Author's Note: Thanks for the love, y'all! Glad you're enjoying things so far!
Chapter Three-Can I Take You Out Sometime?
Jenna was released from the hospital the next day. Nick hovered over her like she was his child, but she kicked him out, insisting that she was fine by herself and would take it easy for the rest of the week. She spent most of her time curled up on the couch, watching movies and forcing herself to try to relax.
She couldn't get Sergeant Voight out of her mind. She appreciated the care he took of her at the shop and the unexpected visit he made to the hospital. She decided when she was finally back at work, she would take some treats to his unit to thank them. Hopefully, she would see him as well.
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Jenna gathered the boxes of baked goods and walked into the 21st district. She walked up to the desk sergeant to find out where to go. "Can I help you?"
"Hi. I'm Jenna Richards. I'm looking for the Intelligence Unit."
"What is this in regards to?"
"My bakery was robbed last week, and they responded to the call and have been just incredibly helpful. I just brought some things to say thank you to them."
"There's baked goods in there?" Trudy asked, gesturing to Jenna's boxes.
"Yes! I brought an assortment of things from my bakery."
"Follow me. I'll take you up." Jenna followed her up the stairs.
"Ms. Richards?" Hailey said when she saw her. Everyone turned around to see Jenna at the top of the stairs with Trudy.
"Hi everyone. I hope I'm not interrupting."
Hank couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Jenna, arms loaded down with pink boxes. He'd been thinking about her since that night in the hospital, and he was shocked to be seeing her again. He started out of his office to talk to her.
"Jenna, hi. What can we help you with?"
"I just… I wanted to thank all of you for everything you did for me last week, so I brought some things from my bakery for all of you."
Adam lifted the lid of one of the boxes. "Oh man, you are definitely my favorite person this week," he said.
Antonio helped her with the boxes, and they set them down on an empty desk. The rest of the team walked over, selecting their snacks, as Hank made his way over to her.
"Jenna," Hank said, shaking her hand, holding onto it for a few moments. "This is very nice of you."
Jenna shrugged her shoulders. "I just wanted to do something. You all were so nice and helpful, and I appreciate everything you did for me."
"It's really good to see you," he said before he could even think. He kicked himself on the inside for saying exactly what he was thinking.
Jenna blushed a little. "You too Hank. I was hoping…I'm glad I got to see you again."
Erin was off to the side watching their exchange as she nibbled on a cookie. She couldn't tell what was being said, but she could tell something was going on between them.
"Well, I've got to get back to the bakery. I've been gone longer that I should've," Jenna said.
"Can I walk you out?" Hank asked.
"Yeah, that would be nice," Jenna said. She turned around to the rest of the team. "Thank you all again, for everything," she said to them.
"Thank you for this. It's very nice of you," Erin said.
"Please come by the bakery any time. I offer a discount to police, firemen, and first responders, but anything this unit wants is on the house."
"That's very generous of you," Al said.
"My son-in-law and his brother are police officers in the town I moved from. I understand and greatly appreciate the work that you do."
"Thank you for that," Antonio said.
They all thanked her again as Hank walked her downstairs. He stopped her as they reached the front door. "Thank you again. It was really good to see you today," he said.
Jenna smiled up at him. "It was good to see you, Hank. I'm glad you weren't out on a case. And I mean it, come by any time."
"I definitely will. Have a good day Jenna."
"You too Hank."
Hank watched Jenna leave. He was so surprised to see her in his district after she'd been in his mind literally since the moment he saw her. He didn't know what it was, but he was drawn to her in a way he hadn't been with anyone else in a long time, possibly since Camille.
When Hank got back upstairs, Erin followed him into his office, closing the door behind her. "That was really nice of her," Erin said, sitting down in the chair across from him.
"It was. She's a very nice person."
Erin studied him for a moment. "If I'm not mistaken, there was something happening between the two of you out there."
"It was nothing."
"It wasn't nothing," Erin said, leaning forward onto the desk. "You like this girl, Hank."
He shrugged. "She's beautiful, obviously, and she's a sweet girl."
"It's more than that!"
Hank rolled his eyes. "Ok! I'm attracted to her! So what?"
"So, ask her out!"
"Erin."
"Oh, come on! She's beautiful, she's thoughtful, she's sweet, and she bakes better than anyone I've ever known. Go to her bakery and ask her out."
Hank sighed. "I'm no good at this, Erin."
"Just be you, the nice version." Hank glared at her, her attitude reminding him of the mouthy teenager that he raised. "After work, go to the bakery and ask her out. I'll call later and verify that you did."
"I'm not your child, Erin."
"Just do it!"
"Fine."
"Good," Erin said, a satisfied smile across her face as she got up from the chair.
Hank watched after Erin as she left, processing what he'd just agreed to. Could he really ask her out? Did he have a chance with someone like her? Erin was right. She was beautiful, thoughtful, sweet, and an incredible baker. She was younger, but based on what he knew about her family, he knew they were in the same stage of life, so he hoped their age difference wouldn't be an issue. But he wouldn't know unless he asked.
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Jenna stepped out of the back of the bakery when she heard the ding of the front door. She was shocked to see Hank walking in. "Hi," she said, still in shock.
"Hi Jenna."
"What are you doing here?"
Hank walked up to the counter, a small smile on his face. "I had one of those chocolate chip twisty things earlier and couldn't get it out of my mind. I thought I should come get another."
She studied him for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what he was up to. "Ok. For here or to-go?"
