*Hi everyone, I hope this finds you all well. I know that these are crazy and uncertain times right now, but I hope that everyone is safe and healthy. I also know it is difficult to have to be away from friends and loved ones because I've gone two weeks without seeing my Mom… who is essentially my best friend. And now it looks like we may have to go another two weeks to even a month as our state is going into lockdown starting tomorrow. Thank goodness for video chat. I want to give a big thanks to any one of you out there who is working every day on the front lines no matter what your job is. To all of you essential workers… you are greatly appreciated. Also, I want to thank all of you who bought or read my book Chrome Painted Heart on Kindle Unlimited. It means more than I can say to have you all support me out there. And if you did read it and liked it… reviews are another great way of showing support so if you do have the time and inclination… it would be very much appreciated even if it is a sentence or two. Since I've been home with the social distancing… I have started on the second book and may even finish it before July which was my deadline. I will keep you all posted about it as it develops. And to anyone out there who just needs a chat or word of encouragement at this time, please feel free to message me on here. Hang in there…*
6
"Let me get a turkey Ruben with extra sauerkraut, an extra side of Russian dressing, and please tell me you have potato salad today." Jane said as she settled in her seat across from Frankie. The order brought a raised eyebrow from both him and Carly who stood over them with her pen poised over her pad in question. "What?" She frowned at the questioning looks.
"You sure you're not pregnant?" Frankie asked as he looked up at the chalkboard menu to see what the special of the day was.
"I'm sure." Jane grumbled and ducked her head.
"It took Ryan and me a few times to hit the target but eventually, on the third try…" Carly shrugged her shoulders as she wrote Jane's order down. "Whatcha want to drink?"
"Water with lemon." Jane sighed heavily and crossed her arms. Frankie raised an eyebrow again as he watched her. "I'm not supposed to have caffeine or too much sugar… or anything that isn't natural." She offered an explanation.
"Wow." Frankie said. "You're really taking this seriously, aren't you?"
"Well, yeah. Sperm isn't free like it is for you. It actually costs a lot of money." She pointed at him and frowned. "I need to do everything I can to help the process along."
Frankie furrowed his brow. "I guess I never thought about it that way. Maybe it'll work next time."
"Like I said, we hit the bull's eye on the third try." Carly smiled proudly. "You going to do it at the clinic?"
"Nah… we want to make it special." Jane's cheeks turned pink with the blush that was beginning to race over her face.
"Hmmm… a little wine… a little dinner… and a little…" Frankie wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Jane before turning his attention back to the chalkboard menu.
"Come on, Frankie… make a decision already. I'm starving…" Jane grumbled.
"Alright, alright…" he looked up at Carly with a wide grin. "I'll have the grilled three-cheese sandwich and the tomato soup."
"You made me wait for that? It's the same thing you always get." Jane crossed her arms and stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, but it was obvious it wasn't just Frankie that was bothering her.
"Good choice…" Carly winked at Frankie as she wrote his order down. "Hey, don't worry. It'll happen…" she turned her attention to Jane.
"Thanks, Carly." Jane let out a heavy sigh before giving Carly a weak smile in return. "The waiting sucks. And we all know I'm not the most patient person…" she rolled her eyes dramatically.
"You can say that again." Frankie chuckled. "Oh, you still got that artisan cream soda on tap?" He asked Carly.
Nodding Carly continued to write on her pad. "Yep, I take it you want one…"
Frankie clapped his hands together and grinned. "Absolutely!" He said excitedly.
"So?" Jane gave Frankie a questioning glance as Carly walked away, leaving them alone. "What's up?" She asked even though she thought she might already know.
"Nothing…" he shrugged his shoulders before shaking out his napkin and placing it in his lap.
For a minute, Jane was quiet as she studied her brother sitting across the table from her. She watched as he shifted nervously under her gaze and then she shook her head. "Nah, somethings up? What gives?" She pressed.
"Well…" he drew the word out as he leaned back and crossed his arms. "I may have bought a ring." He grinned mischievously.
"May have?" Jane raised a questioning eyebrow as she continued to stare at him with uncertainty.
"Okay…" he uncrossed his arms and then reached into his pocket to pull out a small velvet pouch, presenting it to Jane with a smirk.
