AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I was already excited hearing about that on Wednesday, but my boss told me this morning that starting next week, our IT guru Wyatt and I are supposed to work together to do some videos to put out that will show users how to work them and it honestly sounds like a lot of fun. He’s going to record his screen as he works through them, and then I’m going to get to put them together in a catchy way that will have people actually watching them. I’m really looking forward to work on Monday which should honestly be crazy right?”
“Not when it’s doing something you enjoy. Some weeks I’m eager to get to the station and see where I’ll be covering, other weeks when I know it’s for some of the units, not so much honestly,” he says and I wait until he’s come around to get the door, which I love that he does because it just makes the passenger princess feeling last a lot longer, to ask him anything else.
“Is there anywhere you like working more than the others that you’d want to ask for a permanent move to? I like my mostly routine life. Even though the work changes based on what ad we’re working on, and I may occasionally work late, it’s still the same day after day. I can’t imagine going from unit to unit and being expected to know all the ins and outs needed for it.”
“It’s mostly structured regardless of which unit it’s for though,” he says as his hand slips onto my back, warming me despite him not really touching me but my coat, guiding me towards the doors. “I like details, no matter what type of issue it is, if someone was robbed, or someone’s being stalked or harassed, there are details that are going to help figure out who’s behind it if they’re unknown, or to nail them if they’re known. That’s what I like, but whenever I have to help out with anything related to traffic incidents, I get the urge to turn in my badge.
“The homicide unit will only take a traffic fatality case if there’s evidence that it was intentional. I’d prefer a straight up homicide investigation than trying to lay blame on someone when most of the time, it’s truly an accident,” he adds, and I nod certain it’s not easy in those cases. “It’s rough to think that involuntary manslaughter charges are appropriate when someone simply looked away from the road for a few seconds to calm their toddler and missed seeing the light change and ended up hitting someone who died.”
“I’m sure they have enough guilt eating at them let alone being charged with a crime on top of it,” I agree, letting him hand over our tickets to the usher. My heart flutters when we’re led to one of the nicer tables and I hope it wasn’t all they had left.
The theater is divided into sections. The floor where we’re seated has regular tables, staggered around so no one’s view is obstructed. In addition to doing the dinner and movies, they also do community productions here so there’s also a spot where an orchestra could sit that is used as a bar during the movies.
Around the balcony areas, there’s a long bench table for the food to be delivered to those sitting in more normal theater style seats. The meal’s the same but the balcony seats are cheaper than the floor seats, so they either sell out faster or are the last available depending on what’s showing.
Bryan guides me into the comfy booth-like seat when the usher stops at one of the nicest tables and I can’t help but smile as he settles in next to me. They’re soft and cushiony, but also a little more private than the regular seats along the floor. I know they cost more than the regular tables as well and I glance up at him shyly.
“I hope you don’t mind the seats. I thought they looked more comfortable than any of the ones on the balcony or the normal tables,” he says before I can bring it up and a little flush settles onto my cheeks. “There were plenty of cheaper tickets still open if that’s what you’re wondering,” he adds, and the flush deepens a bit. “Like I said, I can afford the tickets with ease. Honestly, it’s not more than what I’d spend if we went to see a new movie and got drinks and popcorn, even on top of a regular meal.”
“I…” I pause getting myself together to tell him the truth. “Most of the guys I’ve gone out with were closer to my age and always complained about how much it cost, so they expected a decent return. The ones that know my family always expected me to pay for everything.”
“Boys are idiots, but I’m not a boy, princess,” he says making my heart race with need. “I’m thirty-six,” he adds and that makes me a smile a bit more.
I’m not at all worried about the age difference, not when Dad’s nineteen years older than Mom is. They’ve never had an issue with any of the other’s age differences. Adam’s about thirteen years older than Jasmine is and Jude’s also about thirteen years older than Eden is, so there shouldn’t be any concerns here.
“I’ve never been married. Don’t have any kids or even a pet, so there’s just me to take care of,” he continues, and I want that to change more than I ever imagined. “I bought a cheap little house ten years ago that was in bad shape in a previously bad neighborhood. It’s been upgraded since then—the house and the neighborhood—and I’ve had offers for it that are way more than what I spent on it even with the updates I did. It’s easy to get to the station from though and I didn’t need anything bigger, so I always said no.
