Things Just Got Caffeinated
Marco pulled into the small driveway. Carine pulled up next to him off to the side. Marco undid his seatbelt, but sat there for a few seconds before actually getting out of the SUV. As he made his way to the door he noticed Carine had not gotten out of her vehicle. She was turned around fiddling with something in the back seat. Once she found what she was looking for she got out and made her way over to the door. Marco unlocked the door and invited her in.
"It's not much, but this is my house." Marco told Carine as they walked in.
"Nice place you have here." The blonde replied as she looked around.
"Thanks." He said. "I figured since I will be here for a while, I might as well rent this place." He added as he walked away for a few seconds. He returned with a wrapped box.
"For me?" Carine asked when he handed it to her. He nodded. She opened the package and found five large, handmade ceramic coffee mugs. "I love it!" She grinned.
"One for every day of the week. They are also bigger than the mugs at work. I noticed you like coffee so I though you would like these." Marco explained.
"Like coffee?" The blonde laughed earning a confused look from her coworker. When it came to coffee, like was an understatement for Carine Strand. "Coffee is a lifestyle for me." She added.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one." He confessed. She then handed him a box as well.
"You might want to keep this here." She suggested as he opened the gift. He nodded and let out a small laugh. He thought that she was joking.
"This is great!" He exclaimed. She picked out different blends of good quality coffee that she though he would like.
"I have a secret stash of good coffee in my office. The coffee they provide at work is horrible!" She admitted. Marco shook his head in agreement. He too thought the coffee at work wasn't that great. "I'll share with you if you don't tell anyone else." She offered.
"Thank you!" Marco replied. Carine figured she could trust him not to tell the others. She knew from the beginning when the team started up again that he was different. Carine noticed that she and Marco weren't that different. It's not that she didn't like them, she just didn't want everyone taking all of her good coffee.
"Also, I'll let you know if I find any leads on your sister." She added.
"You have been looking too?" He asked. This truly surprised him.
"Of course I have!" Carine answered. She knew exactly how he felt, she too lost someone. She hoped that Marco's situation would at least have a happy ending.
"Thank you so much, Carine. This means so much to me." Marco replied as he hugged her. Carine, who was usually reserved actually welcomed it.
"Anytime!" She answered back.
"Would you like to grab a bite to eat before we go to the bar?" He asked. He figured it would give them more time to talk without the others around. He knew that the rest of the team would probably still be at the bar by the time they got there. Again, he hoped he wasn't being too pushy.
"Dinner would be great." She replied taking him by surprise again. As they were walking out of the house, Carine was about to unlock her vehicle to get in. Marco stopped her before she could do so. He insisted on driving.
"It's my turn to drive." He laughed making a reference to the typical work day. He and Carine would alternate who drove to the crime scene, suspects house, or any other location. She caught on to what he was saying.
"Fine, but that means it's my turn to drive when we get back to work." She joked as she got in on the passenger's side.