Coffee. Andy had just about decided that "meeting for coffee" was code for a bad date. So far, that had been his experience, and he wasn't too keen on the idea anymore. He was used to a regular date, taking a lady to dinner, a movie, or something similar. Coffee hadn't seemed like such a bad idea; it sounded like a low-key way to get to know a person, not to mention a lot cheaper than an expensive meal, but apparently, his radar was off because his last two coffee dates had been a disaster.

His first coffee encounter, which had happened two weekends ago, he blew off as a fluke, a bad date. He'd met Cassidy in a grocery store near Ang's house, both stuck deep in the checkout line. Andy had noticed her in line behind him, and he kept trying to sneak looks at her while they waited in line. She was very attractive, and at quick glance, he'd noticed she had may similar items in her cart. They both had carts full of organic foods and vegetables, and when he finally caught her glance, he smiled at her and struck up a conversation.

"Go figure we get behind the guy who can't find his credit card," Andy grinned at her. She gave a slight nod to him, and then she looked down. Andy had a feeling she was rather shy. She was tiny too, appearing to be just over five feet tall, dark hair, and a tiny figure. She seemed to be in her early 40's, but that was questionable because she seemed to have a young, healthy look to her. He decided to try again and nodded toward her cart, "How's that bread? I've thought about trying to go gluten-free, but I'm worried the bread tastes like cardboard."

She looked up and finally addressed him, "Oh, I like it. It's all in how you prepare it. I prefer to toast it. If you try it, make sure you toast it."

"Good to know," he nodded. "I'll do that when I get into my new place. My sister isn't into gluten-free, and since I'm staying with her right now, I'm somewhat bound by what she likes to eat."

"New place?" she asked.

Andy flashed a grin, "Uhh, yeah, just moved here from LA. I grew up here and just moved back. I close on my new condo next week, but until then, I'm staying with my sister. I'm Andy, by the way."

"Cassidy," she told him with a small smile again. "Welcome back to New York."

"Thanks," he nodded. "I've discovered some things have changed, while others are exactly the same."

"I've only lived here five years, but I know what you mean," she grinned. "Looks like he found his credit card," she nodded to the man in front of Andy, and sure enough, he was now finished checking out.

"Right," Andy nodded, "my turn." He started to pull the groceries out of his cart, and when he finished he turned around to Cassidy, "Say, ahh, umm, if there's no boyfriend or husband in the picture, would you like to get together sometime?"

She pursed her lips and then nodded, "Sure, maybe a cup of coffee soon?"

"Great," he'd told her, and the two discussed details as they both finished checking out at the store. They agreed to get together the next afternoon, Sunday, for a casual date. Andy left the store grinning that he'd scored a date with a very attractive woman.

That coffee date did happen that next day, but nothing went as Andy had expected.

To start, he waited for almost a half hour. The two had agreed to meet at the coffee shop, but she was almost a half hour late. Luckily, Andy had brought a book with him, something he was trying to do with his new life. He was trying to read more, as working at the LAPD had left him with very little free time. Ang had recommended a few authors to Andy, and he'd browsed online before ordering two different books. He'd brought one with him, and while waiting, he had almost finished the first chapter. He hadn't strayed far from his former career, as he'd picked up a crime novel. In an odd way, he realized he might still feel like a detective if he started reading crime novels.

"Sorry!" Cassidy exclaimed as she came up behind Andy. He was already seated at a table and looking at his phone. The two had exchanged numbers the day before, and she'd sent him a text 10 minutes ago that she was running late. He'd put the book down to check the time because after a half hour, he was about ready to leave, sure that she wasn't coming. As he turned to greet her, his eyes grew wide.

"Cassidy! You brought someone," he gestured.

"I'm sorry!" Cassidy said quickly and nodded to the stroller. "This is why I'm late. My ex was supposed to keep Tessa, but he bailed again. I hope you don't mind. She's great, not a bother, and umm, well, I should have maybe told you I have a two-year-old."

"Oh, ahh," he scratched his head and tried to figure out what to say. "It's no trouble," he smiled slightly. "Let me get us something to drink." The so-called date had continued with Andy trying to get to know Cassidy, all the while she was dealing with Tessa. It wasn't that Andy had a problem with dating a single mother; he didn't, but it just started things off strangely. Tessa was rather vocal too, earning stares from the otherwise quiet coffee shop. Cassidy spent most of the time carrying on her baby-talk with Tessa and telling Andy all about her. It really wasn't the place to be meeting someone for the first time with her toddler, but obviously, that hadn't been in the plans. It just wasn't clicking, and really, the problem got worse when Cassidy's ex started texting her during the date. Cassidy turned all her attention to her text message, and that left Andy to entertain Tessa. Clearly, he and Cassidy weren't meant to be. Andy glanced at his watch a short while later and was shocked that only a half hour had gone by since he'd met up with Cassidy and Tessa. He soon ended the date, or tried to do so, but as they walked outside, Andy frowned at the rain.

