Page 74 of Searching for Bristol
After sitting, he glanced over at her and his lips twitched. “You gonna burst if you don’t ask me the questions you’ve got rolling around in your head?” he asked.
“Maybe,” Bristol admitted with a grin. “But I want you to like me and not think I’m a nosy busybody.”
Drew chuckled. “I’m thinking Art and his friends have cornered the market on that around here. And if they don’t, Dorothea and her crew are a close second. Go ahead and ask.”
“You’re different from your friends.”
He tilted his head. “In what way?”
Bristol thought about what she wanted to say for a moment before she spoke. “You’re more watchful. More careful about what you say to others. More judgmental—and I don’t mean that in a bad way.”
“I know what you mean, and you’re right. My job as a cop taught me that people can andwillmisconstrue anything and everything you say. They’ll take every opportunity to throw it back in your face if it fits their agenda.”
“That has to be exhausting,” Bristol said.
“It is.”
“For what it’s worth…thank you for your service.”
Drew nodded.
“Also, for the record, you’re welcome to come into the apartment when you arrive. I know it’s not mine, but I’m granting you an open invitation anyway. And when and if I find a house I like, you’re welcome there too. I feel safe with you, and I’d like to think you’re my friend now, almost as much as you’re Rocky’s.”
“Thank you,” Drew said softly. “The thing is…there are some awful police officers out there. They’re bigoted, jaded, and power hungry. They make it twice as hard for the good ones to do their jobs effectively.”
“Is that why you got out?” Bristol got up the nerve to ask.
“Partly. I have a lot of guilt about it though. Police forces need all the good officers they can get. But we’re being pushed out by the assholes, by the scorn aimed our way by citizens, and the intense scrutiny. And while I actually think that scrutiny is good, it’s still overwhelming.”
Bristol reached over and touched Drew’s arm, squeezing it before letting go.
“And you were right about the fact that I’m watchful. Rocky and the others are too, but in a different way. I’m not looking for roadside bombs or people popping out of a house with an AK-47.”
When he didn’t continue, Bristol couldn’t help but ask, “Whatareyou looking for?”
“I don’t know.”
Bristol frowned in confusion.
“I’m just watching. A car I see today might end up being the breaking clue Simon needs in a robbery he learns about tomorrow. What someone says might not make sense one day, but might fall into place on another.”
“Thatalsosounds exhausting,” Bristol blurted.
Drew grinned. “It’s who I am.”
“Well, if you don’t mind me saying so…Rocky and the others are really lucky to have you as a friend,” Bristol told him.
He raised an eyebrow at her.
“You see the world differently, which is a good thing. You think about what peoplemeanwhen they speak, rather than simply hearing what they say. You’ve got your friends’ backs in a way most people don’t. I think it’s awesome.”
Drew didn’t speak for a long moment, and when he did, it was only to say, “Thank you.”
Bristol could tell he wasn’t exactly comfortable with the conversation, so she changed the subject. “So…you’re an accountant.”
His lips twitched. “Yup. Boring, huh?”
“Not if you like numbers, which I’m assuming you do, since you’re doing people’s taxes and stuff.”