“That was my biggest expense up until about three years ago when I paid off the equity loan I took out to cover some of the bigger renovations I did. The place was dirt cheap because it needed a lot of work, and I pretty much ended up getting what’s equivalent to a car loan term-wise for it, so I had it paid off in six years. After four years, I had plenty of equity in it with the repairs I’d made and market changes making it worth more than what I paid, which let me take out a loan to do the rest, and I paid that off in three. I’ve got some savings, nothing huge, but enough to get by for at least a year, maybe two, if something happened.
“I haven’t dated much over the years. It’s hard for me to open up with new people unless I’m comfortable around them, so relationships haven’t went anywhere since…” He stops, his expression falling, and it makes me incredibly curious.
“I get what you mean about not opening up unless you’re comfortable with someone. I’m the same,” I say when he takes a moment to seemingly gather himself. “You don’t have to tell me now if you’d rather not get into it.”
“It’s not that,” he states, his eyes flowing over me making me warm. “I don’t want to run you off talking about past relationships.”
“You won’t. Well, as long as you don’t try and talk about…your love life with them that is,” I get out as delicately as possible because I really don’t want to know anything about him with other women. Dates are one thing, sleeping with them is a complete other that I don’t know if I could get past because I honestly feel extremely possessive of him.
“I would never be that crass,” he says lifting my chin his way when I glance away, feeling my cheeks grow warm. “There would have to be women to discuss that to start and there haven’t been any in my home,” he adds and that makes me feel a million times better, although it doesn’t entirely mean he hasn’t spent a night or two with women in their homes.
“I’ve never been serious with anyone,” I offer him as his thumb strokes my cheek making me want his lips on mine now. “Letting them in to go out on a date was hard enough but then when I did and I learnt they just wanted either sex or access to my family or their money, it made me pull back even further. I wouldn’t begin to let them touch me and honestly, I haven’t been out on a date in over a year.”
“I can’t say I’m not happy to hear that,” Bryan whispers into my ear as a waitress comes up to our table.
“Welcome to the Myers Theater’s showing of Arsenic and Old Lace. To go along with tonight’s showing we have several popular dishes from the 1940’s that we’ll be serving through the film. Have you had a chance to look over the menu? If there are any dietary restrictions we do have substitutions on the back of the menu that can be selected instead,” the girl says giving us a polite smile and it settles a piece of me when she barely gives Bryan a glance.
“I’m good with the menu as-is,” I state glancing up at him with a grin. “I saw it online when I got the notification of this month’s showing.”
“I saw it while getting the tickets, so I’m good with it too,” he tells the girl who nods.
“Included with the meal, we are also featuring a special, non-lethal,” she adds with a bit more of a smile, “arsenic themed drink to go along with the movie. It comes in a regular cocktail or for those guests under twenty-one or who simply prefer not to drink, in a mocktail version. Could I interest either of you in one? We’ll have coffee, iced tea, and water available for the table, or if you’d like something different, for an additional fee, the bar can prepare any drink you’d like, including soft drinks.”
“Since I’m driving, I’ll do the mocktail,” Bryan says and the girl nods.
“The mocktail please,” I tell her, and she notes it on her little tablet before heading to the next table. Bryan’s eyes are on me, and I add to him, “I don’t really drink much. Mostly it’s just a glass of champagne when I do. The mandatory Sunday dinners are to celebrate that month’s birthdays and anniversaries, so we break it out then and at holidays, but other than that, I’m an occasional glass of wine type. I just don’t see the need to drink, especially to excess. I don’t like feeling out of control.”
“I have the occasional beer while at home, but I never drive if I do. I know they say one beer won’t affect you, especially someone my size, and even more if you’ve eaten, but I saw far too many wrecks while I was a patrol officer due to drinking to risk it. Not knowing who might call me in also stops me from doing it regularly. You never know when you might have to draw your weapon and then if you do fire it, your blood gets drawn to confirm you weren’t impaired. One beer might not be a problem, but I don’t ever want to run into the chance where I had just one too many and while maybe I wasn’t close to the legal limit, it’s still noticeable enough in my blood for an attorney to use against me.”
“That’s smart,” I muse, not liking the idea of him having to use a gun at all but it’s his job and it’s clear he loves it. I just hope he’ll come to love me as well because I’m pretty sure I’m already there.
