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That was when her eyes had popped open and she remembered that she wasn’t in the bowels of a hospital, but rather in the apartment she shared with her fiancé, with the sun shining through a slit in the curtains on the morning before Thanksgiving. She glanced over at the clock beside the bed. It was 7:04 a.m.
She fought the urge to extricate herself from their entangled bodies and just enjoy the moment. This was their place, the one they had gotten together. Choosing it had been one of their first official acts to merge their lives. And while it had been more complicated than she'd anticipated, as had many of the adjustments they'd made in recent months, she loved how they were working through these challenges as a team. Soon, that team would become official.
Mitch stirred next to her, and his eyes slowly opened. Somehow, he must have sensed, even subconsciously, that she was awake. He gave her a big smile before yawning extravagantly.
“Good morning,” he said happily.
“Good morning to you,” she replied, wiping away the sweat on her brow before he noticed.
“Did you sleep okay?” he asked.
“Uh-huh,” she lied, not wanting to bother him. “You?”
“Like a baby for a while,” he told her, “then a little rougher.”
“Why?” she asked, rolling over on her side to face him.
“I was just a little unsettled,” he said, “what with all the job stuff.”
She nodded.
“I get it,” she told him, “but it will all work out. You’ll be wearing an LAPD uniform soon.”
“I hope so,” he said. “I know I have the experience and that your friends put in a good word for me. But I have to admit that on some days, the idea of starting over is daunting. That reminds me, as I was drifting off last night, I had an idea. I was going to mention it, but you had already fallen asleep.”
“What is it?” Kat asked, intrigued.
“What if we partnered up?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.
“As private investigators,” he said. “what if I joined Gentry Investigations?”
She chuckled for a second before his crestfallen expression revealed that he’d been serious.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I’m not laughing at the idea. I just thought you were messing with me, because all you’ve been talking about is joining LAPD.”
“You’re right,” he said, glancing away, embarrassed. “It’s probably ridiculous, one of those late-night larks that seems absurd in the light of day.”
“No, it’s not,” she insisted. “I was just surprised. Maybe it’s not a bad idea, at least while you wait to hear back. I know how much you despise the security guard thing. Let me think about it, okay?”
She sat up in bed and reached for her robe.
“You don’t have to go,” he said, resting his hand on her leg. “I didn’t mean to scare you off.”
“It’s not that,” she assured him. “I just have some early errands I have to run.”
“It’s seven in the morning!”
“I know,” she said. “I just wanted to get a jump on the day and knock them out before work. Do you mind?”
“No,” he said, though there was little pout playing on his lips.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He ran his hand through his hair, seemingly debating whether to say what was on his mind.
"I was just hoping to welcome you to the day with a little personal attention, you know, to get you started on the right foot." His pout had been replaced by a bashful smile.