"Wow, it's really coming down out here," he told her, hoping to see her off quickly so he could get out of the somewhat awkward situation.

"Yes, it is," she sighed. "Wish I'd brought my umbrella. I was in such a hurry."

Andy sighed and looked over to her, "You walked, I assume?"

"We did," Cassidy nodded. "It's only a few blocks to my house."

"I'll take you," Andy gave her a soft smile, all the while wondering how he'd gotten himself into such an odd date. "My car is right there," he gestured to his new car, parked curbside. The rain droplets were reflecting off the shiny red car. "I think we fit the stroller in, and I realize I don't have a car seat, but it keeps you from getting wet."

"Thanks," she smiled. "You are very sweet. Your car is very sleek too. I like it. It suits you," she added.

Andy spent the next few minutes getting them situated in the car. It was sleek, but also tiny, as he was discovering. He kept them dry, but he was soaked by the time he got them to their place. It took him another couple minutes to unload them and the stroller, as Cassidy had wanted to sit in the backseat with Tessa since she needed to hold her without the car seat. As he'd told Ang when he bought the car, his car really wasn't meant to haul around a lot of people, especially the backseat. Andy then pulled the stroller out of his small trunk and returned it to Cassidy, realizing that his car was definitely not meant for a family.

"Well, it was really nice talking to you," he told her as they stood under the overhang of her building. "Maybe I'll run into you at the store again."

"Hmm, seeing as you just bought a new condo right downtown, I doubt that, but thank you for the coffee and the ride," she nodded at him. "It was nice to meet you. I am sorry about our date." He gave her a slight shrug and nod before he then rushed back to his car, rolling his eyes as he climbed back into his seat. He was soaked, but he'd kept a mother and her daughter somewhat dry. The date hadn't worked out, but Andy knew that happened sometimes. He had not had one backfire in a long time, and this one would keep him laughing for awhile.

A similar thing had just happened to Andy, just a couple hours ago at work. He had closed on the condo and had finally moved into it over the weekend, or at least had started living there. The airline never did find his clothing bags, and he was still battling it out with them on a settlement check. The bag he did have, the damaged one, was full of household items. Truthfully, he would have rather lost the household items because those would have been easier to replace than his clothing. He'd turned in a detailed clothing list with his baggage claim, and he was still waiting to her about the settlement amount. He didn't' have much hope with the airline. Normally, claims like his didn't cover much of the replacement cost for the bag and the contents. Unfortunately, he lost a few suits in the shuffle, and he'd had to go out and buy two new ones until his household goods arrived on the moving truck. The suits were needed for work, and of course, in his carry on bag, he'd packed just a few random items that could have easily been replaced. It had come as no surprise that the hard to replace items were now the ones lost in the move. Andy had started work just earlier in the week on Monday, and now it was Thursday, so he'd almost finished his first week on campus. He was still dealing with a lot of the red tape that came with starting a new job, but just today, he'd met Helen while dropping off some paperwork in the main administration building. She was sitting outside on the steps trying to study a map when he exited the building.

"Excuse me," she looked up to Andy as he started down the stairs after he'd dropped off his paperwork. "Do you work here?"

"I do," Andy nodded, as he offered her a small smile. He was wearing one of his new suits. The movers were supposed to arrive on Saturday, and he was alternating his two new suits with a few new dress shirts he had bought. Today was the first day for this particular new suit. The weather was mild, and today, he was wearing a black one with a deep red tie and gray dress shirt. Andy knew he looked very professional.

"Oh, that's great to hear," she grinned at him. "I'm trying to find my way to chemistry building, and I'm all turned around right now."

Andy nodded and let out a slow breath. He was still learning his way around the campus too, especially since it was woven into the city landscape, but he actually knew where the chemistry building was. It was two buildings down from where he would be working. He bent down and pointed on the map, "I can show you that," he grinned. "I am walking that way myself. I have a meeting two buildings away from it." Andy did have a meeting, one with the head of parking services, and he gestured to the woman where she was seated.

"My name is Andy Flynn, and if you would like me to show you, I'll be happy to take you to the building," he stated.

"Thank you," she let out a huge sigh of relief. "I'm completely lost, and that would be wonderful. I'm going to a meeting there myself. Obviously, I'm not from around here. I'm from Maryland, and this is my first time here."

"You're in good company," he smiled. "I recently moved back here and am trying to learn my way too, but I do know where the chemistry building is located. This is my first week on the job," he said. He helped her up and noticed she was dressed in a nice pair of slacks with a blazer. He waited, hoping she was going to tell him her name. She was attractive too and most likely in her mid-40's. She gathered her things, and when she seemed to forget she hadn't told him her name, he cleared his throat. She looked to him. "Ahh, what's your name?"

