Fay's Six

“More like a migraine in the making.” Fay let out a long breath. “But I feel like I’m making some progress.”

“That’s good,” Beck said. “I do have one more question for you and I’d appreciate total honesty.”

“I can do that.”

“What’s going on with you and Walker?”

Fay opened her mouth but nothing came out. She wasn’t prepared to discuss Walker with anyone, much less her boss. “I don’t know.” That was about the best she could do.

“So, something is happening.”

Fay nodded. What else was she going to do? Lie? That would make her no better than Lee. “I didn’t plan for it to happen.”

“We never do,” Beck said. “Walker’s a good man. I think you make for a great team. And I don’t just mean that workwise.”

Fay considered Beck a friend before her boss, so she didn’t feel strange having this conversation with her. Only, Fay didn’t understand how she could have such deep emotional ties to a man she’d only been involved with for a short period of time.

Granted, they’d known each other for a while and had a good sense of the other’s personality. Their goals. Their worldview. Even though they’d made some rash decisions about each other that had been incorrect, they still understood each other better than most.

However, that didn’t make for a real relationship.

Something she hadn’t been in since college and Walker admitted to never really having one, much less wanting one until his career in the Navy came to an abrupt end.

“I never saw myself as someone being with a man for any length of time.” Fay set all the files aside and tucked her hair behind her ears. It felt good to kick back a little with a girlfriend and sort out her personal life.

Butterflies filled her stomach. That was a sensation she wasn’t used to.

“Do you see you and Walker being together in a year? Five years?”

“I’ve never thought that way before. My affairs are just that. Affairs. They’re short-lived. Exciting and fun, but meaningless. Things with Walker started out pretty heavy from the get-go.”

“Sometimes that’s the best way.” Beck leaned over and curled her fingers around Fay’s wrist. “I know you. You have an analytical brain. You have to find answers and you don’t rest until you have them. This is one of those things you have to let happen. It’s not a puzzle to be solved. A case to be figured out. It’s something you go through and feel.”

“Here’s the thing though. I struggle to trust what I’m feeling. I’ve never been able to follow my heart.” She tapped her temple. “I always follow my head and right now, that’s telling me not to trust this. That it’s not real. That we’re caught up in the moment. In the game.”

“I can understand that, but you weren’t faking when I walked into this room. You’d have to be blind not to see that you and Walker care deeply for each other. Let it happen. Enjoy it.” Beck patted Fay’s leg. “I need to get going. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks. I appreciate everything.”

Beck smiled. She stood and gathered her things while Fay went back to her paperwork. However, her mind kept wandering back to Walker. It had only been a few days since they started sharing a bed and yet it felt like it had been a lifetime.

And in a good way.

The sound of a door shutting made her jump.

“Hey.” Walker’s voice filled the air and her heart.

“Hey, yourself,” she said. “Did you see Beck on your way in?”

“I did.” He bent over and took her chin with his thumb and forefinger, giving her a sweet, tender kiss. “I’ve got bad news.”

“At least you did that before you ruined my evening.”

He took all the files and tucked them under his arm. “Collect everything you need for the night. Randall’s at the station. We have something.”

“That’s not necessarily bad news.” She jumped to her feet. “Did Lee find something?”

“He followed Randall back toward Fool’s Gold. Randall stopped at a gas station and Lee watched him slash a young man’s tire. Lee called Sparrow right away, and then me. He then intervened because it looked like Randall was going to offer the kid a ride.”

“Jesus. No shit.”

Walker nodded. “They are all at the station with Sparrow. She wants us there.”

“What are we standing around here for then.” She pointed toward the door. “Get that cute ass of yours moving.”

“You think my ass is cute?”

She rolled her eyes. “Not the time or place.”

“It’s always the time and place.” He gave it a little pat.

She could definitely get used to this part of being in a relationship.

* * *