"Wow, this is big." She leaned closer to the small velvet bag in the palm of Frankie's hand. "Can I see it?"
For a brief second, he seemed hesitant before he handed the pouch over to her with a worried look on his face. "It's not much, I know… buts it's all I could afford." He stammered as he watched her remove the ring from the delicate velvet bag.
Jane stopped to look at her brother, a curious expression on her face as the ring dropped into the palm of her hand. "You're a good man Frankie and any woman would be lucky to have you." She said, holding the solitaire diamond up to admire it in the sunlight that streamed in through the large ceiling to floor windows of Carly's bakery. "And for the record, it's a beautiful ring." The weight of her own ring made her smile as she slipped it back into the bag and handed it over to Frankie.
"Really?" He asked, needing her approval.
"Absolutely." She grinned at him as he held the small bag in his hand, rubbing his thumb over the black velvet before slipping it back into his pocket. "So, what's the plan?"
"Well, that's where you come in." He sat up straighter in his chair. "I was hoping you might have some ideas."
"Hmmm…" Jane scrunched her face up in thought. "I might have one or two…" her voice trailed off when she noticed Tommy come in the door. She smiled and waved at him when he saw her, ducking her head slightly as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't be. "Hey, have you told Tommy yet?"
Frankie glanced over his shoulder when he saw Jane wave at someone and winced slightly at her question. "Not really…" he glanced again to find Tommy heading their way with a huge smile on his face. "He'll go tell Ma." His expression turned to one of worry.
"Hey, Tommy…" Jane jumped up to hug her baby brother. "What's up?"
"I could ask you the same thing. You guys having a family meeting without me?" Tommy looked between Jane and Frankie; suspicion written all over his face.
"I didn't have to work today so I asked Jane to lunch. I would've asked you, but I knew you were working… or at least you said you were." Frankie struggled to say.
"I'm just teasing." Tommy gave Frankie's shoulder a little shove. "I am working today. Just so happens to be down the street so I thought I'd come by and get a Turkey Ruben."
Jane smiled at the realization that she and Tommy were more alike than she realized. "You got time to join us?" She asked.
"I donknow… maybe…" he glanced down at his watch. "Are you sure?" He asked, slightly skeptical. He had always been the odd man out when it came to Frankie and Jane, especially since his incarceration.
"Have a seat." Jane placed her booted foot on the empty chair across from her, next to Frankie and pushed it out as an invitation.
"Well, I mean… okay… yeah… that'd be nice." His look of genuine surprise caused Frankie to reconsider whether to keep him in the dark about the upcoming proposal.
"Why do you look so surprised?" Jane asked the question with her own show of surprise.
"I don't know…" Tommy shrugged his shoulders as he dropped down in the chair next to Frankie. "I guess I've always felt like an outsider. You guys are thick as thieves…" he rolled his eyes at Jane's frown. "Come on… it's no secret you two are close and I'm… well…"
Frankie glanced at Jane, looking for any indication as to what they should do or say but the look on her face spoke of regret and sadness. He wasn't sure what to do so he decided to blurt out the news he had held back for fear that their mother would find out before he was ready. "I'm gonna ask Steph to marry me." The words came out in a breathless rush.
Tommy's eyes widened, followed by a grin. Jane watched her brother with a curious gaze as he wrapped an arm around Frankie's shoulder in congratulations. Tommy had always stood out as different, not just his personality but his looks as well. Where she and Frankie were dark and brooding, Tommy was bright and hopeful and in Jane's humble opinion… too naive. It's what got him in trouble all those years ago before he ended up in jail for running over their priest, by accident of course. The light brown hair that haloed his head gave way to the typical good looks of a movie star, another reason he was always in trouble with women, they were always around him and not always with the best intentions. But his eyes, those hazel eyes that were so like their mother's with long dark lashes that fluttered as he blinked, they were the reason most women couldn't resist him. She had often thought of him as an anomaly because he didn't look like her and Frankie with their trademark Rizzoli looks; dark hair, dark eyes, and olive complexion. But as she studied him across the table at that moment, probably for the first time in a long time, the realization that he looked so much like their mother hit her hard. Perhaps he was right, they had excluded him in a lot of things and regret seeped into her thoughts. Her frown gave her away when Tommy raised an eyebrow in question at her and it was then that she saw they all shared that same Rizzoli trademark quirk and it made her laugh.
