Page 16 of Frosty Felicity
“No.”
“Is that the truth? Let’s pretend you’re under oath.”
“I’m not under oath, but even if I was, the answer would be the same. No.”
“Why not?”
“Why not, what? Why didn’t I tell about the sex toy falling out onto the floor of your car?”
“Yes…”
“Because I was interested in going out with you, and let’s say we really hit it off, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, I wouldn’t want anyone I know to know about that, and thinking things about you that might be untrue. It’s just not something you share with people if you want to start off on a good foot with a woman you’re interested in.”
She went quiet then, perhaps pondering his words, trying to determine if he was on the up and up. In fact, he was telling the truth. He’d thought about sharing it with one of his best friends on the force as it was quite funny actually, but decided to keep it to himself. He’d had an ex-girlfriend who’d had one just like it, so he knew exactly what it was when it came tumbling down onto the passenger’s side floor. Running and telling such things didn’t have the same appeal, and he’d certainly seen a lot while on the force.
It just seemed like a rather juvenile thing to do—and most importantly, it could cause her humiliation down the line if he took her in front of the very person or people he’d shared that information with. The squirrel though? Well, that was too good to pass up, and it wasn’t like it had been caused by any fault of her own.
“If we go out and don’t hit it off, you have my permission to tell.”
“Nah, it would’ve lost its appeal by then. Besides, the squirrel story is much better.”
“That was a test.” She laughed in a mischievous sort of way. “You passed.”
“Women are always testing men. You’re not as sleuth-y as you think you are, if you believe I’d ever fall for the ol’ banana in the tailpipe.”
“Chicken leg in the clutches of a dead squirrel…”
“Sex toy rabbit in a crumpled pink bag…”
“Police officer taking a wannabe gumshoe to a nice place to dine…”
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all night. I don’t know of any place that serves BBQ rodent though.”
“Don’t worry, I know a place. It’s called, ‘Under the Hood.’”
“I heard the battery juice is excellent!”
Now they were both coughing and laughing their asses off, trying to gain their composure. His face was hot and his stomach muscles clamped and relaxed over and over. Before he knew it, they’d been on the phone for an hour, talking about everything from the latest vaccines to who played the best television police officer. The woman was truly entertaining and left an impression—and they hadn’t even gone out yet. They had some things in common, too. She enjoyed action films, worked with the public, seemed to have a vast knowledge on a variety of topics, and she was hilarious. A winner on all counts.
“Okay, so we’ve been talking all of this time, Felicity, and still haven’t set a date. Is this weekend good? Saturday at seven? I’m off most Saturdays this month.”
“Okay, yeah, that’s fine, actually. I only work every other Saturday, and it’s only for half a day.”
He quickly input the date and time in his phone calendar, and got her address.
“I’ll see you then. Pick you up at seven, all right?”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then. Good night.”
“Good night, Felicity. I enjoyed speakin’ with you tonight, regardless of how tired I am. I’m glad you called… Thanks for the great conversation.”
“I charge by the hour. The invoice will be in the mail.” And with that, she ended the call.
Brett set the phone down on the couch beside him. He stuffed one cold fry in his mouth that had escaped his initial grasp, collected his trash, then threw it away in the kitchen. Gathering his discarded clothing, gun, and phone, he headed up the steps to his bedroom, his head throbbing from the silliness of the conversation. In spite of it all, he had a good feeling about Felicity. Sure, she seemed a bit cynical about a topic or two, and she had a way of dissecting a conversation like his ex-wife did when she was in court grilling someone on the witness stand, but there was something earthy, endearing, and honest to a fault about this woman. She felt… trustworthy.
He jumped in the shower and made the water as hot as he could stand it. Afterwards, he slipped on a pair of grey and black plaid pajama pants, and thick white socks, and lay down in his king-sized bed, covering himself with the green sheets. He was certain he was going to sleep like a baby that night… and he did. He truly did…
