Two weeks went by. She had a date with another man. Blind date. It was horrible. Then Mike called. She was babysitting for her brother's family, playing Monopoly with the kids, when her cell phone rang. She heard it from her coat pocket, but her niece got to it before she did. Four year old Gracie was new to talking on phones and was loving it already.

"Who's there?" Gracie said into the phone. Nina would have jumped up, if it hadn't been for six year old Laurel in her lap.

"Gracie!" She hissed, waving the girl over. Gracie ignored her and sat down in the doorway between the living room and front foyer.

"That's my Aunt!" Gracie exclaimed excitedly. Then she giggled. "My name's Gracie, what's yours?"

Nina finally got the child out of her lap and went towards the chatterbox. "Gracie, you don't talk to strangers on someone else's telephone," she said on her way over. Gracie stood and ran off.

"Who are you Mike?" Gracie asked into the phone. Nina's face paled.

"Gracie! Give Aunt Nina the phone! Now!" She chased the little girl through the downstairs of the house. She head giggling from Gracie as the chat continued.

"Four! How old are you?" Then Gracie stopped dead in her tracks and her mouth popped open in an O. "Wow. You're old." Nina choked back a laugh as she finally reached the girl. Then like a shot, Gracie was off again. "Are you a police ocifer too?" And she was up the stairs.

Nina hadn't been using all her power to chase her niece down, but now she took the stairs two at a time. She caught Gracie at the top and threw an arm around her waist as she was saying- "Cuz Gammy says that Aunt Nina will never get married at the rate she's going." Nina yanked the girl under her armpit and reached down for the phone, but Gracie shrieked like it was a game and threw the phone down the stairs with a loud clatter.

Nina grunted with an eye roll and went to move down the stairs, but missed a step and she and Gracie fell the whole way down to the floor. Gracie started wailing, though she wasn't in the least bit hurt. In fact, Nina took all the bumps because Gracie was on her lap the entire time. Laurel and ten year old Nathaniel stood at the bottom watching. Nina gave her older niece and nephew a look and pointed her head to the living room. They ran off. Then she picked up the cell phone, and crying Gracie in her arms, and walked towards the kitchen. She put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

Mike let out a curse. "You had me scared there, Cassidy! I heard the little girl scream and cry and the phone was clanging around."

"Sorry, we had a spill down the stairs. Hold on, okay?" She set the phone on the counter and Gracie in the booster chair. "Calm down, sweetie, you're okay." She grabbed a Popsicle and ice pack from the freezer. She popped the Popsicle into the girl's mouth and pressed the ice pack into her own back. She knelt before her niece. "So what'd you just learn?"

Gracie had Popsicle juice everywhere already, as well as tears and snot. She wiped the back of her sticky hand over her face and hiccuped. "Aunt Nina pushed me down the stairs."

Nina sighed and shook her head. "Try again."

"No running in the house. Phone's are not toys," she said, as if it wasn't the first time the words had been said to her. Nina nodded.

"Now sit here quietly and calm down while I finish my phone call, then we'll get ready for bed." She exhaled and picked up her cell, then went into the hall for quiet. "You still there?"

"I'm still here," he said in an amused voice.

"Shocker," she replied. "That kinda thing would scare a sane person off."

"She's a cute kid."

"She's a handful."

"How many of them are there?" He asked.

"Depends. For her parents, three. But I've got ten other nieces and nephews."

He whistled. "Wow."

"Again, I apologize. Is there something I can do for you?"

"I think I owe you dinner."

"That's up to you."

"Okay, I owe you dinner."

"Have anything in mind?"

"Yea, you free this weekend?"

Short notice, but she knew she was. "Hmm...this weekend," she mused. "I don't know..."

"Don't make me ask nicely," he warned. She smiled.

"Alright. This weekend. Why don't you call me tomorrow and we'll set something up? I've got rug rats to deal with."

"Okay. No more throwing kids down stairs, though." Then he hung up. She took a moment alone in the hall to smile at the conversation, then she put on her strict Aunt face and went back to the kitchen. "Alright Gracie, let's get you cleaned up." She took Gracie to the sink and used a wet paper towel to clean her face up. As she scrubbed, Gracie made faces.

"I like your friend," Gracie mumbled through the paper towel.

"Yea? Well no more talking to him about Aunt Nina and marriage, got it?"

"Got it," she replied. "'Sides, he doesn't have kids. You can't marry him." Nina sighed and shook her head at the child's logic.

When she got to the restaurant, he was already sitting at the table. He hadn't yet noticed her, because he was writing on a kids menu with a crayon. She smiled a bit as she got closer, he glanced up and broke into a grin. He looked her up and down.

"Hi," he said. He stood and pulled her chair out for her. He sat back down and tried to shove the kids menu under his own.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Nothing," he shook his head.

"Liar."

He gave an eye roll, then pulled the sheet out and showed it to her. "I was writing thoughts for work, I promise." Sure enough, along the side were jotted notes. And the little kitty was colored in. "Cut me a break, I didn't have my pad and pen on me."

"Don't you take them everywhere?"

"Usually, but..." he shrugged. "I emptied my pockets tonight."

"Okay, I'll let you get away with it." She glanced at the sheet again. "But only because you stayed in the lines." He smiled and looked her up and down again.

"You look great," he commented.

She took him in. He was still in his work suit, but so was she so she couldn't complain. Plus, he looked very good in his work suit. "Thank you," she replied. "You too."

"How's the kid?"

"The kid?" It took her a minute, then she nodded. "Gracie. She's just fine. Me, though, I've had a stiff back all week from those stairs."

"You have a big family?"

"Oh yea," she nodded. She picked up her menu to glance it over, and their conversation traded into food talk. Once they ordered, and got their drinks, they looked at each other again.

"Can't say I'm used to sitting down to eat with you," he commented.

"And?"

"And...I'm still here," he answered. "So how many kids your parents have?"

"Six. I'm number four. Two older brothers, older sister, one younger brother, one younger sister."

"Wow. That must have been fun growing up."

"It was, but it was also a pain. I love my family, but...there are just so many of them."

"They like you being a cop?"

"Oh yea. Everyone in my family is either a cop or married to a cop. Though I'm the only one of my sisters that's got a badge."

"You like it?"

"I love it. You?"

"What's not to like?" he asked, pushing the salt shaker around on the table.

"What about family?"

"Don't have any of that," he shook his head, but smiled. "Lucky, the way I see it."

"You can take Gracie if you want," she offered.

He laughed. "Thanks, I'll think about it."

They stood outside the restaurant after dinner and he turned to her. "So...what now?" He smiled down at her.

"Now I go home," she replied.

"Aw, don't say that." He took a step to her and put a hand on her back.

"No, I really should," she glanced up. "I've gotta get some sleep tonight."

He sighed, then nodded. "Alright, but now you owe me." He took her elbow and guided her to the curb. "Come on, I'll get you a cab home." The cab pulled up and he opened the door for her, but before she could slide in, he brought her close and kissed her quickly. "Goodnight."

"Night," she replied with a smile.