"Oh, silly me! I'm Helen. Helen Johnson. Nice to meet you," she stuck out her hand to shake his. After the two greeted each other, they started their walk. Andy understood how she was lost. It was a bit of a maze to get to the chemistry building, and on their walk, they talked about some of the buildings on the campus. The conversation flowed smoothly, and both laughed at times. Talking to Helen seemed very easy.

"So, are you a professor?" Helen asked him as they were approaching the building.

"No," he chuckled. "My sister is a professor here, literature, but not me. I'm in administration."

"Oh," her eyes grew wide. "Fascinating."

Andy shrugged, "I am not sure I'd call it that," he chuckled. "Well, here you are," he gestured to the building. "I'll be just in time for my own meeting," he said as he glanced at his watch. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, and say, would you like to grab a cup of coffee after we finish our meetings? I just don't know anyone and have enjoyed talking to you," she told him.

"Sure," Andy gave her a slight nod and smile. "There's a coffee place over there," he gestured across the street to a smaller building. "I discovered that two days ago, and they have pretty good coffee."

"Great! I'll be there, so maybe I'll see you whenever you finish?" she said as almost a question. Andy nodded.

"See you soon, Helen," he nodded and continued with his walk. His meeting lasted over an hour, and when he finished, he was rather glad he had a coffee date. He was in need of a cup, and Helen had seemed like a perfectly normal person. He'd forgotten to ask what she was doing on campus. Maybe she was there for her own job interview, but he decided that would be a good topic of conversation over their coffee. As he entered the small campus coffee shop, he glanced around and almost missed her because she was sitting with her back to the door. He caught her eye, and she gave him a big smile and a wave. He walked to the table.

"Andy, hi," she smiled. "I already got a cup of coffee."

"Okay," he glanced back at the line, where he noted only one person was waiting. "I'll get something to drink, and I'll be right back." She nodded, and he glanced at her table where she had a lot of paperwork spread out on it, along with an empty plate. He held back a grin as he walked to the line. Apparently, she had a sweet tooth too and had gotten a snack. Andy wasn't really into fancy coffee drinks, so it only took a few moments to order a basic cup of coffee. The old-school cop in him just couldn't get into all the mixed coffee drinks. When he turned back toward Helen, he almost did a double take, as there was now a teenage girl sitting with her. She hadn't been there when he had arrived, but now, there was definitely a girl sitting with Helen.

"Ahh, sorry, but if I'm interrupting," he gestured to them as he walked back over with his coffee, "I will just head back to work."

"No, no," Helen shook her head and waved to the table. She moved some of the paperwork out of the way for him to sit. "I'm so glad we could get together. Andy, this is my daughter Megan, and she's trying to get into the college. She just came from a tour of the chemistry department. I told her that with you in administration, we might get an inside track."

Andy groaned and let out a long sigh. "Ahh, listen," he gave her a slight frown. "I think you have the wrong idea. I'm the head of security for the campus. I'm classified as administration, but I have nothing to do with admissions. I think it might be better if I just got back to work. I am swamped, as I told you that I just started here this week."

"Oh," she let out a surprised sound. "I wasn't expecting that. I saw you come out of the admissions area, and I just assumed you worked there."

"Yeah, well, I don't, and quite frankly, I suggest that Megan just try to get in here on her own merit," he gave a small smile to the girl. "You really don't want to try and get around the standard admissions procedures."

"She wants to study chemistry," Helen nodded to her. "I've scheduled appointments everywhere, but we just want her to get into the school."

"Good luck with that, but I'm sorry to say I can't help," Andy nodded to both the ladies before he glanced to the door. "Nice to meet you," he added, trying to remain polite when he wanted to roll his eyes and chew out the lady for trying to use him to get her daughter into the college. People were unbelievable; he'd seen it in LA, and now, he was seeing it here.

So, now hours later, as he was arriving back at his condo after his rather long day, he sighed thinking about his rather odd dating week. He'd tried to have coffee with two women and had struck out both times. He realized that he had done well even to get two women to agree to coffee, so that was at least something in his favor. He just needed to readjust his standards and maybe insist that no children would be brought on any coffee shop date. Andy opened his condo door, and he walked inside. The place was quiet, yet his footsteps echoed. He still had almost no furniture. Ang had let him borrow an air mattress, even though she'd tried to get him to stay with her until his furniture arrived. Yes, he could have stayed at her place, but after closing on his condo, he just wanted to stay there. It would come together soon. His furniture would be here over the weekend, and he was really hoping to hear from Heather, the flight attendant over the weekend. She had originally been on the schedule for New York last weekend, but she'd come down with a nasty cold and had not made the trip. She'd called Andy to tell him, mainly to reassure him she was still interested in getting together when she did fly into New York. Andy was hopeful about that date too. She was cute, and he was looking forward to taking her out on a date when she flew into town. Yes, he'd had two bad dates, if you could call them that, but his weekend was looking up if he could get his furniture and land a date with Heather.