Eric leaned against the bar, nodding his head in time with the pounding music as he awaited the bartender's return with his drink. He held his cell phone in one hand, kept checking for messages only to be disappointed by an empty screen again and again. When his drink arrived he pulled out some bills to cover the cost, but was interrupted before he could hand them over.
"Let me get that," a female voice purred in his ear.
He turned to find an attractive blond smiling seductively at him and grinned, sliding his money back in his pocket. "Thanks."
They made small talk for a few minutes until he glanced down at his phone again, and she called him on it. "Waiting to hear from someone? Girlfriend, maybe?"
"Just a friend," he answered lightly, taking a sip of his drink. "Not a girlfriend."
The woman ran a finger over his left hand, noting the absence of a ring on his third finger. "And not married, either."
His grin widened. "Nope." Of course, it was then that his phone lit up with an incoming text, and his eyes darted to it. I'm on my way.
She noticed his eagerness. "Whoever she is, you're excited to see her."
"Yeah," he admitted, seeing his chance with this girl slipping away. "I'm excited to see you, too, though."
She stuck around for a little while longer, flirting shamelessly with him and enjoying his jovial responses. But the thought that he was waiting for another woman lurked in the back of her mind and, just a friend or not, she decided to bail. "Look, if your friend doesn't show, come find me."
"I will," he returned, watching her walk away in to the crowd with appreciative eyes. He was still staring after her when his phone lit up a second time. I'm here.
Glancing up, his eyes searched the bar methodically, the way they always did at a crime scene. It took several moments in the swirling, colorful crowd, but he finally spotted her near the patio and made his way over to her.
"Hi Shauna."
She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Hi Eric."
"You know you just cost me a date with a beautiful woman," he chided her, his expression shifting to sudden disapproval. "Or, at the very least, a hook-up."
She studied him closely in the low light, trying to decide if he was truly upset with her. "What was her name?"
Eric shrugged in response, maintaining the stern set of his mouth and eyes for a long moment. "I don't have my badge on me this time. It's in the truck."
Shauna shot him a warning look and his seriousness melted into laughter. She swatted him playfully and unleashed a relieved sigh.
"I was tempted, though," he confessed. "Very tempted."
"But you didn't go through with it."
He shrugged again. "Nope."
She beamed at him proudly, gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "Steps in the right direction."
"This is the right direction." Taking her hand, he drew her into the crowd where they disappeared among the dancers, his smile radiating all the way up into his dark eyes.