"What's up with you?" Tommy asked. "You hormonal or something?"
"Way to ruin a moment." Jane shook her head.
"Well, doesn't explain what's going on." He pushed.
"I guess I was just thinking that maybe you're right. Frankie and I haven't been there for you like we should and well…" she hesitated when Frankie's eyebrows rose up to his forehead. "We're sorry."
"Nah, I get it. We're just different… that's all." Tommy tried to shrug off Jane's apology.
"No, we actually aren't that different." Jane continued as she glanced at Frankie who wasn't sure what to say. "Okay, maybe we are but that's still no excuse. We're…" she waved her hand between her and Frankie. "Well… we're supposed to be looking out for you and we dropped the ball and for that…" her eyes fell on Frankie again seeking his acknowledgment. "We're sorry, aren't we Frankie."
"Um… yeah… sorry…" Frankie stuttered as he glanced between Jane and Tommy. He wasn't sure what to say because he understood what she was saying was true. It made him feel bad that she was right.
"Look, the past is the past. All we have is tomorrow so…" Tommy grinned wide and his hazel eyes twinkled just like their mothers. "Let's just start from today."
Jane nodded her agreement, but a rush of sadness washed over her at the realization that she was like their father in more ways than she was willing to admit than the woman that held their family together with love and understanding. It made her cheeks burn with shame as the color rose to her face and a lump formed in her throat. She gave a nervous cough to dislodge the embarrassment that had settled deep in her chest. "Yeah, good idea." It was all she could think to say, and it caused Frankie to give her a questioning look.
"Tell me, what's the plan?" Tommy glanced between Jane and Frankie having noticed the silent communication between the two.
"Well, we haven't gotten that far." Jane sighed as she crossed her arms.
"What's the hold-up?" Tommy asked but before anyone could answer, Carly came over to take his order.
"What'll ya have?" Carley asked even though she was pretty sure she already knew. Tommy was a lot like Jane… a creature of habit.
"Turkey Ruben on rye, potato salad and if you got it, cream soda." He grinned up at his cousin.
"Roger that." She smiled down at him before writing the order down. With a quick wink, she turned and left them alone.
"When is Ryan due?" Tommy asked.
"Three weeks." Jane smiled at the thought of Carly and Ryan becoming parents again. Then the thought that she would be doing the same with Maura caused her smile to widen.
"Any luck yet?" Tommy pointed at Jane.
"No, but we've got another chance coming up… soon." Jane tried not to turn crimson at the subject of her pending ovulation with her brothers.
"Good luck. I have complete faith in Maura knocking you up. If anyone can do it… it's her." Tommy's grin turned wicked and he nudged Frankie with his elbow. "Now, about this proposal. What're you thinking?"
"I was just getting ready to pick Jane's brain for some ideas." Frankie glanced at Jane then turned his attention to Tommy.
"You're kidding, right? She doesn't have a romantic bone in her body." Tommy frowned.
"How the hell would you know…" Jane glared at her younger brother.
"Come on. We all know that Maura is the romantic one." Tommy's eyes shined at the mention of Maura.
"Okay, we get it. You've got a thing for Maura." Jane waved Tommy's comment away with the flick of her wrist.
"Well, yeah. She's gorgeous, smart, and apparently talented enough to knock up my sister." He laughed.
"Not yet." Frankie added but then grimaced when Jane frowned. "But it'll happen." He added with a reassuring smile.
"Thanks, but I'm not so sure." Jane ducked her head in that way that both Frankie and Tommy recognized as defeat.
"Hey…" Carly placed a hand on Jane's shoulder as she set a sandwich down on the table. "Don't get discouraged. It's gonna happen. You've only tried once…" her voice trailed off as she smiled with confidence.
"You're right." Jane did her best to hold her head up high and accept her family's words of encouragement. They had only tried once and with any luck, they would be trying again very soon. "The sandwich looks so good." Rubbing her hands together in anticipation, she waited until both Frankie and Tommy had their own food in front of them. She was starving and couldn't wait to taste the homemade Russian dressing Carly made.
"Enjoy guys." Carly gave the siblings a wave as she headed back to her office, probably to call and check on Ryan.
