“Yes. There are. But if cops went into every situation thinking it might be the exception, a lot might fall through the cracks. It’s safer for everyone to assume the worst and hope for the best. And if you do find the exception, do what you can to remedy the situation. The system might be flawed, but it helps more than it hurts.”
“I know that,” she said quietly.
Yeah. She knew it. But it didn’t change anything. And he couldn’t blame her.
“So,” she said. “Now that I’ve totally killed the mood in here, what was your childhood like?”
He laughed. “Have you ever been at the market right before a snowstorm?”
“You mean when everyone is running around like crazy, snatching things off the shelf like they are going to starve to death at the first sign of a snowflake?”
“Yeah. That. That is pretty much my childhood.”
“Ah, come on. If you had four brothers, I could see that. Boys are a rambunctious pain in the ass. But four sisters?”
His eyes widened. “Oh, you have no idea. And the older they got the more…fun it got.”
Gina laughed. “Yeah, I can imagine.”
“Dad and I would find a quiet corner to hide in for at least one week of the month. It was too dangerous to show our faces unless we came bearing chocolate and chick flicks.”
That made her laugh, and the knot in Rick’s stomach loosened at the sound. God, he’d sacrifice a lot to hear that sound.
Rick turned into the driveway of his parents’ two-story Secaucus home. Complete with white picket fence and flower-filled window boxes. Gina’s eyes grew round surveying his parents’ home, and Rick suddenly felt self-conscious. He wanted her to like it, though the strength of that feeling confused him. He couldn’t see Gina living in a place like that, no matter how hard he tried. It’d be like plunking an exotic rain forest creature in the middle of the Sahara desert and telling it to thrive. It didn’t work. Another mark against them. Because the home with the white picket fence, the dog, the 2.5 kids…that was Rick’s dream. That’s what he wanted to come home to every night when he got off work. Gina simply didn’t fit in with that dream.
Though that didn’t matter, right? Yes, they had this amazing attraction. But that’s all it was.
Still…he wanted her approval. And he didn’t want to examine why too closely.
“Wow,” she said, and for once, it didn’t sound sarcastic. “This is beautiful.”
He happiness flooded through him. “Thanks.”
“You grew up here?”
“No. I grew up in Hoboken. My parents moved out here once all of us had left the nest.”
“Ah, okay. That makes sense.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “It seems so pleasant. So unlike you.”
He mock-glared at her, but before he could say anything the front door flew open and Jenny poked her head out.
“They’re here!” she shouted into the house before turning to bound down the steps.
“Oh God,” Gina muttered.
“You’ll be fine,” Rick promised. “Take a deep breath. And don’t make any sudden movements.”
“Would it help if I played dead?”
He laughed again. “Unfortunately, no. Incoming.” He pointed out the window right as Jenny wrenched open the door.
“Come on in! I’m so glad you came, Gina. The family is so excited to meet you. Come on!”
Gina shot a helpless look in his direction, but Rick put his hands up and chuckled. He was no match for Jenny.
His sister hurried Gina up to the house, stopping to point at everything in the yard that held any significance. The tree where they’d all carved their initials. The spot on the driveway where his niece had fallen off her bike and broken her arm. The basketball hoop on the garage where Rick still played one-on-one with his dad.
He shook his head, chuckling at the bemused look Gina sent his way. Once they’d disappeared inside, he leaned his head back against the headrest and took a deep breath. He didn’t know if he had the strength for what was coming. He loved his family more than life, but they were a lot to take sometimes. Bringing a girl home, friend or not, was sure to escalate the situation beyond reason. Too ironic that the girl he finally brought home was a girl he wasn’t keeping.
Suddenly, he really wished that weren’t the case. But they were too different. They couldn’t cross the divide between them. He wasn’t going to stop being a cop. He loved his job. And Gina wasn’t going to let go of a justified prejudice she’d had since childhood. She wasn’t going to flip a switch and suddenly become a model, law-abiding, cop-loving citizen.