The ride to the restaurant was quiet. Andrea drove, promising to bring Sharon back to the station to get her car when they finished. Sharon was more than happy to agree to the ride; she was quite the mess. Before they left the parking garage, Sharon turned to Andrea.

"I'd really like a glass of wine and something to eat before I dive into this," she said.

"That I can do," Andrea told her. "Rest assured I'm not bringing you back to your car before I get all of the story."

So, finally after Andrea picked a restaurant and they were seated with a glass of wine each, did Sharon take a deep breath and look to Andrea.

"I'm not sure where to start," Sharon admitted.

Andrea waited a few moments, believing Sharon would continue. When she didn't, Andrea spoke up, "Okay, here's what I can tell. Andy likes you and has for years. You do like him, even if you try to hide it. I've never seen two people flirt at work like you do while still being able to remain professional. The whole team knows something is going on, but they also know nothing is going on. You two have this complicated relationship that could be more, but hasn't been anything more yet. Something happened these last few months, and I'm guessing you pulled back with the Stroh situation. Am I warm?" Andrea asked.

Sharon closed her eyes and let out her breath. She opened them, the guilty expression very evident on her face. "I don't know where to go from here. Yes, the Stroh situation has had me a mess. I'm trying to move on from that, to not worry he's lurking behind the next corner. The case we had the other day made me realize that I can't protect Rusty forever. I've had a detail on him, undercover of course, for months. I just pulled that, and I am trying to put my life back together. This," she gestured to Andrea, "with you, getting out in the evening, is case in point. I had a long talk with Andy after that case too, some of it about what I need him to do at work, but some of it personal too. He's been hovering at work, and I need him to do his job and not worry so much about mine. I need him to work with Julio better than he was the last case. I clarified that, and then he called me on it, I mean our personal situation. He asked what I needed him for in our personal lives, and I told him I need him to be a friend. I need him to help me get my mind off the last six months."

"There are many ways he can help you get your mind off the last six months, and everything I'm thinking requires him to be more than a friend," Andrea threw a smug look at Sharon. Sharon got all flustered, and Andrea continued, "See, that's what I'm talking about right now. You do like him, otherwise, you wouldn't be so flustered. Sharon, why don't you just tell the guy you want him? Period. End of story. I think he'd get the memo. He's pretty intelligent and even more aware when a woman is throwing herself at him. Sharon, the guy has been a saint the last few years. I haven't heard of him dating or pursing anyone, and I think we both know why. Be bold! Throw yourself at the man who has patiently waited on you for years!"

"Andrea, that's just not me! I'm not bold. I don't think I can be, nor do I really want to be that bold. I just can't do that. I've kept Andy at length for months, years really, and I don't know how to move forward now. I think I want to move forward, but I can't throw myself at him. Besides, that's not professional either, and I do need to keep that in perspective. There's so much I can't say or do because of work. I don't want to cross some line and have him uneasy at work."

"Sharon, he's been uneasy at work for a couple of years because that man adores you. The reason he's been uneasy is his feelings have been far ahead of yours. Everyone has seen it. I don't think he'd mind at all if you just threw caution to the wind and went for it," Andrea said. "He's only going to be even more uneasy if you just allow this mess of yours to continue without resolution."

Sharon frowned and shook her head, "I just can't. That approach for me, from me, isn't what I want. I do want some advice on how I should proceed, but throwing myself at him this instant isn't it. I need to be more subtle than that."

"Have you thought about just talking to the man?" Andrea asked.

"Yes and no," Sharon explained. "We did talk the other night, but I ended up putting him right back in that 'friend zone' as Rusty would say. I wanted to convey I needed him, but somehow, I just told him I needed him to be a friend."

"Well, as you told me, that's the word you used, friend. So, from that, no wonder the poor guy is wondering what is going on with you two. You've probably given him mixed signals," Andrea explained.

Sharon nodded, "I guess I have. I'm not very good at this, but I also know I can't just be as bold as you suggest."

"Why not just invite him to dinner where you can talk?" Andrea suggested. "Sharon, dinner with you two is nothing new, and maybe you can at least convey you want more than what's currently been going on when you go out. It's not going to be an instant change from what you are saying, but you can tell him flat out you'd like more."

Sharon sighed as she thought and finally answered Andrea, "I am afraid dinner will turn out just like every other one, not that they have been bad, but that we'll still never really talk."

"You realize you need to just start flirting with him more, Sharon. You have been subtle about that, but maybe you need to kick it up a notch. Start with your clothing. It's gorgeous, but I am sure you could find a few things you know he'd love, things that would drive him crazy at work. Try flirting more. Maybe offer him that dinner and try to flirt. The guy isn't blind, and he isn't clueless. A little more effort flirting might do just the trick," Andrea pointed out.

"Flirting?" Sharon asked, making a face like she was disgusted. "I'm not sure I know how to flirt."

Andrea burst out laughing, "You're serious, right? Sharon, I've watched you flirt with the man over the last year. Now, granted, you might have been unaware of it, but you, my dear, can definitely flirt. Now, it's time to be more obvious about it. That can start by simple adjustments to your wardrobe and some more active flirting around him, off-duty mainly, but even at work, if you get a moment away from the rest of the team, you can even up the flirting then too."

Sharon narrowed her eyes at Andrea, "I flirt at work? Jack said I was always terrible at that. I don't know how to flirt. I'm not flirting at work."

"Honey, you most definitely are," Andrea reached over and patted her hand. "Let's finish up here, and we'll do some shopping. Maybe we can find a couple of things to wear with your suits to you know," she shrugged, "attract handsome lieutenants."

