Shout-outs: NANNETTE, Sssssy, WillySpooky, Jane Doe51, , breath-of-spring, DaboGirl, Charlotte Green, blueyedmentalistfan and LouiseKurylo for their reviews on chapter 3

Author's Note:

Sorry for another delay in posting, I have the chapters. Yesterday I was held hostage in my brother's bedroom for seven hours while my sisters put together a surprise party/dinner for me. I'm 25 as of Thursday. And it had been a while since I had a birthday party that is my excuse for the late update.

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Chapter 4

He was silent until they reached the park; Teresa clutched her keys wondering if maybe he was going to tell her the same thing that she was thinking. But he couldn't have known that Angela had paid a visit to her that afternoon, and he had already told her he didn't blame her for Scarlett.

"I saw Angela today," he said abruptly.

Teresa stopped dead in her tracks, her pulse started to race again. "Oh?"

"Yeah. She came to tell me that she was engaged, it'll be in Sunday's paper, of course. But she wanted me to know in person." Patrick ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe I should have seen it coming. But a part of me always hoped that she would come back to me."

Teresa nodded. "I know," she said quietly.

"But she told me I was silly for hoping things would work out between us. Especially because it didn't work out the first time for us. . . I don't even know why she came to tell me in person, I would have preferred to find out she was engaged by reading the newspaper."

"Patrick, she came and saw me too!" Teresa blurted out.

He stopped, looking slightly stunned by her revelation. "She came and saw you!? How does she even know about you? Oh. . . Scarlett probably called her right away and told her all about you. I don't even see why it matters, she's engaged to somebody else. I can date whoever I want now. I could have dated whoever I wanted when we got divorced. Why would she come and see you?"

"I have no idea," Teresa answered honestly. "Really, she didn't say much. She didn't even tell me to take care of you or warn me not to break your heart. It was strange and. . ."

She trailed off; not telling him what had happened after the visit was over.

"Teresa, there's something on your mind. I can tell."

"I'm thinking that maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore," Teresa admitted.

Patrick looked stunned this time. "Why?"

"I-I. . . I don't know."

"You don't have any good reason not to be my friend. In fact, we don't have any good reason not to be something more. . ."

Teresa backed away slightly. "There are plenty of good reasons not to be something more! Even though she's moved on, you are not over her! Not yet. Maybe you won't ever be over her and I do not want to be your rebound! I don't want to be anybody's rebound. I'll be your friend, if that is what you really want. But that's all."

Patrick nodded. "If that's what you really want."

"Yes. That's what I really want," Teresa answered.

"Okay."

Teresa released a deep breath. "You've had a long day. Maybe you should go home early and get some sleep. You are clearly not thinking straight."

"I have a better idea, how about we go and get an early dinner?" Patrick suggested.

"I'll buy you a popsicle," Teresa answered. "And if you still feel like dinner after you go home and take a nap, I will be more than willing to meet you."

"Don't distance yourself from me," Patrick said a little desperately. "We haven't even started yet and I don't quite feel like being by myself right now."

Teresa sighed. It was turning out to be very interesting, being friends with a man who could read her better than she knew herself. "There's a Tex-Mex restaurant about a mile from where I live. We could go there now, if you really want to."

"I'll pay," Patrick replied. "It's my turn, anyways."

They turned around and walked back to her apartment in silence. She followed him to his Citroen and he opened the passenger door for her.

"Talk to me," Patrick said as he put the car into drive. "Tell me what it is you do to pass the time."

"I have a community garden at my apartment," Teresa answered. "And I like to go to Children's Hospital to read to the kids. We started reading the first book in the Boxcar Children series last week. Then I'm with my father a lot of the time. We play Chess or cook together; he likes it when I read to him from the classics. Sometimes we go to the movie theater that only plays old movies and do double-features. I lead a dull life, really."

"It doesn't seem that dull of a life," Patrick said.

"It isn't exactly exciting though. It isn't the kind of life I would have had if I joined the police force in San Diego like I had been planning to before my dad inherited all that money."

"Do you resent it?"

"Having a lot of money comes with pros and with cons. But I am sure you know that better than anybody else. Don't you?"

"Of course."

Teresa hesitated for a second and then cleared her throat. "How about you meet me at the hospital tomorrow afternoon. It's my turn to visit and I'm sure it would be a good distraction from. . . well, everything."

"It depends on what's going on, but I would love to go with you if I can," Patrick answered.

They lingered over dinner and Teresa did her best to distract him from Angela's engagement. But she could tell just by looking at him that he wasn't really into it, that he was just going through the motions because he didn't want to be alone.

And she didn't want to leave him alone. He probably felt like he had lost something all over again, and she didn't want him to fall prey to any demons that might have gotten him through his previous losses.

It was getting dark when they got back to her apartment; Mrs. Smith was leaving with one of her many boyfriends just as they got back. She was dressed for a night of dancing, she waved at Teresa and winked as she got into the vintage Rolls Royce and drove off.

Teresa waved back and then turned to Patrick. "That was my neighbor," she explained.

"Are you good friends?" Patrick asked.

Teresa shrugged. "We talk. Do you want to come up to my apartment? I have ice cream for dessert. . ."

"I guess," Patrick answered. "I mean, I don't have anywhere else I need to be. Well, unless a case comes up. Which it might. I mean, murder doesn't sleep."