"So, does it bother you that Steph has a kid already?" Tommy asked as he picked his sandwich up and took a hearty bite.
"No, not at all. Noah is a great kid." Frankie stirred his tomato soup before giving it a quick check to make sure it wasn't too hot.
"What about the ex? Is he a jerk?" Tommy wondered out loud.
"Not all fathers are losers like ours." Jane said and glared at Tommy.
Frankie sat with his spoon poised above his soup and swallowed hard at Jane's comment. "Um, Steve is actually a pretty nice guy. He and Steph are good at co-parenting. And he is pretty respectful of our relationship." He said to try and lead the conversation away from their father. It wasn't that he disagreed with Jane, he just didn't want to have this argument when they were supposed to be talking about his upcoming proposal.
"That's good." Tommy glanced at Jane as if to say this isn't over… yet. But there would be another time and place for them to have this discussion. "So, what were you thinking as far as proposals go? A big grand gesture or something classy and simple?"
"I'm not really a big grand gesture sort of guy." Frankie said as he dunked his grilled cheese sandwich into his soup.
Jane smiled at her brother as she watched him eat. The memory of sitting at their kitchen table doing homework and eating grilled cheese and tomato soup flittered through her mind. They both dipped their sandwiches and she glanced at Tommy and wondered if he did the same. "So simple and classy it is…" she finally added to the conversation.
Tommy was quiet as he chewed a bite of sandwich and then gave both Frankie and Jane a pained look. "Ya know, Ma is gonna be crushed if you do this without her." He said as he swallowed his food.
This time it was Frankie who glared at Tommy. "Don't you dare tell her. She'll pop the question before I can." He pointed his spoon at his brother in a warning.
"Wait, I think I've got an idea…" Jane raised her hand to stop the impending argument that was about to take place between her two brothers. When they both looked at her in question, she grinned like a Cheshire cat. "I'll ask Maura if you can use the boat. We'll have it catered and you can have a romantic dinner in the marina and spend the night to… well… hopefully to celebrate."
Frankie's eyebrows shot up to his forehead again, in surprise. "You'd really do that for us?" He asked.
"Of course. Maura will love planning it out, you know how she is about stuff like this." Jane tried to shrug it off a not being a big deal.
"Well, well, well… perhaps I spoke too soon." Tommy wiped his mouth with a napkin and smiled at his sister. "I guess you are a bit of a romantic."
"You have no idea." Jane smirked. "Speaking of romantic… maybe I'll take lunch to Maura. I'm sure she's tired of eating leftovers."
"Will you ask Maura about the boat?" Frankie asked with excitement.
"Yeah, just give me a date and we can work from there. We'll even take Noah for the night if you need us to."
"What about Ma? She's gonna be crushed if we don't somehow let her in on the celebration." Tommy offered because he knew how much this would mean to Angela.
Jane nodded her understanding as she tried to come up with another idea. "Okay… I got it." She held a finger up in exclamation. "We'll host a brunch at ours and have everyone over so you and Steph can share the good news."
"You're sure she'll say yes, right?" Tommy couldn't help but ask the question.
"Um… yeah… I think… I hope so." Frankie stammered as his face turned red. He was ninety-nine percent positive she would, but it was that one percent that caused his stomach to flip with a wave of nausea. Setting his spoon down, he tried not to look as sick as he was feeling.
"No worries, Frankie. Us Rizzoli's do have a way with women." Jane laughed.
"You just said a mouthful." Tommy laughed as well and winked at Jane.
"Well then Casanova, how are things with you and Casey?" Jane asked since Tommy hadn't said much about her as of late. Their last family dinner, he had come alone with a set of excuses she didn't buy. And his silence spoke volumes as Jane continued to watch him as he ducked his head in the same way she did when she wanted to avoid something. "Come on, what gives?"
"I guess my Rizzoli charms wore off." He shrugged in a noncommittal way. When Jane continued to watch him with a questioning gaze, he threw his hands up in the air and sighed. "I couldn't go vegan… she said she couldn't be with someone who would eat animals."
The happiness that bubbled up in Jane's chest surprised her, so she tried to hide it by burying her face in her sandwich. But she only succeeded in smearing Russian dressing across the tip of her nose and it didn't go unnoticed by Tommy.
