Alexis Rodgers
Chapter 23
They had either not read everything or had reached the wrong conclusions over what they had read. The place Rick had found for them had three floors. A single car garage on the lower level with a tiny bathroom. Living, dining, kitchen, and two small bedrooms as well as two bathrooms on the second level with a tiny terrace on the second floor. The third floor had the master bedroom and bathroom as well as a massive terrace that was on two sides.
They did in fact have a view of the water, IF you were on the third floor terrace and on one side. It wasn't the most perfect view, but it was nice. They had learned that the units out on the edge of the water were sold for millions, way above their price range. At present the place complex was roughly 75% sold. If they bought it that would increase it to 80%.
In fact there were four different floor plans to choose from. Rick had found them the second least expensive unit the complex had. The next one up was basically the same thing, only it cost another $100,000 more. Which had a better view and that was about all for that added expense.
It was under twenty miles from the precinct and it had taken them just over thirty minutes to get here from the apartment they were in now.
"So what do we do?" Alexis looked at Kate as they stood outside on the third floor terrace, looking at the view of the water. "It's brand new, never been lived in. We win the lottery we could get a boat." Alexis pointed, "The marina is just over there." Kate snorted out a laugh. It really would take winning the lottery for them to afford a boat.
"Hardwood floors throughout. The kitchen is maybe just a touch bigger than the one we have now. Breakfast bar, French door refrigerator and gas range. No more sleazy landlord who won't fix anything." That got Kate to snort out yet another laugh.
That was the funny thing about living in Manhattan. She owned the space but to get things fixed she had to work with the building owner's landlord. That wouldn't be the case here.
Trash was in a central location as was the mailbox. You needed a code to get in or needed to give the code if you got a call. The mailbox had lock boxes for bigger packages which also had a room where FedEx or UPS would leave stuff. Even they didn't have total access to the complex. It was certainly safer out here and there was a breeze and you could smell the water.
The clubhouse and pool were off in one corner of the complex, far away from the main gate. Which for them was actually a pretty good location. They could easily walk it.
Enter through the main gate and you could go straight or turn right. In either case you did one big loop with buildings on either side. Their building was turn right and second one down on the left. The clubhouse and pool were on the right and down one building.
Those million dollar places actually had the farthest to go to reach the clubhouse.
"One thousand nine hundred sixty-nine square feet," Kate told herself. It was three times the size of the place she had now and it was brand new. "I'm going to need your help. I can't afford this otherwise. The HOA will kill me." Even at her new rate of pay, this place was too much.
Alexis wrapped her arms around Kate and hugged her until finally she kissed her. "I graduate in a couple months. We can afford it." Alexis was finally going to have a job and start earning money. Now she was going to have something to spend it on. "We can turn one of the bedrooms into an office. Get a desk, finally get a printer, a router, and WiFi so we can use our laptops anywhere." Alexis was happy.
"So was that a yes?" Alexis looked up at Kate since she was wearing heels and Alexis had on flats.
"I have to sell my place first or we won't have the money," Kate reminded her.
"We can make it part of the contract. Conditional upon the sale of your place." Alexis kissed her again. They had a home. A real honest to goodness home instead of an apartment in the middle of Manhattan.
###V##][##V###
Well it turned out it wasn't as simple as all that. Yes, Kate put her place up for sale, but that also meant she had to have a lock box put on her door and had to keep the place spotless. One never knew just when the real estate agent would call to warn them she had an interested party and when they would be out. Meaning they had to be gone. Which was usually easy since both of them were gone during the day.
Then they'd had their first fight. As fights went it wasn't a small one but it wasn't a deal breaker either.
"How was I supposed to know my dad paid all the closing costs already? All he said was that he had put down a deposit that held it for us," Alexis had all but yelled back.
"He's your father! I should have known he would do something like this." Kate was furious. However she couldn't place her finger on just why she was so furious.
"Dad was just trying to help. It's what he does. Besides, we don't have the money, do we?" Alexis knew she didn't and until this place was sold neither did Kate.
"That's not the point. If I had wanted his interference I would have asked for him help," Kate all but yelled back. "Why does he always have to be such a –"
Alexis interrupted her. "Don't say it. Don't you dare."
Kate finished her sentence anyway. "Jackass." There were things about Castle, or Rodgers now, that just rubbed her the wrong way. He may not be playing the job of playboy any longer but that didn't mean Kate didn't see him that way. It was all she saw when she looked at him.
"ARGGHH!" Alexis stomped her way to their bedroom and slammed the door closed to make sure Kate knew she was angry at her. Alexis loved her dad passionately, just as passionately as she loved Kate. But Kate was bashing her dad and that was pissing her off.
###V##][##V###
They'd both been stewing for a while and neither of them had had dinner yet. Kate had access to the kitchen but she wasn't in the mood to cook anything. She also wasn't in the mood to order anything for delivery.
