"I don't know whether to be thrilled or frightened." She retorted.
"You'll love it. Cool, here's our seat."
Two hours later they had shared a crash course in hockey, jumped up and down in their seats and yelled until they were hoarse. There had been plenty of action with two fistfights and just enough blood. When the last second ticked off the clock they slumped back in theirs seats still laughing.
"Wow. That was really fun." Kensi said with a satisfied sigh.
"Yeah. Who knew?" Deeks said softly. He was watching her with a look that made her feel warm all over. She met his eyes for a moment longer than normal before she looked away. "What, Kensi?"
"It's Tracy, remember? And it's nothing Jason. It's hot in here. Shall we go?" He gave her a smile, poked her gently in the side with his elbow and said, "We better go feed that roaring beast I can hear in your belly."
She reached out and punched him gently but this time she took his arm when he offered it.
The restaurant was small, squeezed in between a photocopy place and a dance supply store. It was busy and hummed with the sounds of voices, laughter and general restaurant noise. There were only a handful of tables and they were all full when they walked through the door. Suddenly feeling the magnitude of her hunger, Kensi wondered if she was going to be able to wait until a table cleared. Just as that thought flew through her mind a short, gray haired man in a comfortably stained apron spotted them and hurried forward.
"Marty!" He cried out as he wrapped Deeks in a huge bear hug. "Too long since you've come to see us.
Who is this beautiful woman? Is she really here with you?"
The huge smile on Deeks' face wavered as he really thought about the question – and contemplated the answer. The truth was she wasn't really here with him, well at least not for him – as him. The complicatedness of the situation made him knit his brow and give a small sigh. But the dark cloud passed quickly and Marty punched the older man in the arm and replied, "You hurt me Leo! Of course she's here with me. I promised her the best meal in Los Angeles. Leo this is…" he just couldn't call her Tracy in front of this man he loved and trusted, "this is my friend Kensi Blye."
She shot Deeks a look that was half confusion and mostly amusement as Leo wrapped his arms around her in a hug that nearly knocked her off her feet.
The next few minutes were a blur as they were seated at "the best table in the house" which happened to be next to the door to the kitchen and directly in the flight path of anyone who worked there. A steady stream of people appeared from nowhere to greet Marty and meet Kensi. They all seemed genuinely pleased to see him. After several minutes, a woman appeared wearing an apron the matched Leo's. Actually, nearly everything about her matched Leo, from her height to her smile as she greeted Marty with a kiss on the cheek. After the introductions Kensi knew that this was Leo's wife Stella, that they had been running the restaurant together for 37 years, and that Deeks had worked for them, off and on, from his high school days until he was hired on by LAPD.
They sat in their special corner and watched the whirlwind of activity. Kensi's chair was nearer the walkway and she got bumped several times before Deeks suggested that she would be safer and have a better view if she moved around to the side near him. With her closer, it took all his resolve to not just give in and stare. She was always beautiful, but tonight she was relaxed and happy and drop-dead-gorgeous. He couldn't help but look at her some of the time. Once she caught him starring and their eyes met. They both looked away quickly with matching self-conscious smiles.
"So, shall I call you Kensi while we're here?" he asked. "I guess this whole other persona idea is harder to pull off than I thought."
She laughed in reply. "Call me whatever works for you. Well, not Kiki or Fern please."
It was his turn to laugh. " Okay Princess, do you want to look at a menu? I just let them bring me whatever they think is good. But I'll grab a menu if you want."
"No. That sounds fun."
For the next few minutes it seemed that each time the door swung open someone was dropping off something at their table. Leo appeared and left a bottle of wine and two glasses. As he strode away he tossed a corkscrew over his shoulder – which Marty caught with ease.
"He's been doing that trick since before I was old enough to drink," Marty explained with a chuckle. "Shall I stand up and give you the whole waiter-with-a-bottle-of-wine routine? I used to be very good at it. My skilz got me a lot of tips back in the day."
"I bet they did. Is this where you learned how to win over the ladies?"