"Hey, I liked her." He tried to defend his choice in women and turned to Frankie for support.
"You lost my vote with that vegan pizza and the non-cheese that tasted like sawdust." Frankie offered his opinion.
"Look, she was really nice… even though she had some weird quirks." Tommy creased his forehead in a wounded look.
"Quirks? Did you say quirks?" Jane wiped at the dressing on her nose before setting her sandwich down. "She called Ma a murderer and dumped the lasagna she spent hours cooking for family dinner. You know the one with the bolognaise sauce that tastes so good." The look of horror on her face illustrated how serious and offensive this was.
They were all quiet as the memory of that day came back and then suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted from the table as they all couldn't contain it any longer. "I guess she was a bit much." Tommy slapped the table as they continued to laugh.
"Now that, my dear brother, is an understatement." Jane sighed as she tried to catch her breath.
"It took us two weeks to convince Noah to eat chicken fingers again after she tried to convince him that the veggie version was just as good. And let's not get started on the honey mustard he eats with everything. He cried for days when she told him he was killing the honeybee's by taking their honey without their permission." Frankie let out a heavy breath as he recalled how long it took for them to get back to their regular routine of chicken fingers with honey mustard.
"Yeah, Valley had a hard time with that one too. But we planted some stuff in the back yard and bought one of those bee boxes so…" Jane sympathized with Frankie's ordeal. "But I get it, processed foods are bad and that's why Maura and I do our best to eat organic and grass feed and stuff like that."
"You don't know what any of that means…" Tommy gave her a skeptical look. "Do you?"
"I mean, look… I just get what Maura puts on the list… so… probably not." Jane admitted with a huff of frustration. "But we try our best. Casey made us all out to be ogres."
"I guess I can see your point… but she sure did have a body." Tommy rolled his eyes dramatically. "You know what I did the night we broke up?" He asked and continued when both Frankie and Jane shook their heads. "I went to Phillip's and order their porterhouse steak for dinner. I even got the server's phone number." He grinned at the memory of both the steak and the girl.
"Just like a cat… always landing on your feet." Frankie shoved the last of his sandwich in his mouth and began to chew thoughtfully. Swallowing his food, he turned to Tommy with a serious expression on his face. "I'm sorry it didn't work out; I know you liked her a lot."
"Thanks, but we were too different. I knew we were going to have problems when I was hiding beef jerky in the back of the pantry so she wouldn't throw it away. Not to mention the fights we used to have over bacon."
"I'm guessing tofu bacon didn't cut it." Jane couldn't stop herself from smirking. Tommy just shook his head and made a face to indicate it tasted awful. "Speaking of bacon, I guess I should order Maura a BLT and get my butt over there before it's dinner time." She glanced down at her phone to see what time it was.
"Hey, um… thanks for this." Tommy's voice cracked slightly.
"For what?" Frankie asked.
"For letting me a part of this… planning and stuff and just hanging out, ya know. It makes me feel like I'm part of the family."
Frankie picked up his drink and eyed Jane over the rim of his glass as if to ask, 'Now what?' The genuine joy on Tommy's face at having been invited to join them for lunch caused her brain to scramble for something to say. "Yeah… um… we're glad to have you back. We should do this more often."
"I'd like that." He grinned at them.
"Me too." Frankie said as he patted him on the back. "And lunch is on me… even Maura's."
"Nah, you don't have to do that." Jane tried to wave away Frankie's offer.
"Really, please… you're gonna pay me back soon enough by asking Maura about the boat. It's the least I can do." He insisted and Jane relented with a nod.
"Well, since you put it that way…" Jane smiled as she pushed herself up from the table so she could put in a to-go order. "Then you won't mind if I add a dozen of those lemon squares Maura and Ma love so much."
Frankie hesitated briefly then smiled. "Go ahead… if it keeps Ma busy while we plan this thing, get two dozen."
Laughing, Jane just nodded as she looked over her shoulder at her two brothers. The sight of the two of them laughing and talking together warmed her heart and she realized that Tommy had been right. They can't go back to yesterday, but they could make tomorrow count and that is what she planned to do from here on out.