What neither of them knew was that both of them were sitting there and wiping away tears for pretty much the same reason. Finally, as if by magic, they both got up and just as Kate reached the bedroom door and tried to decide if she should just open it or knock, the door opened on its own. Except Alexis was on the other side.
"I'm sorry," they said at the same time.
"I can't get past the way I see your dad when I blew up and threw him out. I'm sorry. I don't want to fight," Kate said.
"I don't want to fight, either. I know Dad isn't your favorite person but you could at least try. He uses money to help instead of asking if you want help and then pay for it. It's what he does. How do you think Sam got all that new furniture for her apartment?" They both knew what Sam had said about that.
"If he buys us new furniture…" Kate trailed off since she didn't want to start another fight.
"I've already told him not to. Just be ready for us to get a bedroom set for the spare bedroom and maybe a printer, router, and WiFi for the office area." No matter how Alexis tried, she knew her dad. He would eventually do something that he thought was helping and be using his money to do it.
Kate wrapped her arms around Alexis and felt Alexis's arms around her. "I'll try," Kate groaned. She was forced to admit that his Christmas present that hadn't come from Santa was actually nice. The new place they weren't even in yet was nicer than here.
"Interested in dinner? We can have it delivered. Or sex instead?" Kate grinned since this was going to be the first make up after a fight sex.
"Chinese, since it's not filling. Then we can 69 so I can have you for dessert," Alexis offered which had Kate laughing.
"Deal." She liked the taste of Alexis very much.
###V##][##V###
A lot was happening in a short amount of time. Alexis was graduating from the Police Academy at the top of her class tomorrow. She'd even eclipsed some of the previous classes. She had set the bar rather high for the classes that came after her.
Right now both of them were watching as men were not just moving them, but packing up most everything as well. They only things they weren't packing were all of their clothes. Those were already either in suitcases or boxes. Suitcases were down in Kate's police cruiser with a new air freshener, compliments of Alexis. The boxes would get loaded into the truck that was parked outside the building.
Neither one of them really had to say a thing. They just stood there and watched it happen. "Okay, I take it back about letting Castle hire someone to move us." Even with the boys and Lanie's help it would have taken them forever. As it was it was going to take hours.
"See, Dad's good for something." Alexis hip bumped her which had Kate grinning. "Speaking of Dad, he's actually gone and done it." Alexis had really thought it was just all talk but he had done it.
"He signed a woman's chest." Kate could just see it now: Castle Reverts to Old Form | Loses New Publisher | Is Sued Into Oblivion
"No, not that, thankfully." Alexis thanked everyone she could think of for that one. "He put the loft up for sale."
"Seriously?" Kate looked at Alexis for an explanation for that.
"Dad says it's because it's just too big for him alone but I think he had ulterior motives. He just won't answer me." Alexis had her guesses.
"Which are?" What happened to Castle happened to Alexis, so that meant she needed to know as well. Separating those two was impossible.
"Well for one I think he might need the money. Not that I know for sure but his new contract doesn't pay him even half of what Black Pawn had paid him for his last book.
"The house in the Hamptons is paid for, but he still has all that upkeep and bills for it. The same for the loft. The cars are paid for as well but he still has insurance for everything and property taxes he has to pay.
"Then there's the money he spent at Christmas, so maybe. But there's one other reason, not that he's telling. …I think it has to do with Sam." Alexis did like her. She wasn't a big titted airhead like all those women Gina set him up with. And not the ones that just wanted the chance to get into bed with him. To be able to say that they'd had sex with Richard Castle.
"Move to Staten Island? Are they really that involved already?" Okay, maybe Kate shouldn't be talking. After all, she and Alexis had gotten to where they were pretty fast. They were about six months in, more or less, and she considered that to be pretty fast.
"I don't know. Maybe not move in together just yet but housing does cost a lot less over there. A whole lot less." They both knew that the place they'd just bought together would cost several times the amount if it was in Manhattan.
"So Castle's looking for a new place to live." Kate couldn't say she blamed him. Living in that big loft all alone might be too much even for him.
"Knowing Dad, he's already done some looking and has it down to three choices. I just don't know what they are." He was being unusually tight-lipped about it.
"So is Castle coming to the ceremony? I know Martha, my dad, and half of the 12th is going to be there. Just be ready to be embarrassed when they call your name," Kate warned her.
"It's going to be amazing and yes, Dad said he would be there. He might even bring Sam with him." It was at night so Sam wouldn't be teaching.
"Did you know the 18th has already put in a request for me to be assigned there?" Alexis wasn't sure she wanted to be that popular. She had plans and they didn't involve working at the 18th.
Kate put an arm around her. "So did I. I even got Kevin, Javi, and Lanie to send in letters requesting that you be assigned to the 12th. We still need to bring our ratings back up. Which reminds me. Eva and I'm pretty sure Cappuccino will be there also since everyone will be off shift at that time."
"Really? Eva and Kay. You think it's serious?" Serious like them serious since Alexis saw them as being very serious.
