Chapter 12
Rating: PG-13
The Crossing Jordan characters aren't mine! They're just using my head for their personal playground!
Kaidlyn and her mother, Laura, are my own creations and therefore they're mine!
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Woody sat at his desk, shuffling through some of the paperwork that littered its surface. He jumped as the phone rang. "Hoyt."
"Woody? Hey, it's Jordan."
"Jordan? What's up?" He couldn't hide the smile in his voice.
"Not much. I've got the day off today…there was some rough stuff with Kaidlyn last night and…"
"Kaidlyn?"
"My cousin. She sang a couple of songs last night. I'm surprised you haven't met her yet. She's doing an internship at the PD ~ she'd been assigned to Winslow, but he switched her to Carver."
"Oh…" Woody thought back to the night before at the Pogue. He thought he remembered the girl. Yeah…and she was the same one he'd seen sparring with Winslow a couple of days earlier. "Any particular reason?"
"She got reassigned? Well, yeah, but I don't feel like I can go into details."
"Oh." Woody felt his fists clench. He didn't even really know the girl, but she'd seemed like a sweetheart and the thought that Winslow could have…
"Not that way, Woody. Eddie's great with her. It's just…it was determined that it would be much easier for her to work with a female. That's all."
"Oh. Ok." He sighed.
"Anyway…" Jordan continued. "I was wondering if you'd maybe want to go out for dinner tonight?"
"Are you asking me out?"
"Um, yeah. I guess so."
"Jordan Cavanaugh… I…"
"Never mind. I'm sure that you've got…"
"Jordan? Shut up a minute." He laughed. "I would love to go out with you tonight."
"Really?"
"Yes really."
"Ok, so…I'll pick you up around 6:30?"
"That sounds great, Jordan. I'll see you then." Woody smiled as he hung up the phone. This was turning into quite a day.
He got up and walked down the hall to the break room, feeling the need for some coffee or some soda. Eddie and Lois Carver were sitting there, and Lois got up as he walked in.
"Alright, thanks for filling me in, Winslow. I think she and I will work fine together." She nodded at Woody. "Hoyt." And walked out of the room.
For whatever reason, Woody had never felt too comfortable around Eddie, though he could never pin down just why. But… "Lieutenant."
"I was just filling Lois in on the girl she's going to be working with…"
"Jordan's cousin?" Woody sat down. Hell, he was in a good mood, and Winslow seemed to be as well. Might as well take advantage of it.
Eddie looked over at the younger man. "Yeah. How'd you…?"
"Jordan just called me about something and told me bits and pieces when she was explaining why she was off work today."
"Oh. Ok. Yeah ~ Kaid's a great girl…she just needed to be working with a woman right now. But if you're ever double assigned with Lois keep your eye on her. Talented as all hell…" Eddie felt the smile spread across his face and knew there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
Woody noticed the smile, but given that he was about to go out with someone he worked with, he wasn't going to say anything to Winslow about it. "Yeah. I think I saw her working in the training room the other day…"
"Yeah. I asked her if she wanted to spar. And then I paid dearly for it…" he shook his head. "But it's all good."
"Yeah…" Woody couldn't believe it. Winslow seemed almost human. Sort of like Walcott when she and Garret got back… But no. Surely Winslow wasn't quite like…
"Anyway, I'd better go and get back to work. I'll see you around, Hoyt." Eddie stood and left the break room to return to his office to finish up for the day.
"See you L.T." Woody said as the older man left. He returned to his office and did the last bits of paperwork before leaving to get ready for the evening.
…back at Max's house…
Jordan sighed as she hung up the phone. That hadn't been quite as hard as she'd thought. Maybe things would be ok. She heard the shower stop and moments later, Kaid bounced into the room, wrapped in an oversized beach towel with her wet hair hanging in strings.
"You done in the bathroom for a little while?" Jordan asked Kaid's back as she rummaged in the closet.
"Um, yeah…" Kaid's muffled voice said. "I've got my make up and stuff out here."
"Ok. I'm going to get in the shower." Jordan got up. "Can I borrow some of your shampoo and stuff?"
"Yeah, no problem." Kaid came out of the closet having found what she was looking for. Fitted jeans, boots, and a boat neck sweater Jordan could tell from looking would set Kaid's blue eyes off perfectly. She smiled over at Jordan.
"Nice outfit. Good choice for your coloring." She nodded.
"Thanks," Kaid replied. As Jordan went into the bathroom, Kaid pulled on an oversized t-shirt and some boxer shorts for getting ready. By the time Jordan came out, Kaid had set her make-up…just enough that her eyes really stood out but not so much that she didn't look "natural."