" Hey. Waiting tables is hard work. Especially when you have to run into the back every chance you get to wash dishes or make salad or run up front and make change. This is where I learned to multitask and work hard. I was born with my irresistible charm," he smirked.
While Kensi was still working on an appropriate come back Stella swept past them with an arm load of plates, pausing only long enough to grunt out "top one". Deeks grabbed the top plate and put a beautiful antipasto platter down in the middle of the table.
By the time dinner arrived, the other costumers were starting to leave; the wine glasses had been refilled again and there was little left of the appetizers.
The smell of the seafood pasta in front of her made Kensi close her and eyes and breathe in deeply through her nose. After her first bite she moaned. "Oh, man Deeks. This is absolutely amazing. Do these people have an unmarried son about my age?"
"What? Really? You just gonna dump me so you can eat here anytime you want? Great. I feel your gratitude. And I am so hurt."
The easy banter continued throughout the meal. But after sharing a piece of cheesecake with fresh raspberries they fell into a companionable silence.
Later, when Kensi returned to the table from the rest room, she was surprised to see a tired Stella slumped in Deeks' chair. Stella threw Kensi a warm smile and answered her unspoken question. "The boys have gone out back for a quick cigar. It's something they've been doing together for years. I'm not even sure they even smoke the things but it gives them a few minutes of male bonding or maybe it's father/son time." She shrugged. " We didn't have any children and Marty is one of the kids who came into ours lives and just never left. He's improved our lives, that's for sure." She raised her eyebrow and added," If you tell him I said that I'll deny it all night long."
The two women locked eyes and then they both grinned.
"Yeah. You really have to be careful not to feed his ego," Kensi said with a laugh, "or he'll never let you forget it."
Stella pushed a tall, ice filled glass and a can of diet soda across the table. Opening her own she poured until the foam reached the top. "Marty told me you and I have a shared weakness," and moved her hand between the sodas.
With a sigh Kensi poured then took a sip and smiled at Stella. " That's a whole lot better than a cigar."
They sat quietly enjoying their drinks for several moments before Stella spoke.
"I have a confession to make," she started in a little nervously. " I asked Marty about you. I didn't really mean to pry – well, maybe I did," she chuckled. "But all he would say is "don't get too attached'. He knows I get really attached to people I like. Do you know why he said that?"
"No," Kensi said, a little too quickly and a little too loud. She looked down at her hands while they played with the paper from her straw. This woman had just admitted to liking her and was important to Marty. Kensi knew she deserved a better answer, so she quietly spoke again. "Well, maybe I do. See we're partners at work and we end up talking about our personal lives sometimes. My dating life has been so bad for so long," she nearly groaned. "This is going to sound completely insane but Deeks thinks if we go out on a couple successful dates, that maybe I'll be able to have a successful date with somebody else. This was his idea and he swears it gonna help." Kensi's voice trailed off as she pressed her hand against her temple and winced at how amazingly stupid it sounded when she said it aloud.
"Oh," was all Stella managed to say.
"Oh?" Kensi asked.
"So, you don't really like Marty?"
"No. I mean, yes, I do. He's my partner," she paused then hurried on. " I didn't like him at first. He can be really annoying and sometimes he talks nonstop. You probably know that. We had real trust issues at first. He…he saved my life. More than once. And I know he'd do anything for me, but…"
"But what?" Stella encouraged.
"But he's just doing this to be nice. I know he doesn't think of me as a real date."
Stella hesitated for a full minute before she left the table and pushed the swinging door to let herself into the kitchen. On the back swing she reappeared holding a slightly faded color photo, which she handed to Kensi.
It was a picture of Deeks when he was about 16 or 17. His hair was really blonde, really long and he was really tan. He wore a white t-shirt and an apron just like the one Leo had worn earlier. Kensi couldn't help but grin when she looked at the skinny teenager.
"I don't know what Marty's told you," Stella started, not really sure what she wanted to say. "His childhood was pretty bad. He started work with us when he was in high school and during his first year we added a cot, a washer and dryer and a shower to the restaurant. He stayed here on weekends and any other time he thought he could get away with it."
