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I was legitimately a little mind-blown by that. “Mayonnaise?”
“Yup. Just a little mayo and bam, you’ve got the Naomi Campbell of ferns. Works best with plants that have big leaves, like a bird of paradise or a monstera.” Andrew laughed at my bewildered look. If he were rattling off bird species, then I would definitely be able to relate, but plants were a no-go for me. “I’ll see if I can bring the one in your office back to life, and then we can put a cute little plastic one in its place.”
“That sounds like a plan,” I said, matching his smile. “How are you liking Miami so far? I’m guessing there’s a lot more green than New York?” I asked as Andrew put the glass of water back down on the corkscrew coaster. He looked out the window, his big eyes bright, his happiness genuine.
“You’d be surprised on how much green New York has, but I really do love Miami. Love it. I could probably live without all the rain, but it’s fine for now. I just pretend Declan and I are in The Notebook whenever there’s a downpour.” He put up a hand. “The good part of The Notebook, not the end where they die holding hands after you find out Allie has Alzheimer’s.”
“Spoilers?”
“Oh please, you’ve had what?” He glanced at his wristwatch. “About fifteen years to catch up.”
I laughed, the happiness from Andrew spreading. I was normally a happy guy, but I had to admit, Andrew just seemed to light up the room with his positivity. It was infectious, and it was making me glad that he was the one steering this ship. I was the lead detective, but Andrew was the one running the entire Miami branch, managing us and making sure our quaint little crew sailed through the sometimes choppy Miami waters.
At first, part of me bristled when I’d found out I wouldn’t be the top dog. Before my position at Stonewall, I was working as an independent contractor of sorts as a bounty hunter and had no one to report to or anyone to look after me. When Zane came to me and offered the position of lead detective, I was initially hesitant. The idea of a structured job, working so much with other people, was something that intimidated me at first, but at the same time, there was a thrill there that I couldn’t deny. It was a thrill I’d been missing for a long time in my life, and so I knew that the right answer was yes. But I knew that also meant working in a team, and that was something I hadn’t done since my time in the army. There would be a hierarchy and other people to think about, and for a few days, I thought I wouldn’t want that. Part of me thought I’d try it out and realize it just wasn’t for me, that I left that shit back in the army. That I was more of the lone-fox type of guy, working on my own and responsible for no one else for the remainder of my time on this crusty rock.
But after a couple of days, my apprehensions were unfounded. I still had plenty of independence, and I was in a position to help people that needed it the most. Especially with the case I was currently working on. The stakes were huge, and I had been feeling the pressure.
It was a good feeling, made better by the fact that I was surrounded by good people, Andrew being one of them.
He perked up, as if remembering something. “I think Zane and Enzo are coming to visit sometime in the next few weeks! He texted me this morning on my way here. They just need to hammer something out on their end.”
Well, that was exciting news. I had talked to Zane the day before, but he hadn’t mentioned anything. “Perfect. Let me know when the details are set; I want to catch up with those two in person.”
“For sure,” Andrew said. “How did you and Zane meet again?”
I smiled, recalling the fond memory. “Zane rear-ended my car. Almost drove me off a bridge. We ended up getting drunk afterward at the bar around the corner and became good friends ever since.”
“No freakin’ way. How has Zane never told this story?”
“Because if he admits fault, his insurance goes up.”
Andrew cracked up at that.
“We’ve been good friends ever since, but him living in New York meant we had that chill kinda friendship. We’d catch up every year, and it’d be like no time had passed.”
“Those are good types of friends.”
“They definitely are.” I was grateful for my friendship with Zane and was glad he thought of me when it came time to opening up his Miami branch of Stonewall. “And we’ve got our Stonewall party in a couple of weeks, too, right?”
