The meal came off beautifully. The meatloaf was flavorful and moist; the four-cheese macaroni Hauck made was a ten.
Cutting into it, Annie joked, “If this police gig ever falls apart, you can definitely come to me for a job!”
Hauck exhaled. “Whew, that takes a load of pressure off my mind.”
He would have liked to have been able to tell her about Foley and the job offer he’d received, but he didn’t feel it was right. They did talk a little about where he came from, in Byron, how he got to Colby and then went on to becoming a cop. Briefly, how things fell apart for Beth and him after Norah died and how he ended up moving back up here.
Annie told him about her. How she had grown up in the Bay Area and met the guy of her dreams in college. “U of Michigan,” she said. “He had this dream of opening a restaurant out west and getting into the wine business. We went out to Healdsburg. I set the place up, planned the menus, did the kitchen…Even painted the goddamn walls. Once it proved to be a challenge, Richard just didn’t like being tied down to it. Sort of a pattern, I soon discovered—that commitment thing. We put our life savings into it—actually, my life savings! All the money in the world I got from my dad, who died when I was fifteen.”
“That’s too bad.”
“One day I woke up and found our accounts were down to zero. We owed every supplier three months in arrears. Richard cleaned us out. He had this little problem. You know, it involved a certain white powder and his nose. In the end he just bailed on me—with pretty much whatever we had left. Left me with a bunch of angry vendors and the place by myself—”
“And a son,” Hauck said.
“And a son. Jared’s nine now. He’s got some handicaps he’s got to deal with. He’s…” She put down her wine and seemed to stop. “I’ve made some mistakes. I wasn’t the perfect mother back then. I was broke. I wasn’t broke—I was over my head in debt and my husband had just walked out on me and I was trying to manage this place and Jared, by myself. I just got overwhelmed…” Annie frowned. “Everything just seemed to spill over. I couldn’t take care of him for a while. The state had to intervene. That’s not easy for me to say. He’s back in California with my mom. That’s why when this whole thing crashed down on me I was such a basket case. I need this thing to work out. I need to bring my son here. You have your daughter…”
“Every other weekend…”
“Then you understand. The good news is, I think he’s going to be able to finally come here with me. Before Christmas. I have a two-bedroom I’m renting. I’m trying to work it out that he can stay.”
“I’d like to meet him one day.” Hauck smiled.
“I’d like you to.” Annie’s eyes grew warm. “That would be nice. You know, you seem an okay guy, Lieutenant…And if I say so, not altogether terrible on the eyes…But that may be just the wine talking. Look at me, one night out of the shop and I turn into a total lush. I feel like I’m the one going through most of the wine.”
“That’s only because I have to be up at the crack of dawn in the morning.”
“What time is that?” she asked. “I’m usually at the fish market by six thirty.”
“Three A.M.”
“Three A.M.! That’s not the crack of dawn, Lieutenant. That’s the frigging dead of night. You have a second job you’re not telling me about?”
Hauck chuckled. “I’m actually heading up to Maine. It’s part of the case…”
“I thought this thing was all about gangs. I didn’t know they had gangs in Maine. I thought they just had lobsters.”
“It seems retired blackjack dealers as well.”
“Blackjack dealers?”
“I can’t tell you, Annie, so don’t even ask. I guess I could stop and pick you up a couple of four-pounders while I’m up there…”
“Sounds good. I’ll be sure to tell my supplier that I’m covered. So, look, why don’t I help you clean up a little then? I’m an even better dishwasher than a cook…”
Hauck grinned. “I’ve got chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Chunky Monkey ice cream.”
“Oh, God, you pulled out all the stops, huh?” She rolled her eyes amorously. “We could eat them while we wash…”
“Not a chance. This is your night off.” Hauck got up and picked up her plate.
“Jeez, why didn’t I meet you ten years ago…”
They took in the plates and Hauck put out the cookies and ice cream, and they dug into them directly out of the container, leaning on the counter, talking about restaurants and movies they liked.
And after ten, when Annie said maybe she should go and put on her parka and scarf and hat (“Still can’t get used to all this cold…”), she turned at the door, all bundled up, looking irresistible to Hauck.
“I meant to tell you”—he stepped up to her—“you’re not exactly bad on the eyes either.”
Annie shrugged. Her eyes glistened. “So we can call it a date, right? I just want to know so when I get in the car on my way home and think, That was really pretty nice, I won’t be wondering if this was some kind of lame excuse you came up with to get me to leave…”
“Yeah.” Hauck smiled. “I worked on it all day. You can call me if you want to check. I’ll be on the road by four.”
She looked in his eyes. “You could kiss me, you know. That would be okay. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
Hauck smiled. He looked into her mossy round eyes and leaned forward, pressing his lips softly to her mouth.
She placed her hand on his chest.
She was funny and vulnerable, he was thinking, and at the same time independent and strong. She had pulled her life together when it had fallen apart. And he liked that. He let his tongue peek through, and she did as well, meeting his. The kiss lingered. He was trying to decide if there were any sparks.
There were.
“Something to look forward to,” Annie said, as he pulled away. “Don’t worry. I won’t stalk you tomorrow. But you be safe up there. And don’t forget the lobsters…”
“Aye-aye.”
He watched her cross the street, waving once, and climb into her Prius. He waved back too, feeling an undeniable lift in his heart as she drove away.