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“Ugh olives?” Baltimore Detective Dee Quarter grimaced. “How can people eat those nasty things?”
“Well, they’re not for you are they?” Her best friend, Detective Lisa Swanson, grabbed a jar of olives from the grocery store shelf. “Jake loves olives so I’m gonna put them in the meatloaf.” She read the nutrition label and set the jar in the cart on a package of ground meat.
“Jake won’t know what hit him with this dinner, huh?” Dee scoffed, laying a container of dill pickles in her handbasket. “You’ve been talking about cooking for him for a week.” She flicked her long, wavy brown weave off her shoulder. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”
“It means a lot because I get to pamper him.” Lisa strutted through the aisle, patting the side of her Halle Berry haircut. “He’s always doing so much for me that cooking him a romantic dinner is the least I can do.” She stopped the cart in front of the seasoning section. “We haven’t had much time together in weeks due to the Gilbert case.”
“Oh, god.” Dee rolled her eyes. “Thank goodness that’s over with. I didn’t feel like myself when we were on it.”
“I know.”
They went to the next aisle.
“That’s the first murder case I ever worked with where I thought everyone involved was guilty.” Dee huffed. “Shit, for a while there I thought you were the killer.”
Lisa nudged her, grinning. “And what about your boyfriend?”
Dee stopped and glared at her. “Who?”
“Armando.” Lisa teased.
“Girl, don’t even play like that.”
“But he likes you.” Lisa grinned. “Since the case is over why don’t you give him a chance?”
“Lisa.” Dee raised her hand. “Don’t play.”
She laughed. “You’re single again so why not?”
“Maybe because he’s only twenty-two, and I’m thirty-seven. What do I want a boy for?”
Lisa cackled. “So you can teach him how to be a real man.”
“I don’t have time to be teaching nobody nothing. I need a man who already knows what he’s doing. Besides, I quit Grayson barely a month ago. Dating someone is the last thing on my mind and even if it wasn’t I wouldn’t be interested in Armando Urena.” Her cellphone rang, and she checked the screen. “Unknown number,” she mumbled, answering.
Lisa stopped the cart in front of the peanut butter section.
“Hello?” Dee spoke into the phone.
Someone cackled and hung up.
“I tell you.” Dee shook her head as she put her phone back in her purse. “Some folks have nothing better to do.”
“What was that about?”
“I don’t know.” Dee twirled her finger in her hair. “Some fool’s been calling my phone and hanging up.”
Lisa scanned the different brands of peanut butter. “How often?”
Dee shrugged. “I haven’t paid attention. Probably four or five times.”
“Four or five times and you hadn’t mentioned it?” Lisa got a container of nutty peanut butter. “Doesn’t it alarm you at all?”
Dee popped in chewing gum. “It’s just a prank caller.”
“How do you know that?” Lisa rearranged the items in her cart to make room. “This person could be some lunatic.”
“Don’t go making this a big deal. Prank calls happen all the time. Probably some teenager.”
“How did he get your number?” Lisa raised an eyebrow as they walked out the aisle. “This doesn’t concern you at all? You’re a cop.”
“You never got a prank call in your life?”
“Not four of five by the same person. You don’t care how this person got your number?”
“In this day and age anyone can get anyone’s number.” Dee dropped her shoulders, sighing. “Just let it go, Leece. You always make a mountain out of a molehill.”
“You’re my girl.” Lisa’s auburn lipstick complimented her smooth, brown skin. “I wanna make sure you’re okay.”
“I can take care of myself.” Dee pointed as they passed the bread aisle. “I guess I’ll make tacos tonight.” They went to the Mexican food section, and Dee got a package of whole-wheat flour tortillas. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Lisa shrieked, customers jerking around to look.
Dee covered her ears. “What in the world’s wrong with you?”
“You know my weakness.” Lisa zoomed the cart passed Dee and ended up in the pastry section.
“Oh, no.” Dee walked toward her, waving her finger. “You get enough cinnamon rolls at work. I swear you need rehab.”
“You might be right.” Lisa grabbed a box of the glazed treats. “I have withdrawals if I go one day without one. You can have one.”