"Here please."
She fixed one on a plate and handed it to him along with a fork. "Could I get another fork?" he asked.
"Um…ok." She handed him a second fork.
"Since things are slow right now, come share this with me."
"Really?" she asked.
"Of course," he said, smiling at her as he handed the fork back to her. She sat down in front of him, and they made small talk as they ate.
Hank couldn't keep his eyes off of Jenna. He watched her take a bite, and he imagined what her lips would feel like against his. He wondered how she would fit in his arms, what it would feel like to hold her against him. He shook his head for a moment, trying to push the thoughts out of his head before he embarrassed himself.
"That's about the best thing I've ever eaten," Hank said, gesturing to the pastry in front of them.
"Thank you. It's one of my favorites. I only let myself have one occasionally because I could eat them all day every day if I let myself."
Hank took a deep breath, knowing he had to ask her now before he lost his nerve. He gently put his hand on top of hers. "Jenna, I…I'm no good at this, so I'm just going to say it. I would really like to see you again, outside of work."
Jenna nearly choked on her food, looking up at him, shocked. "Really?"
"Really. Can I take you out sometime?"
She nodded, smiling up at him. "Yeah, I'd…I'd like that a lot, Hank."
He smiled at her, trying to play it cool and not look overly excited. "Any chance you're free on Saturday?"
"Saturday is perfect."
"Great. Have you had a chance to see very much around the city?"
Jenna shook her head. "Not much. Just a little around here, around my place, around my son's place. The view from my apartment is nice, but I haven't seen much more than that."
"How about I take you to breakfast and then show you the city?"
"That sounds really nice! I'd love that."
"Ok. Great. Could I…get your number?" he asked, pulling out his phone and handing it to her.
"Of course."
"I haven't asked for a cute girl's number in quite a long time," he said, laughing a little.
"It's been awhile for me too," Jenna said, giggling as she typed in her number.
When Jenna handed her phone back to Hank, he held onto her hand for a few extra seconds. They were interrupted when a customer walked in. "I should go, let you get back to work," Hank said.
"Yeah, I need to get busy," she said. "I'll be with you in a second," she said to the customer before turning back to Hank.
"I'll call you so we can work out details for Saturday. And maybe before then, just to hear your voice," Hank said.
"Sounds great," Jenna said, trying not to blush.
Hank leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Bye Jenna."
"Bye Hank."
Jenna watched Hank walk out of the bakery, smiling as she thought about his visit and their upcoming date. She hadn't been able to get him out of her mind since the day they met, and it excited her that he apparently hadn't been able to get her out of his. She couldn't wait for the chance to see him again.
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Later that evening, as Hank was pouring himself a drink, his phone rang. He rolled his eyes when he saw Erin's name pop up on his phone, knowing what she was calling about.
"Erin."
"Did you go? Did you talk to her? Did you ask her out? Tell me everything," Erin said excitedly.
He covered his face with his hand for a moment, trying not to be annoyed with her. "I'm not one of your girlfriends that you gossip with."
Erin rolled her eyes. "You're not. You're basically my dad, and I deserve to know."
"I don't owe you an explanation. My personal life is my personal life."
Erin let out an annoyed laugh. "Oh really? So you get to give me grief almost daily about Jay, but you get to hide your life from me?"
He hesitated for a moment before answering her, knowing he was being hypocritical. "Yes."
"HANK."
Hank sighed, knowing she had a point. "Fine. Yes, I went over there, yes, I talked to her, yes, I asked her out. I'm taking her out on Saturday."
"This is great! I'm really happy for you!"
"Yeah, we'll see."
"Was that thing between you two still there?"
"Yeah, there's something there. I think, anyway. I told you, I'm no good at this. It's been...a long time since it was more than just something casual. It's been a long time since I wanted it to be more than casual."
"I know, but it's time for you to make something happen. I don't like you being alone."
Hank walked over to the table, leaning against it. "Yeah, I know you don't. But this...I don't know, Erin. There's something different about her. I feel...different."
"I'm happy for you. No matter how this turns out, I'm glad you're going for it. Now, where are you taking her?"
"Breakfast and then a tour of the city. She hasn't lived here long, and she hasn't really seen it. I figure we'll do a few touristy things and I'll show her some of the good non-touristy places. And then..."
"And then?" Erin pressed.
"We'll see what happens."
"I want a full report when you get home."
"Erin," Hank said, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Come on."
"I might let you know things went well, if they go well."
"Do I need to coach you on what to do?"
"Erin!" He gripped the phone, resisting the urge to throw it across the room.
"Be nice, Hank."
"I'm nice!"
"Not to anyone but me. Be nice to her."
"I will!"
"Ask her before you kiss her. Don't just assume she wants it."
"That's enough, Erin."
"Don't sleep with her the first night."
"This conversation is over."
"Have you been with anyone since Camille?"
"Goodnight Erin. I love you."
"Goodnight. I'm proud of you Hank. I love you too, and I'll see you tomorrow."
Hank hung up the phone, gripping it before letting it drop onto the table in front of him. He hadn't been on a date with someone that mattered since Camille. Things had changed drastically since then, and he started having second thoughts, unsure that he was really ready for this. He took a deep breath and shook his head, trying to bring himself back to Earth. There was a connection between him and Jenna that he couldn't ignore. She agreed to go out with him, so maybe that meant she felt it too. He downed his drink, put his glass in the sink, and headed to bed, hoping sleep would settle his thoughts down.