Black rimmed glasses sat perched upon Maura's nose as she studied something on the computer in front of her. As the numbers on the screen began to run together, she pulled the glasses off and rubbed her tired eyes. It was only the middle of the day and already, she was exhausted. Her frustrated sigh was more from fatigue than anything else but she had to finish going over the scheduling for the next few weeks if she was to have any chance of spending the weekend at home with her family, or more importantly, with Jane who would be ovulating. A small smile curled up at the corners of her mouth as she remembered last month and their time away at the Four Seasons. But as much fun as that had been, she thought this time they would stay home and try again. And Jane had seemed relieved by the idea.
"Hey, beautiful… what's with the cryptic smile?" Jane popped her head into Maura's office, startling her from her thoughts.
Setting her glasses down, Maura looked at Jane and continued to smile. "I was just thinking about what we're going to be doing this weekend."
"Nice to know that the thought of me can still make you smile like that…" Jane pointed at the sly, sexy grin on Maura's face.
"There's a lot about you that makes me smile…" Maura paused when she saw the bags from Carly's bakery in Jane's hands. "And that is one of them." She nodded at the bags with the hopes that they contained something delectable.
"Well, how about a BLT on whole wheat with potato salad and a dozen lemon squares for you and my Ma to share?" Jane held both bags up and shook them.
"Ummm…" Maura pushed herself up from her desk and made her way across the room to stand in front of Jane. "You are the best." Taking the bag Jane held out for her, she placed a quick, grateful kiss to Jane's waiting lips. "Come sit down with me while I eat." She said as she moved towards the small kitchenette she had thankfully insisted on for her office. It had been a godsend when Valley was there and during some of those late-night meetings, not to mention the private bathroom. Setting her bag down on the table, she opened the small refrigerator to get a cold bottle of water. "Want one?" She asked Jane.
"Yeah, thanks." Jane took the water and then opened the bag with the lemon squares. She stopped midway through as she was rummaging around looking for the perfect one when Maura raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "What? I like lemon squares, too." Jane stuck her lip out in a pout.
"If I didn't know any different, I'd say you were already pregnant. You don't have a sweet tooth like I do." Maura laughed.
"Yeah, well… maybe I'm just practicing." Jane chuckled as she continued to look for what she wanted. She smiled when she found the perfect square and pulled it out to show Maura. "Anyway, who can refuse one of these?"
"Just make sure you save some for me and Angela."
"No promises… I still have to pick Valley up from pre-school and she has her mommy's penchant for sweets."
Maura tried to glare at Jane over her sandwich but was unsuccessful because she knew it was true. "Please don't get her hopped up on lemon squares before dinner." She pleaded with a tilt of her head.
"I won't…" Jane acknowledged the seriousness of the request with a head tilt of her own. "But I can't promise I won't eat a few more…" she winked at Maura as she took a bite and moaned in that way that caused Maura's legs to go wobbly.
"You're evil, you know that?"
"Who? Me?" Jane asked innocently as she not so innocently licked her fingers, removing any crumbs that stuck to her skin.
"You'll pay for that." Maura shook her head before taking a bite of her sandwich.
"Promise?"
"You're incorrigible." Maura shook her head again at Jane's antics.
"Hey, I had lunch with Frankie and Tommy today." Jane said, causing Maura to pause as she was getting ready to take another bite of her BLT. "Well, Frankie bought an engagement ring. He's ready to propose."
"That's great. How is he going to do it?"
"Um… that's where we come in…" Jane smiled at Maura. "I thought maybe they could have dinner on the boat and spend the night… ya know. I thought it might be romantic and not too showy… you know Frankie's a simple kinda guy."
"Yeah, that can be arranged." Maura smiled at the memory of all their own romantic moments on that boat. "Do you have a caterer in mind, or do you need me to take care of that?"
"I thought I'd leave that up to you and then maybe we could both help out, ya know… like with flowers and candles and stuff…" Jane stuttered slightly.
"I think that'd be great." Maura beamed at Jane. She loved doing the things that Jane had described. "Just give me a couple of day's notice and we can get it all arranged."
"Oh, and I kinda volunteered us to do a family brunch the next day to celebrate." Jane threw out as an afterthought. "I hope that's okay."
Maura was quiet for a moment as she contemplated what Jane had said. She figured she would just have the same caterer they hired for the boat set things up for them the next day. It would be easier that way. "I guess so." She mused around a bite of BLT.