"You can ask them if you see them. They might only stay long enough to see you then duck out. Something about Cappuccino's public appearance and all that," Kate shrugged.
"Well they better stay. I want to hear about this." Alexis went back to watching the movers pack them up, move boxes out the door, and down to the truck. "I can always bug her once I'm in the precinct."
###V##][##V###
They had to beat the truck to the new place once they were done. Then come back and spend the rest of the day cleaning. It was supposed to be spotless.
Extra parking for guests that got let in was all street parking. Kate had parked in the street around the corner to keep the driveway empty and open the garage door and open all the doors on the ground floor.
Now they were watching all the boxes and furniture and paintings, including the one that was a Christmas present, leave the truck and enter their new home. Even Kate and Alexis weren't idle. They had what was in the refrigerator and freezer in the car that had to go into the new one.
However they had help. Lanie had the day off and had arrived just in time to be driven in the back seat of Kate's stinky car to the new place and she was helping unload the car and put stuff into the refrigerator.
Now the three of them were standing in the living room watching stuff come in. Lanie had an arm around each of them. "You two bought a place together." Lanie was ready to start crying. Her best friend had finally found someone to love and have that person love her back just as fiercely. She was still amazed that it was little Castle and not one of the hunks she had set Kate up with. But at least she was here.
"Dad helped." Alexis gave him some credit.
"Those closing costs were killer," Kate admitted and added that to one more reason why Castle was planning on moving. Just to where none of them knew yet.
"No offense, sweetie, but having Castle dump his playboy image was the best thing to ever happen to him," Lanie commented.
"Now he just needs to not scare Sam away. Old habits can die hard." Alexis was still worried about him.
###V##][##V###
They weren't really moved in just yet. The movers had packed them and moved them but they hadn't unpacked them. Alexis had been home all day unpacking until she got tired and had to rest. She was still at it when Kate came rushing in.
"You're not dressed!" That had Alexis pulling out her phone to look at the time.
"SHIT!" Alexis had lost track of time.
Now they were both stripping with no time for a shower and scrambling to put on clothes. Or in both cases, a uniform. For Kate it was her old dress blues. For Alexis it was her new dress blues.
"Well don't you look like something." Kate gazed up and down at Alexis and still liked what she saw.
"You look pretty good, too." Alexis liked Kate dressed like this as well. "Let's move or we're going to be late to your own graduation." Kate had parked in the driveway instead of the garage, partly because the garage wasn't empty yet, and partly because she had been in a hurry and hadn't even bothered to open the garage.
###V##][##V###
Alexis went one way while Kate went another. It didn't take anytime at all for Kate to find everyone else. It felt like half of the 12th was there. Along with Kevin, Javi, Lanie, Ann, Roz, Castle, Sam, and her dad.
It felt like forever for most everyone as they sat there and listened to speeches from various people until finally they were done talking. Then a line formed from the cadets that had graduated that were all sitting in the front row line up.
Kate was grinning wide and very proud of her when Alexis's name was called and everyone from the 12th and Castle stood up and cheered and yelled and whistled. No one else had gotten that kind of reception so far. Kate simply sat next to her dad and clapped like Jim was doing.
###V##][##V###
Finally Alexis caught up to all of them including Eva and Cappuccino and either got hand shakes or hugs from everyone. She even got a kiss from Kate right on the lips in front of everyone. They were out of the closet now, that was for sure.
Rick had arranged a late dinner for everyone that wanted to attend and he didn't care how many said yes and was quietly hoping all of them did.
###V##][##V###
It was a little Italian restaurant that was open tonight just for Castle and his party of twenty-two people in all. Rick tapped his glass a few times with his fork to get everyone's attention. He raised his glass. "To Alexis Harper Castle, the very best police officer this city is ever going to meet. Even if I had my doubts about this, she graduated at the very top of her class and even set a few records along the way. You're the best, pumpkin."
That had everyone but Alexis standing and raising their glasses and agreeing wholeheartedly. "Up, Lex. You're a police officer." It was time to show she had a spine behind all of her good looks and brains.
###V##][##V###
It was really late by the time Kate and Alexis got home and even though they were feeling it, that didn't stop them from making love on this historic night. A night both were going to remember forever.
###V##][##V###
Kate was sitting at her desk after driving Alexis into the precinct with her. Alexis had paperwork to fill out first. Kate wasn't alone, though. He was sitting in one of Kate's chairs waiting for his partner to show up.
Kate heard a knock and watched Alexis in her uniform walk in. "Officer Rodgers reporting, Captain."
Kate tried to stop from grinning but knew she was failing. "Rogers, this is your training officer, Sergeant Raymond Tyler. He has lots of experience and is willing to teach you what the Academy doesn't. Pay attention. You two are a team now so I expect you to act like one. The Academy has done what it can but there's still a lot to learn. From here on out Rodgers, it gets real.
"Dismissed and hit the streets." Kate watched both of them leave. Kate would grill her what happened on her very first day before, during, and definitely after driving her home.