Teresa rolled her eyes and got her keys out from her purse. "Really, is that supposed to be a joke?"

"Maybe? Was it funny?"

She was quiet, refusing to indulge him even though he had had a hard day. "I hope you like coffee ice cream," she said instead.

"Isn't it a little too late for coffee ice cream?" Patrick asked. "You won't be up all night?"

"I always sleep well, especially since I've left the police academy," Teresa answered.

"I don't," Patrick said.

"Maybe you need a new line of work then," Teresa replied.

"I'm running out of options," he answered. "The psychic shtick is what I do best and I really have no desire to go back to school to learn a new profession. Besides, I don't think I'd like being confided to an office or a classroom all day. If I quit the CBI, that's it. I'm not doing anything."

"Aren't you a little young to retire?" Teresa asked as she let him into her apartment.

"If you have the money, does it matter?"

Teresa closed the door and kicked off her sandals, wiggling her cheerfully painted toes in the carpet. "What happens if you get bored?"

"I have ways to keep myself occupied. I can surf and I am sure there are some books that I haven't read yet. Also, I've wanted to improve my French cooking skills."

"You can cook French food?"

"Sure, how else was I going to impress the ladies after my divorce?"

Teresa rolled her eyes again. "Be serious."

"Okay, Angela hates to cook. So, I took different classes to learn how to do it so she wouldn't have to. One class I took featured a different ethnic dish each week."

"So you can cook one French dish then."

"I said I wanted to improve my French cooking skills," Patrick answered. "I never said that I was a French gourmet or Julia Childs or anything like that."

"Julia Childs, really?"

"Jacques Pépin then."

"Jacques Pépin? Really?" Teresa asked as she got the ice cream out of the freezer and started to scoop it into the sundae glasses she kept right next to the freezer.

"Why not? Don't you know who he is?"

Teresa laughed and held out his ice cream. "Sure, I watch PBS."

"Of course you do," Patrick answered.

She really wasn't like any girl he had ever met. Angela would have rather poked her eyes out with pins than spend hours watching cooking shows. She preferred Carrie Bradshaw over Martha Stewart.

But that was why he had loved her. He had wanted to take care of somebody with everything in him and she had given him the chance to do that.

Looking at Teresa, standing barefoot in floodlights and eating her dessert straight from the carton he thinks maybe he wants something different the second time around.

That was, if he could ever get over Angela's honey blonde hair and hazel eyes.

Teresa took another bite of ice cream before throwing her spoon in the sink. She stretched and sighed in relief, rolling her neck a few times. "Are you feeling better?"

Patrick smiled a little bit at her and then realized, yes, he was feeling slightly better. "A little," he answered.

"Good."

He wanted to say something about not going to drink himself to death, but he knew she wouldn't find it amusing. She would probably find it a bit offensive, given her father's own history with drinking to numb the pain.

"I'll be okay," he assured her. "I mean, lots of guys have gotten divorced and found out that their wives were remarrying. And they survived, right?"

Teresa nodded, still looking slightly concerned for his well-being. "Listen, if you need anything don't hesitate to call me. I'll do the best I can to help you."

"I appreciate it."

They looked at each other for a little longer than they should have and then Patrick put his dish down on the island. "I really should get out of here. It's getting late."

Teresa nodded again. "Okay."

"Thanks for everything today," Patrick said. "Thank you for not letting me. . ."

He trailed off, letting the last part go unsaid.

"You're welcome," she said, not needing him to finish his thought. Somehow already knowing what he would say even without him saying it.

She showed him to the door and bid him goodnight, watching as he left her for the evening.

She was getting ready for bed when her house phone rang; she darted to her bedroom and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"I just wanted you to know that I got home safely," Patrick answered. "And that I'm okay. Well, as okay as I can be."

Teresa cleared her throat and smiled even though he couldn't see her. "Thank you. But I wasn't worried."

"Oh, you weren't?"

"Nope."

"Sure."

Teresa laughed. "If we're going to do this all night, I think I'm going to hang up on you Mr. Jane."

"Okay."

"Stop it!" Teresa answered, tucking the phone between her shoulder and ear as she headed back to the bathroom.

"What are you doing right now?"

"Getting ready for bed," she replied. "What are you doing?"

"I'm about to finish reading my book," he answered. "I don't sleep very well these days and that coffee ice cream didn't help any."

"Sorry," Teresa said, squeezing some toothpaste on her toothbrush. "So, what are you reading?"

"The History of Love. It's a very good book; I'll lend it to you when I'm finished. If you'd like."

Teresa spit her toothpaste out. "I'd like that."

"Well, I can tell that you're busy. So, I'll let you go."

"Okay," Teresa replied, hesitating for a second as she took her toothbrush out of her mouth again. "Do you want to grab lunch tomorrow? I mean, if you have time. . ."

"Um, yeah, that would be nice."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight Patrick."

"See you tomorrow," Patrick echoed. "Goodnight."

She clicked off after he had and finished brushing her teeth. She splashed warm water on her face and then flicked the bathroom light off before padding into her bedroom and crawling into bed.

She turned on her TV and watched old black & white movies until she drifted off to sleep, completely exhausted from the day's events.

TBC. . .

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Author's Note II:

Hope you'll leave a review and tell me what you think! More to come soon, I promise! I need to get chapter 8 written, I've been consumed by Cassandra/Jake from the Librarians of late. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Love,

Holly, 1/24/2015_