Sorry I've been MIA! Here's a short little chapter. After a couple weeks off I'm feeling a bit rusty. Be sure to leave reviews-what did you like, where could it improve, what do you want to see happen?! Thanks! You're all fabulous! xoxo
Christine.
Christine sat at the table in the far back corner of the coffee house. It had been her favorite table to study at ever since she'd been in high school, waiting for her mom, then newly single, to get off work at the station. Andy glanced her way as he stood at the till. To talk to her, or not to talk to her? He guessed, after hitting on her in front of her Mom, he at least owed her an apology. Maybe he only felt that way because she was the bosses kid, but he still felt compelled.
"This seat taken?" His voice was gruff. It took her by surprise and she jumped a little before she looked up from her case files.
Christine smiled softly and shook her head, "No, its not taken…but if my Mother walks in here and sees you with me, you know she'll have your head."
Andy laughed. She had a sense of humor like her Mom-though admittedly, Christine's sense of humor seemed to surface a lot more often than Sharon's did.
"I'm not worried about your Mother. She's pissed at me 99% of the time anyway. Gotta give her something to be mad about today."
Christine shook her head. It was amazing how convinced Sharon had her team that she was the wicked witch.
"She can't possibly be that terrifying. She's a teeny little woman."
"Ever met a rabid Chihuahua?" Andy's lips curled in amusement as he said it. The thought of Sharon Raydor barking and nipping at heels like a lap dog was pretty funny.
Christine eyed him as he sat down, obviously taking his own self-invitation to sit despite her warning.
"Watch it buddy, that is my Mother you're talking about, and you never know, maybe being rabid runs in the family."
"That so? I can see it," Andy grinned as he shifted in his chair, "And on that frightening note, I just wanted to apologize for the other night. Your Mom seemed pretty upset that we'd been talking."
Christine looked up at the ceiling as she pondered his apology. She didn't want to give her Mom away, but she wanted to let Andy know, too, that Sharon was interested in him. Sometimes it was difficult with Sharon. She guarded her heart so much that sometimes-most the time-it was to her own detriment. Maybe it was time to play matchmaker for momma. God knows she could use a man. Christine hummed to herself and uncrossed her arms, grabbing her latte off the table to take a sip. With her nose, which was just like her father's nose, hidden behind her coffee mug, she looked almost exactly like Sharon.
"Mom was just upset one of her subordinates, who treats her like crap I might add, hit on her carbon copy. It just added insult to injury that you're a jerk to her, then turn around and buy someone who looks just like her drinks at a bar. Kind of like the boy pulling her pigtails in grade school because he likes her kind of a thing, you know?"
Andy had to admit he was taken aback by her response. Was that an admission, albeit an indirect one, that Sharon Raydor liked him? Maybe he was the kid on the playground, what's wrong with that? He huffed under his breath and crossed his arms, suddenly feeling defensive.
"I see it does run in the family after all."
Christine set her cup down and crossed her arms and Flynn met her glare again. Obviously that was not the right thing to say.
"Look, Andy, you came here to apologize to me. I appreciate the apology. But really? I tell you why she was upset and you respond by antagonizing me? Is that what you do at work, too?" Christine narrowed her eyes as she waited for his response.
Flynn shook his head. Maybe all the Raydor women really were more trouble than they were worth. "I don't think its really any of your business what I do at work, kid. I came to apologize to you just in case I embarrassed you. I did not come to apologize for any kind of hissy fit your Mom threw."
He could feel his temper rising as she stared at him defiantly. Christine met his gaze for a long moment, then shook her head and began to gather up her things. There was no need to stay here and be goaded by this guy.
"Wow, you are a charmer, Andy Flynn. I can't see why my mother would ever have a problem with you. Let me just say, I hope your bedside manner is a lot better than your charm, and dare I say your professionalism. Have a good day, Mr. Flynn." Her tone was cold and biting as she snapped at him, then grabbed her bag. Andy sighed heavily as he watched her stomp off in her high heels, looking comically like her mother as she threw her fit all the way out the coffee shop door. Maybe this attraction to Sharon really was fleeting after all. If she acted anything like her kid-which he knew she did-there was nothing there to be attracted to. He crossed his legs under the table and sipped his latte; letting his thoughts settle on Sharon for just a little while longer.
Rusty.
Rusty sat at the dining room table staring at the blank piece of paper. He knew his Mom had gone back to jail for a few weeks now. It wasn't so surprising. It wasn't even hard to handle anymore. What was hard, however, was thinking of something to say to her in a letter.
Dear Mom,
I'm sorry you're in jail again. Is the food at least okay this time? How are you? Have you made any friends?
A pang of sadness struck deep in Rusty's gut. Life with Sharon, and occasionally Christine and the gang at the LAPD, had become so normal for him. After school homework sessions, snacks at the station, even the 10 o'clock bedtime-it all felt good to him now. For the first time in his life, writing a letter to his Mom in jail felt…shameful. Embarrassing. Foreign. Still, it was important to write her.
Sharon Raydor is really nice. She's more than nice. She buys me things I need and cooks dinner a lot and she put me in a really good school. Her cooking isn't the greatest, but she tries. Life is really good right now. It's really fun. I made some new friends at school in the chess club. I play chess now. Pretty cool, huh?
Each paragraph felt wrong. Every good thing he said about Sharon felt like an insult directed at his own Mom. How could explain the life Sharon had given him? On paper it sounded like he appreciated her for the material things, but that just wasn't it. He leaned back in the chair, resting his head in his outstretched hands. One more try before he'd give up and just do homework instead.
I know it sounds like I like Sharon because she gives me things, but that's not true. She's really, really nice. And strict. She makes me go to bed at 10:00 EVERY NIGHT. It's not so bad though. In the morning we have breakfast if she's not called in to work early. She talks to me a lot about you, too. She says she's sorry to hear you are in jail again, she hopes you're okay. I miss you, Mom, but Sharon is taking really, really good care of me. I love her.
It all sounded stupid. What was the point in writing her anyway? She'd probably just be mad that he liked Sharon more than he liked her-even if it wasn't true. Rusty left the paper and his pen spread out on the kitchen table and went to his room. There was just no point in writing her, and he needed to work on homework anyway.
Andy.
Andy stormed in to the station, his altercation with Christine weighing heavy on his mind. What was it with the Raydor women that made them think they could just get away with being so rude to him? Was it a thing? Did they have a club or something? The "I hate Andy Flynn United Women's Association"? He dropped himself in to his chair, sighing heavily as his hands hit his desk. He glanced over at Sharon's office window. She was sitting in her chair and it looked like she had her legs tucked under herself. The site softened his mood for a moment, but only a moment.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Provenza muttered as he stared Andy down, amused at his bad mood.
Andy looked up at him and sighed. "Women."
Sharon's ears perked up as she heard Flynn's voice. Of course, only because she was noting that the lieutenant had come back, not because she wanted him to be there. She sighed and flipped the page on the file she was reading, her ears still attuned to the conversation happening outside her door.
Provenza rolled his eyes, "Another new woman, or have you offended one of the old ones more than once?"
Andy laughed despite himself. Sometimes Provenza was funny, even if he was an asshole. "Redheads. They're all nuts. The WHOLE lot." Andy raised his voice on purpose, ever the instigator.
Sharon rolled her eyes, not in the mood today for Andy's games or bullheaded insults. She got up and sauntered to her office door, then slammed it shut.
Andy looked back at her door and pointed, half grinning, half scowling at Provenza. "See? Red heads. Nuts."
