"Nicole, hey what's up? I only have a minute," Rusty said answering his phone quickly while he was waiting at the coffee shop to pick up the very large Badge of Justice order. He was standing there waiting for the 14 drinks he'd ordered when his phone rang, and as he answered it, he groaned to himself, realizing that in all the chaos, he hadn't even ordered a coffee for himself. No way he wanted the coffee on the set. That was why he was here; no one else wanted it. Now, with Nicole calling him, he knew his coffee order may not happen.
"Hey Rusty, hope I'm not bothering you," Nicole said.
"Just working this morning," he told her. "I mean, if you can call standing in a coffee shop waiting for coffee orders work."
"Ugh, sorry, Nicole said. "I tried talking more to my dad last night about his dating. He's got another date tonight."
"Okay," Rusty said, running his hand over his face. "While he knew this was upsetting Nicole, he was about done dealing with the mess. "Look, I am not sure what more I can do. Sharon seems okay, and yeah, while I agree with you that something happened with your dad, she won't tell me. Emily is here too, and Emily can't get anything out of her. Emily thinks she's fine too and doesn't think she will get anything out of Sharon."
"I just don't want my dad dating someone!" Nicole said. "Look, I realize this isn't my business."
"No, it's not, and as I guess I'm realizing that," Rusty said. "It's like talking to you makes me anxious about Sharon, and then, I worry about her. She's an adult, and so is your dad. We can't like make them be together, whatever that means. Quite frankly, I'm not sure I want Sharon with any guy, I mean if she wants, but just the image-gross. She's like now my mom."
Nicole sighed, "I swear, Rusty. She's a grown woman with needs and desires-"
"Just stop!" Rusty raised his hand and spoke louder than he'd intended. He had a horrified look on his face. "Don't go there."
"Oh, please, Rusty. We're talking about other adults. It shouldn't be a surprise. My dad is the same-has wants and desires. I suppose after seeing the two of them together, I want them to be together. My dad has had a pretty lousy life, granted, a lot of it his doing, but I'm proud of him. He's worked so hard to get to where he is. Sharon makes him happy. He makes her happy. I know they are both stubborn and independent, and I am wondering if something simple got in the way of their happiness."
"Maybe they are just happy being friends," Rusty said. "Sharon doesn't dislike him."
"He dropped her off after work last night, right?" He mentioned that when he watched the kids last night," Nicole questioned.
"Yeah, Sharon didn't seem upset or concerned when she came home last night. I just asked her if it was okay that she caught a ride with him instead of me going to get her. She gave me and odd look and said everything was fine."
Nicole sighed loudly. Rusty could tell she was frustrated. He looked over to the barista and saw that she was only done with a few of the coffees. He wasn't leaving anytime soon, and it seemed like Nicole wasn't letting this go anytime soon.
"I hate this," she finally said. "He's got some date tonight, and he wouldn't tell me about it."
"I wonder why?" Rusty said in a slightly irritated tone. "No offense, but before you were married, would you have told him about a date? I don't want to get into my dating life with Sharon. He's dating. No shock he doesn't want to discuss details with his daughter."
"He won't even tell me if he's seeing the same person, going out with different women, or whatever with this website," Nicole admitted.
"Look, you tried. I even thought it was a good idea for like a second and tried with Emily now home. It's not a good idea; Emily and I have talked about it, and I want to be out of the middle of this . Sharon is going to do what she wants. She wants to be left alone. Your dad wants a woman in his life. Good for him," Rusty said waving his hand.
"Sharon isn't his date, is she?" Nicole asked.
"No, she's going to the ballet tonight with Emily, something she thought would be fun for them. Sounds like your dad is looking for his own fun. Maybe stop by in the morning and meet his date," Rusty chuckled.
"Rusty!" Nicole said, irritated.
"Hey, I only went there because you're the one going on and on about needs and junk. There you go-mental image of your dad with some random lady. You want details? Go meet her in the morning. Take doughnuts or whatever," Rusty grumbled.
"You're horrible," Nicole sighed.
"Hello! You wish it was your dad with Sharon!" Rusty exclaimed. "That's a horrible thought."
"It's not because they just seemed happy together. Anyone else," she sighed. "I fear anyone else, he's settling. This isn't just about a physical relationship, Rusty. This is about the future, about being with someone you enjoy spending time."
"Hey, listen, I have to go," Rusty said. "I've got to get all of this coffee back to work. Sharon and your dad are friends. They work together. They see each other plenty at work, and maybe, they decided that was enough. Your dad wants more, and he's going after it. Good for him; enjoy those doughnuts with him and his lady friend in the morning," he said.
"Okay, Rusty, I get it. You're done," Nicole said.
"Sorry, but yeah, pretty much. I just want out," he said. "Hey, I'll talk to you later. Gotta go."
Rusty thought more about his talk with Nicole as he headed back to the Badge set. He didn't want to think about it, but Nicole wouldn't let it go. He wanted to be out of this mess and was irritated he'd even agreed to be part of it with Nicole. Emily had dismissed it. If anything, he'd had a good talk with Emily and felt like she liked him okay. Sharon was determined to have them all spend time together while Emily was in town, and Rusty had agreed to Mass and brunch tomorrow morning. He was giving the ladies space today to enjoy themselves. Sharon and Emily had talked about shopping all day and getting some lunch. That was fine with him; he hated shopping. He'd leave them alone today to their time and would then sit through Mass and lunch tomorrow to get in that quality time Sharon wanted.
He really needed to get Nicole off this idea about the lieutenant and Sharon. He just didn't know how to get out of the mess; he was tired of the drama. Maybe if Lieutenant Flynn just found someone and brought her around Nicole, Nicole would let this whole notion go of Sharon being with the lieutenant.
Rusty looked up when the barista motioned to him to get all of the coffee and snacks. He had to get back to work; his family drama could wait.
