Smitten(19)
“Nada,” I replied. “Not one damn thing—still hanging out and getting to know the guys. I’m sick of going to that blasted club.”
Chris nodded. “I get it, but when in Rome . . . ,” he let his sentence drift off.
“I’d rather be in Rome. It’s got to be better than this.”
“Hang in there, man. It’ll get better, I’m sure.”
“I’d be fine if I could check in on Cami once in a while. Hell, at this point I’d settle for sitting in a parking lot and watching her walk by. I just want to see her. This no contact thing is killing me.”
“I know, but you have to remember it’s also protecting her.”
“I do. That’s the only thing keeping me from breaking the rules.” I sighed. “So, anything new from the department?”
He shook his head. “Nope, more of the same—continue on with what you’re doing. I guess Randolph was in a fender-bender while he was responding Code 3 to a call. He’s okay, but the whole department had to sit in on a mandatory reteach of the defensive driving course. They made us watch all the videos and take a test on it again. So perk up, you got to miss all that!”
I chuckled. “That’s something, I guess. Nice of Randolph to put everyone through that.”
“Yeah, the guys have been ribbing him pretty hard.” He glanced at his watch. “You have any plans tonight?”
“Yep,” I replied, drawing out the word and glancing at him with an eye roll.
He laughed. “Let me guess? The club?”
I made a shooting gesture with my fingers. “Pow! Chris gets a bulls eye. How’d you manage to guess?” I let my hand drop lifelessly to the bed.
“Cheer up. It could be worse. Besides, weren’t you the one who used to love using your fake ID and hanging out in those places? I clearly recall you telling me about picking up girls there when you were younger.”
“That’s before I met Cami. There’s no reason to go to a club now unless she’s there, and in case you haven’t noticed, clubbing isn’t really her scene.”
“So take her with you sometime. You never know, she might like it,” he suggested.
I shrugged. “Maybe, but I’m not going to be able to find out for a few years. She won’t be twenty-one for a while, and it would probably look bad for me to get her a fake ID since I’m a cop and all.”
Chris chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I can see how that might be a problem. I guess that’s what happens when you choose a teenager to be your girlfriend, though.”
“Spare me the age lecture please. I’ve already given it to myself a billion times, and I come to the same conclusion every time.”
“Which is what?” he asked.
“I don’t care how old she is, obviously. She’s the one. Period. End of discussion.”
Chris sighed. “Well, if there’s one thing I know for certain about you, it’s that you’re bullheaded, and when you make up your mind about something, you’re not very likely to deviate from that course.”
“Are you saying you don’t approve of my choice?” I could feel the tension knotting in my shoulders as I prepared to defend myself.
“Not at all. I quite like your choice, honestly. Cami is a beautiful, good girl and way better than any of those other girls you used to amuse yourself with.”
I chuckled. “So you’re saying she’s too good for me?”
He laughed. “No, I’m saying it’s about time you started dating someone worthy of you.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re my brother-in-law. You have to say things like that.”
“Don’t delude yourself. I don’t have to say jack to you if I don’t want to.”
I groaned. “Can you please not use the term Jack around me? I’ve had about all I can handle of the elusive Mr. Ripper.”
“Jack the Ripper . . . ,” Chris mulled the words over. “He sure seems full of himself. Do you think he has the instincts to match the pseudonym? Was Manny his first victim, or are there others we don’t know about?”
“All good questions I don’t have the answers to, I’m afraid. So far, the only thing I can accuse him of is drinking and driving. There hasn’t been one word of stealing or selling cars, or chopping parts. All we’ve done is drink beer and talk about women and building custom cars. I’m really not even sure if he trusts me yet. He keeps staring at me and squinting, like he’s trying to see through me or something. It’s a bit nerve wracking to be truthful.”
“You’ll get it. Keep being yourself—people naturally gravitate toward you.”