"Looks nice." Jordan smiled. "You're really happy aren't you?"
"Yeah," Kaid nodded. "But I'm nervous as all hell too…"
"You'll be fine." Jordan placed a reassuring arm around her shoulder and got even with her so they were looking in the mirror. She squeezed Kaid's shoulder in a hug and gently kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you're happy."
"Thanks," Kaid smiled and hugged Jordan back. "Hey wait a minute…are you going out too?"
"Yeah," Jordan nodded.
"You have clothes here?" Kaid hadn't really seen anything…unless they were going to a late Halloween party and Jordan was going as a Roman Catholic schoolgirl.
"Crap!" Jordan had totally forgotten about that. "No. It's all at my place."
"Look through there…" Kaid said. "If you find something you want to wear, go for it." They were close to the same size anyway.
"Thanks, sweetie." Jordan smiled. A couple of minutes later, she pulled a denim skirt, tank top, and open-weave sweater out of the closet. "Can I borrow these?"
"Sure," Kaid shrugged. She'd progressed to playing around with her hair. It hadn't dried as wavy as she would have liked. But it was too wavy to straighten without a lot of work. Finally she pulled the front sections back and secured them loosely in the back with a clip.
"Looks beautiful, kiddo," Jordan said, looking at her cousin. She finished applying a bit of make-up and decided on pulling her hair all the way up.
"Thanks," Kaid smiled. "So do you…" They heard the doorbell and froze as Max stepped to the door to open it.
"Evening Eddie…" a pause. "You look nice this evening. Would you like to come in?"
"Oh my God…" Jordan and Kaid whispered at the same time.
"Are you here to talk with Kaid about something?"
"Crap!!" Kaid cringed. "I was going to tell him, but… I didn't quite get around to it…"
"It'll be ok," Jordan gave her cousin a hug. "But you'd better get down there quick!"
Kaid got to the top of the stairs I time to hear Eddie say, "Well, actually sir, I'm taking her to dinner." She walked down the stairs, calm on the outside though she was shaking like jello inside.
"Hey Eddie," she said. She turned to Max, who was standing there with his mouth agape. "I'm sorry. I was going to tell you, but you were outside after he left and then I got in the shower and then…"
"It's alright Kaid. Have a good time," Max said, trying to regain his composure. However, he looked at his former partner pointedly as he finished his thought. "Just be careful."
"Yes sir," Eddie said, somewhat nervously. Kaid reached out and took his hand. "You ready, kiddo?"
"Yeah," she smiled up at him. "See you later, Uncle Max." And they were out the door.
When they got to Eddie's car, he was laughing as he turned and looked at Kaid. "You 'forgot' to tell him?"
"I didn't 'forget,'" she protested. "He really was gone and then I was getting ready and then…" Her words got lost as Eddie leaned down and kissed her gently.
"It's ok, baby." He smiled. "Come on and hop in," he said as he held the door open for her. "Italian ok?" She nodded. "Good, cause I know this fantastic place…" he said as he got in.
Jordan came down the stairs as Eddie and Kaid were leaving. She hit the squeaky stair and Max looked up at her. "You knew about that?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "When he came to talk with her about reassigning her to Lois he apparently asked her out. After…" Jordan looked up at her father. "Dad? She seems really happy and excited. And even though I may have my issues with him, Eddie really does seem to care about her…"
"I know. And I know she's an adult…" Max sighed. "I just…"
"Don't worry. If he hurts her, he's gonna have me to deal with," Jordan laughed. She looked at the clock. "Christ, I'm gonna be late!"
"You've got a date too?" Max shook his head. What was going on around here.
"Yeah…" Jordan said as she grabbed her bag. "Oh, and Kaidie seems fine, so I'm gonna head back to my place tonight."
"Fine, fine…" Max waved her out the back door and watched her peel away.
Jordan grabbed her cell and dialed Woody's number…
"Hello?"
"Woody? It's Jordan. I'm running a little late." She paused. "Kaid had a date and Dad was kind of freaking out.
"Oh. Ok." Woody wondered briefly if Kaidlyn's date had anything to do with the smile he'd seen on Winslow's face earlier that day, then put that thought out of his mind. Thy were consenting adults, and as of that morning Kaidlyn wasn't his intern… He snapped back to the present. "Want me to meet you somewhere?"
"Nah. I'll be there in five minutes. Mexican ok?"
"Sure. I'll be outside my building." Woody smiled as he hung up the phone. Somehow he had a feeling this evening was going to be one he'd never forget…for better or worse.
…to be continued…