“No thanks.” Dee caressed her curves. “I gotta make sure I stay tight and right and scarfing down cinnamon rolls doesn’t fit in with the plan.”
“I eat cinnamon rolls every day.” Lisa straightened up. “I’m tight and right.”
“But that caboose though.” Dee peeked at her ample backside. “Your butt gets any bigger, and it’s gonna need its own zip code.”
Lisa hit her arm. “Go to hell.”
Dee laughed. “You through?”
“Yeah.” Lisa wheeled her cart behind a line of four people at the register. “Thanks for helping me pick something to cook.”
Dee switched her basket to her other hand. “Speaking of you and Jake, things are super serious now, huh?”
Lisa grinned, avoiding eye contact.
“Man, I can’t believe you and Jake have been together almost a year.” Dee whistled, moving closer to the man in front of them. “It seems like only yesterday you guys met.”
Lisa cocked her head with a dazed expression. “After Mason I never thought I’d find a man so wonderful. Jake’s so considerate. He makes me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. I can’t imagine my life without him.”
“Well, the way things are you won’t have to.” Dee winked. “How serious you think this is gonna get? Marriage?”
“Marriage?” Lisa chuckled. “I never thought about it. That’s another thing Mason made me question. I wanted to marry him.”
“You didn’t need to marry his ass, but Jake’s a great guy.” Dee noticed the man behind the counter winking at her. She gave a slight smile then turned her attention back to Lisa. “Would you marry Jake?”
“Not right now because I’m not ready.”
“Hm.” Dee poked out her lips. “You got a wonderful man that any woman would kill for and you’re not ready?”
Lisa shrugged, inching her cart up when the line moved.
“Something doesn’t make sense,” Dee said. “How could you not be ready? What are you waiting for?”
“It’s too soon that’s all.” Lisa laid groceries on the counter.
“Winston Lewis wouldn’t have anything to do with that would he?”
Lisa exhaled, pressing her lips together. “There’s nothing going on with Winston.”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“I spelled it out to Winston a long time ago. He knows nothing will happen between us and he’s accepted that.”
“Yeah but you told him that many times, but you still got tempted.”
“But nothing ever happened,” Lisa snapped. “Jake’s the man I want. Yes, I’m attracted to Winston, but I’m not letting anything ruin my relationship with Jake. I love him.”
Dee watched from the corner of her eyes. “It’s not that easy.”
“Look who’s talking.” Lisa sighed. “Aren’t you the one who’s in love with Winston but too afraid to admit it? It’s been months, Dee. When are you gonna make a move?”
“On Winston?” She batted her eyes. “Since when does Dee Quarter run after a man? Especially one pining over another woman? That’s not my style.”
“Have a nice day,” the male cashier said to the man in front of Dee and Lisa. His wide smile returned when he looked at Dee. “Well, hello.”
“Hel...” Dee glanced at Lisa. “Hello.” She set her basket on the counter.
“Will this be all for you?” he asked, staring.
“Yes.” Dee looked at Lisa again.
Lisa shrugged as if she found the man’s behavior odd too.
He rang the items up but instead of giving Dee a total, he stared at her.
She got out her debit card. “How much do I owe you?”
“Tell you what.” He took her hand. “It’s on the house if you let me take you out after I get off.”
“What?” Lisa grimaced.
“What the hell?” Dee snatched her hand back. “What’s your problem?”
“Just wanna give you a break, sweet thing.” He dragged his tongue across his teeth. “I get off in about an hour. How about you and me get together?”
“How about your ass back up and tell me how much money I owe you? I don’t need this shit.”
He smirked. “From what I hear you need something else.”
Dee tilted her head. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“We don’t have all day, okay?” Lisa said. “Whatever you’re selling she’s not interested.”
The man mumbled, “That’s not what her profile said.”
“What?” Dee leaned forward. “What did you say?”
“Never mind.” He told Dee the total, and afterwards she waited aside while he checked Lisa out.
“That was strange as hell,” Lisa whispered.
Dee observed the man. “You’re telling me.”
“And what’s this about a profile?”
“I don’t know.” Dee scratched the side of her neck. “Maybe he’s a Facebook friend or something.”
“Whatever it is it’s strange,” Lisa muttered.