"He pretty much lived here during college. When he got into law school his schedule was insane. He'd work here nights and study afterward, sleep a couple hours, get up and go surfing before heading to classes, study until his shift started and then do it all again. He kept his clothes in his truck so they wouldn't smell like grease. " She paused lost in thought. When she looked over at Kensi again she was smiling. "We had an older woman employee that came in really early in the morning. She was like family. She did everything; prepped food, ordered supplies, cleaned the restrooms. It got to be a habit for her and Marty to have breakfast together. She'd come in to work and right away she'd cook something and they'd eat before starting their day. He was really torn up when she died a few years ago."
After a slight hesitation she continued.
"He used to come in regularly, even when he got on with LAPD. Since he's been working with you folks he comes less often. I think it's because he's happier." Stella's voice fell. "I know Marty has a hard time sharing his feelings. Even harder than the average guy," she said with a wink. "But I think he finally feels attached to the people he's working with." She looked at Kensi as if she wanted her to understand.
"Enough of my ramblings. You probably didn't want to know any of that."
"Yes. Thank you Stella. I did. . I'm really glad you told me."
As if on cue, the swinging door swung and the men strode in on a wave of smoke. Deeks cocked his head and raised one eyebrow. "Well, did you miss us?"
"Not really," both women replied in unison. When the laughter ended. He asked," What did you talk about?" When neither woman would meet his eyes he grimaced and groaned, "Stella!"
Kensi pushed the photo across the table with a mischievous smile. "Nice pic, surfer dude."
With another groan, Marty dropped into the empty chair on the other side of Kensi and Leo took the fourth seat. They carried on a enjoyable conversation until Stella's yawns hinted that it was time to go.
Kensi was full and a little tired when Deeks finally lead her from the restaurant. At the door they turned and waved to Leo and Stella. Deeks flipped the closed sign and locked the door as they stepped outside. Kensi gave him a gentle smile when he casually draped his arm across her shoulders and bumped her hip.
"That was really amazing Deeks."
"Who is this Deeks guy, Tracy? Is he somebody I should go beat the crap out of and tell to leave you alone?" he teased, barely suppressing his wicked grin.
Rolling her eyes, Kensi chuckled. "No, Jason. He's just this guy I work with. He's kind of annoying but I think he's got a good heart."
"You do?"
"Yeah," she said poking him in the ribs with her elbow. " I do."
They didn't talk much on the drive back to Kensi's car. Deeks' head was spinning. He had never really thought about the end of the date. He was suddenly nervous and unsure of what should happen next. He snapped out of his thoughts when Kensi yawned and turned side ways so she could rest her head against the seat. She was now looking directly at him. He glanced over and watched her watch him. "You okay?"
"Uh huh," was all she could manage and then after several seconds of silence she said.
"Do not get weird on me Deeks, but that was the most fun I've had in a long time. And if you tell anyone I said that I will call you a liar."
"Got it," he replied while he grinned into the darkness.
In the parking lot, Marty hurried around the car to her door. She waited and let him open it, then took his hand once more and let him help her out. Knowing that she had humored him, he grinned and whispered, "Thanks; it's good for my self-esteem."
"You mean your ego," she said with a scowl that didn't reach her eyes.
"Whatever," he shrugged.
"I had a really good time, Jason," she started out. It sounded like she was reading a script. She was just about to say something more when Marty dropped his head and kissed her gently on the cheek.
His voice was low and serious when he said. "I had a blast Kensi. Thanks for coming. I'll see you at work on Monday."
As she drove toward home she banged the back of her head against the seat. What the heck just happened? And was she going to get any sleep at all tonight?
After changing into her pajamas she flopped down on the couch to wait until she was sleepy. Her cell phone chimed and she flipped it open. The text read. "You home safe? Thanks for a great first date."
Hitting reply she texted only, "Yep."
Sitting on the couch Kensi Blye grinned like a fool.