"Andrea, I don't know about this," Sharon shook her head. "I was planning to shop for Ricky's birthday present and even one for Andy. His birthday is coming up too."

"Trust me," Andrea smiled, "he won't need a present if you can up this flirting thing and honestly get on the same page with him about all of this. That will be gift enough."

Sharon sighed, "Andrea, I just don't know."

The two women talked awhile longer and finished their drinks and meals. The shopping trip consisted of a lot more talking and somewhat of a game plan. Sharon was going to start with a dinner invite to the condo. Yes, Andy had been to dinner at the condo plenty of times, but she was going to try and make this clear this was more than just a friendly dinner. She was going to make sure Rusty had other plans and serve a nice, quiet meal on the balcony where she could hopefully get up enough courage to tell him she wanted more. Her wardrobe was going to step it up a notch too, starting off with a brand-new dress Andrea found.

"Sharon, that dress is perfect," Andrea smiled when Sharon walked out of the dressing room. It was dark green and black patterned dress, knee-length, and flowed nicely. It was a wrap style dress that said both casual and dressy, depending on the occasion. Most of all, Sharon was comfortable in it, and she knew Andy would like it too.

"I do like it," Sharon nodded. "It's a bit too casual for work, but still."

"You could pull that off at work too, especially with one of your blazers. Maybe try it for dinner and if he really likes it, you could wear it at the office," Andrea suggested.

An hour later, Andrea dropped Sharon off at her car, both exhausted from their evening. "Thank you for everything, Andrea," Sharon told her before getting out of the car. "I appreciate you listening and your advice. I can't get out of my own head sometimes."

"Just trust yourself, Sharon. Andy isn't going anywhere. Go home and call him; invite him to dinner, and the rest should play out for you. We do need to do this again, for both an update on your lieutenant, but also to really catch up on everything else. This was the most important thing tonight, though," Andrea pointed out.

"Thank you again. I do appreciate it. I'm going to call him later. Night," she told her and once she got situated in her own car and got on the road, she started thinking again.

It should be easy, call and invite Andy to dinner. They'd done dinner countless times, even countless times at the condo. That wasn't too scary of an idea. They'd even done dinner and a movie at the condo. Andy spent time there, but he hadn't lately. She'd kept him away and closed off her life during the Stroh mess, so now that they were getting back on track, it did seem natural to invite him to dinner.

How do you go from eating at the dining room table to talking about dating your best friend?

Clearly, Andy was her best friend, and one of her concerns was crossing that barrier, that friend line. Sharon knew that once it was crossed, there was no going back, not that she wanted to go back. She believed that if the two made the decision to become more than friends, things could and would go pretty well. She just had to trust her feelings.

Although, she'd trusted herself with Jack, and look where that had gotten her.

Sharon did remind herself that she was now older and wiser. Andy was not Jack, thank goodness for that. Andy was nothing like Jack; yes, they were both alcoholics, but Andy fought every day to remain sober. Jack did not. Andy valued Sharon for a person. Things with Jack had not ever been like that. They had dated in college and gotten married as soon as they had graduated, not that there was anything wrong with that, but she should have seen the warning signs then. Jack was already drinking, something she shrugged off as just being a young guy, and he had talked her into working instead of pursuing what she wanted.

That was the past. Jack was the past, and while Sharon was fine with a future alone, maybe Andy was part of that future.

Without talking herself out of it, Sharon quickly found her phone dialing Andy, and soon the speaker phone was echoing throughout the car.

"Hey, Sharon. How was your evening?" Andy said the moment he picked up the phone.

"We had a lovely evening," Sharon told him. "What about you?"

Andy chuckled, "Ahh, you know, Provenza. I sat, he drank, and he complained. Typical evening. I managed to get him home without incident. So, I call that evening a success."

Sharon chuckled, "I didn't get a call either, so I would agree with you. Anytime my lieutenants are out on the town is reason for concern."

"Hey now," Andy whined, acting shocked at Sharon's statement. "So, what did you and Andrea do all evening?"

"Dinner and shopping. It was very nice. I'm ready to take a hot shower and get in bed, though," she said.

"You're still in the car? I thought your end of the conversation was echoing somewhat," he said.

"Yes, I'm almost home. I wanted to call you before it got any later. I also wanted to check on plans for this weekend. I know you have your meeting tomorrow. I thought about having you over for dinner at the condo sometime this weekend. Would you like to come?" she asked, now suddenly nervous. Sharon's mind started to drift again. It was just Andy, and it was just dinner. She could do this. She could do this wearing her brand-new dress that was sure to attract attention from Andy. She snapped out of it, not wanting to miss Andy's response.

"Dinner with you sounds nice, Sharon," Andy told her. "What night do you want to do that?"

"I think I'm free all weekend, but I can check with Rusty too," she stated. "I'm also not forgetting we have plans for the movies."

"Yeah, well, let's take a look at schedules and figure things out once you are home. We can talk tomorrow at work. How is that?" he offered.

"Deal. I will check my calendar, but I am almost positive anytime this weekend works for me," Sharon told him.

"Great. Now, I'd like to talk to you until you get home if you don't mind. Care to tell me about Andrea and everything you two did this evening?"

"Well, better than yours," Sharon smiled as she started to recount things. I'd say we could describe our evening better than yours. We chatted, we drank, and we shopped. Simple. That about covers it."

"You and Hobbs-that's it?" he chuckled. "Sharon, I know when you two are together the talking and shopping are anything but simple. I'm guessing nice wine, a great restaurant, and upscale shopping. Tell me what you bought."

"Hnmn, a few new things," she said. You suggested I wear whatever I bought this weekend, so I guess you'll have to wait and see."