"It's just that my Ma will be crushed if she isn't included somehow." Jane sighed heavily at the thought of her mother's disappointment.
"I totally understand." Maura offered her reassurance. "We'll take care of it."
"You're amazing, you know that?" Jane reached across the table to touch Maura on the arm. She needed the contact because for some reason she was suddenly feeling vulnerable.
Before Maura could respond, her assistant, Kelly pushed her office door open with two cups of her favorite coffee house coffee in each hand. As she used her foot to close the door again, she turned around to find Maura's desk chair empty and looked around in alarm only to find both Jane and Maura sitting at the table they used for conferences. Clearing her throat nervously, she gave Jane a curt nod, getting one in return.
The flirty banter between Jane and Maura deflated like a balloon with a hole in it and Jane couldn't hide her irritation at the interruption. She suddenly lost her appetite and started to pick at her lemon square drawing a raised eyebrow from Maura. As she continued to pick, she just shrugged her shoulders at their interruption.
"I didn't think you'd have time for lunch so… um… I brought you some coffee." Kelly shifted her feet nervously under Maura's curious stare and Jane's irritated one.
"That's very kind of you." Maura smiled and Kelly immediately relaxed. "Here, why don't you sit down and have the other half of my sandwich." She offered the other half only to have it waved away. "No, really… I won't be able to finish it."
Kelly stared long and hard at the sandwich before her stomach grumbled and she nodded her acceptance as she sat down between Jane and Maura. Jane frowned as she did and glanced at Maura, silently asking what she was doing by giving away the sandwich she had so thoughtfully brought her for lunch. She watched Kelly accept it from Maura with a grateful smile making her feel a little guilty for being such a grump about it.
"Um… thanks…" Kelly stammered nervously as she glanced at Jane.
"My wonderfully, thoughtful wife decided to surprise me by bringing lunch today. And she brought lemon squares too." Maura beamed with pride at Jane who was still frowning.
"Lemon squares?" Kelly's interest piqued as she looked at the delicate sweet treat that Jane was now picking at.
"They are the best in Boston if you ask me." Maura continued as she took a bite of her sandwich. "And thank you for the coffee." She said as she held up the cup that Kelly had set down in front of her. "Jane, would mind giving Kelly a lemon square?"
"What?" Jane started to say in surprise but stopped when Maura gave her a pointed look. She recognized that look. It was the one she got when she was in trouble. "Um… sure…" pushing the bag over to Kelly, she couldn't help but give Maura a defiant pout. The move brought a small smile to Maura's face as she shook her head.
"Thanks…?" Kelly said with a questioning tone as she took the bag before peering in and grabbing one of the squares. Pulling it out, she smiled at Maura and then gave a tentative one to Jane.
"Yeah, whatever…" Jane began to wave away the appreciation but then realized she was being a bit rude. "You're welcome." She cleared her throat nervously and got another little smile from Maura.
Silence descended upon them as Maura and Kelly ate their sandwiches and Jane watched. She couldn't help but notice the sideways glances that Kelly was giving Maura. They were filled with affection and wonder, and even though she didn't like it, she could understand. It was obvious to her that Kelly had a crush on Maura, no matter how straight she claimed to be. And Maura was completely oblivious to it. Jane made a mental note to check in frequently and make sure her presence was felt even if she wasn't there. She might even need to bring in reinforcements from time to time. Today was a good start though, lunch and lemon squares always got Maura's attention, scoring Jane extra points on the romance scale, points she intended cashing in on over the weekend.
As Maura finished her sandwich, she glanced at her watch and let out a heavy sigh. "I've got an appointment at two o'clock that I need to get ready for." She said pushing herself up from the table.
"What time do you think you'll be home?" Jane asked.
"Well…" Maura moved around the table so she could bend down and wrap her arms around Jane's neck. "I'll try to be home by six if I can. My last appointment is at five and then I need to check over the schedule for the next two weeks." She looked across the table at Kelly who nodded in understanding.
"I'll give it a check over and try and have it ready for you to approve by the time you're done today." Kelly said as she tried to quickly finish her lunch. "And, thanks again for sharing your sandwich with me."
