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A plate arrived in front of me, filled with tiny, bite-sized pieces. Another arrived, then another. There was plenty to fill us up, or to graze while we talked and I teased her. I shifted in my seat, my jeans uncomfortably tight. Or maybe I was teasing us both. I’d run with this crazy vibe she responded to, but I wasn't rushing it. Not...yet.
Eating gave her a chance to stay silent, and slowly the flush receded from her cheeks. I couldn't wait for it to return.
Floss bit into an ocean troutcroqueta, eying me. I’d had my fun; now it was her turn to dish it back at me. “Why did you become a cop?”
I raised an eyebrow, interested in the direction she took. “Not a Ranger?”
She shook her head with a slight smile and finished the crumbled morsel. “Nope. I wanna know what eighteen-year-old Acton Cunningham had in mind when he opted to join the police force.” She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and lacing her hands under her chin.
“Fair enough. But you started me with an easy one. Hero worship.”
Both eyebrows raised. “Who?”
“Think about it.” I canceled a piece of beef tataki topped with shaved onion. “You know.”
It didn’t take her long to work it through. “Andy.”
I nodded slowly. “He was two years above me at school. The jock kid with the golden smile who no one ever said anything negative about. He was always the first person to offer a hand, and ended up valedictorian for his year. When he announced he was going into law enforcement, it was an easy decision to follow. Just so happened it turned out to be something I was good at, too.”
“Wow. I’m impressed.”
“That a kid could have an idol through high school? I think most kids have one of those—just depends if it's someone close to home or not.”
“But you followed through, all the way, and now...”
I shrugged, uncomfortable with her lightly veiled praise. “And now I’m ratcheting up my career level. Still following the hero’s path.”
“And you love it.” She grabbed my fingers and squeezed gently. “I’m glad you found what you want to do with your life, Acton. It’s not an easy thing.”
My gaze narrowed. “Because you feel you haven’t yet,” I murmured.
Her hand dropped away. “No.”
“Why’d you move from California?”
Floss pressed her lips together, then threw up her hands, jostling a dish. “Fuck it. I had no direction. I didn’t actually have a place to live, not of my own, for years before Ella called and asked for help once she fell pregnant. I couch surfed for years, working small, easy pay jobs and spent my free hours on thesand. So I decided the responsible thing to do was to come here and get an actual rental,” she grimaced, “which Andy helped me secure, and Ella gave me a job.”
“And you love it.” I threw her words back at her lightly, laughing when her eyes narrowed. “You’re too cute. Seriously, though. Do you love it?”
“I— yes. Mostly.” She bit her lip. “Wait, that sounds ridiculously ungrateful. I love working with plants. I just...wish that more of them were the growing sort.”
“Getting your hands dirty, huh? Why don’t you work a side hustle and become one of her suppliers, too?”
“Uh, can I do that in a rental property? Maybe if I could make a small greenhouse...” Her mind whirred—I could see it in the way her eyes brightened, how she sat up straighter. “Sorry, I geeked out there about green thumbs for a minute.”
“Whatever works for you, Floss. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ life or career path. It’s whatever gives you the most joy, that wakes you up each morning with enough passion to keep going day after day.”
“Wise words.” Floss nodded.
We ate in silence after that for a period and when the dishes were empty, I rose and held out my hand. “Walk you home?”
She placed her fingers in mine, her head tilted back. “How do you know where I live?”
“Habit of a detective. Seriously, Ella messaged me your everything.”
“I need to have words with that girl,” Floss grumbled.
“Go easy on her. She’s fairly testy when she’s pregnant.”