Jane watched Kelly gaze at Maura with what could only be described as stars in her eyes but before she could get mad, she felt the warm, gentle press of Maura's lips against her neck. She couldn't stop herself from smirking when Kelly's face turned a light shade of pink.
"Thank you for lunch, my sweet Jane." Maura whispered in Jane's ear.
The feeling of Maura's warm breath against the outside of her ear caused Jane to shiver and the smirk to drop from her face. Her cheeks warmed with the blush that now raced across her cheeks and she cleared her throat nervously. "Will you be able to take the weekend off?" She tried to push away the urge to pull Maura down into her lap.
"Yeah, I wouldn't let anything keep me from you." Maura stood up and placed a hand on Jane's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Oh, you're not on call this weekend?" Kelly said around her last bite of sandwich, a look of disappointment on her face.
"No, Jane will be ovulating…" Maura started to say but was interrupted when Kelly started to choke on what was left of her food.
"You're…" Kelly coughed and sputtered. "You're trying to get pregnant?" Her eyes went from Maura to Jane then back to Maura again, surprise written all over her face.
"Yep. We're hoping she can finally knock me up this weekend." Jane tried not to laugh at the look of what could only be described as abject horror on Kelly's face.
"To answer your question, yes… we are trying to get pregnant." Maura gave Jane's shoulder another squeeze, this time not so gentle. "This will be our second try, so we're hoping for a positive result in two weeks."
"Well, um… congratulations… or maybe what I should say is good luck." Kelly dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin. As she stood up from the table, she began to gather the trash concentrating on looking anywhere but at Jane.
"Thank you." Maura watched her assistant with a curious expression on her face. She wasn't sure if the tone of Kelly's voice held a hint of disappointment, but she was almost certain it did.
"I'll let you get ready for your next appointment and I'll get to the schedule." Kelly ushered herself towards the door. "And, um… thanks for bringing lunch today." She turned her attention to Jane. Even though she said the words, there was no sincerity in them.
"I'm a lucky woman." Maura bent to place a kiss on Jane's cheek as she watched Kelly leave but before the door closed, she thought she heard Kelly huff in frustration. "That was weird. Kelly didn't really seem sincere…"
"No, probably not." Jane reached around and pulled Maura down onto her lap. "I've wanted to do that, like… forever." She sighed when Maura was snuggled up against her.
"I don't understand what happened with Kelly. She seemed… I don't know… kind of put out." Maura leaned her forehead against Jane's.
"That's 'cause she's got a crush on you, babe." Jane pulled Maura closer.
"What? No, she's straight." Maura pulled back to look at Jane with surprise, and uncertainty written all over her face.
"I can't say that I blame her." Jane grinned at her wife. "You've got my heart all aflutter." She gave Maura's side a little pinch. "Especially when you wear these black scrubs."
"You really think she has a crush on me?" Maura asked, concern lacing her voice.
"I do, but I think it's pretty harmless." Jane tried to hide her trepidation because even though she thought it was harmless now, she also knew how irresistible Maura could be.
"What should I do?" Maura sighed heavily.
"Nothing, it's just a crush. It'll pass…" Jane leaned in to place a quick kiss to Maura's mouth.
"Did I do something to make her think I was interested?" Uncertainty returned to Maura's voice.
"What, besides being your perfect, sexy self?" Jane chuckled lightly but then stopped when she saw Maura frown at her. "It happens sometimes. I had a massive crush on you before you started tutoring me in high school…" her voice trailed off.
"And look where that got us…" Maura's frown turned into a smile. She could feel her cheeks warm up because she also had a crush on Jane before they had officially met. Jane's arms tightened around her and she relaxed against the embrace.
They stayed like that, holding each other close for a few moments longer than usual, neither wanting to let go. But then Maura let out a long, heavy sigh as she started to move away from Jane. "I guess I'd better get ready for my afternoon. I'll try and get everything done so I can be home before dinner. And I can't wait until this weekend." She ran a finger along Jane's cheek, bringing it to rest in the prominent chin dimple she loved so much. Bending down, she placed a quick, yet sensuous kiss to Jane's lips.
"Ummmm…" Jane hummed her appreciation. "I have a really good feeling… I think it's gonna work this time." She said, meaning every word. When Maura smiled down at her, she could feel the love radiating between them and she knew without a doubt… it was going to finally happen.