Gun Shy

by Lori L. Lake

  In an offhand manner, Dez said. “I’ll watch to see that you get to your car safely.”

  “Hey, I’m a cop. Nobody messes with us, right?” Jaylynn shut the door and walked around the side of the house to the front. In the warm August night, she heard a mosquito buzzing nearby and smelled Luella’s overgrown lilac bush. As she moved along the front walk, she glanced back at the house to see the outline of a dark head in the window. She raised one hand in a quick wave, reached her car, and headed home.

  On the way to her house, the evening’s events went round and round in her head. She thought about Dez, about her performance, about her physique. And she recalled the years and years of dreams and nightmares she’d always had. She no longer had any doubt that her Hero and Desiree Reilly were, somehow, by some strange destiny or coincidence, one and the same. How amazingly different the usually alabaster-skinned woman looked with a tan and most of her clothes off. Jaylynn felt a lecherous grin tweak her lips. Dez looked positively delicious, fit to eat. A shiver ran down her neck, and she smiled sheepishly and told herself to stop being so naughty.

  Back at the house, she saw Sara was still up. As usual, nearly every light in the house was on, and she couldn’t wait to talk to her best friend. She parked next to Tim’s old beater and skipped up the walk. She found Tim and Sara huddled on the couch watching a Mary Tyler Moore rerun. When she burst around the corner, they both looked up and simultaneously asked, “Did she win?”

  “Yup. She won everything—her weight class, the pairs trophy, and all-around. And she really was the best. You guys should’ve been there. She was incredible. Wish I’d had a camera.” She plopped down on the end of the couch, tucked her legs under her, and faced them with glee.

  Tim clicked off the TV with the remote. “It sure ran late. It’s like almost two now.”

  “I went back to Dez and Luella’s place and found a great party with about a million people at it.” Jaylynn grinned as she hugged her knees to her chest. “We all had a blast.”

  Sara said, “Hmmm. Do tell. You look way too happy to be real.”

  “I am happy. I’ve never seen Dez quite like this, so open, so relaxed. I mean, she even cried on stage.”

  “What?” Tim and Sara exclaimed at the same time.

  “You guys sound like a Greek Chorus,” Jaylynn said, and she went on to tell them about all of the events of the evening. As she finished her narration, she stretched her legs out over Tim’s lap and pressed her feet against Sara’s, sole to sole.

  Tim said, “Girls, girls! You’re squishing me.” He shifted and pushed their legs aside, and both women ended up putting their legs on the coffee table. “So, she gave you a great goodbye hug. She should have given you money for how patient you were all day.”

  “Oh, Tim,” Sara said. She gazed at Jaylynn and rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind him. He and Kevin had a lover’s quarrel.”

  “We did not,” Tim protested.

  “What do you call screaming at him on the front porch and then slamming the door in his face?”

  Disgruntled, he said, “Whatever. He’ll probably apologize tomorrow.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared forlornly at the wall.

  Jaylynn poked him in the arm. “Quit being so stubborn. Go call him now. You know he’ll be over here in minutes. Why does he have to be the one to apologize?”

  “Geez, Jay,” Tim said, “you don’t even know what the argument was about!”

  She smiled at him. “I’m telling you, life’s too short to sit here stewing over some dumb disagreement. You love the guy. Go call him.”

  “I’ll call him when I’m good and ready.” He continued to sit there seething.

  “Back to you, Jay,” Sara said, rolling her eyes. “What else happened? Tell me more about this hug.”

  Tim stood and stepped over Jaylynn’s outstretched legs. She pinched him on the thigh. “Gonna go call lover boy? I’m telling you, you’ll be thanking me for the encouragement.”

  In a grumpy voice, he said, “Like your love life is going so well.”

  “I’m hopeful,” she said, and she slapped him on the butt as he passed her by.

  Sara stretched her legs out on the couch. “Okay, tell me all the nitty-gritty details. What about this hug?”

  “It was a great hug! You know how there are three types of hugs?”

  Sara tipped her head to the side and gave Jaylynn a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”

  “Think about it. There’s the quick, shoulders-only kind of hug between people who are sort of doing the obligatory thing. Sometimes one person is even turned a bit to the side. Know what I mean?”

  Sara nodded.

  “Then there’s that upper body one where maybe the front of you presses a bit, but it’s brief, friendly, respectful?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And then there’s the last kind.” Jaylynn smiled.

  “And that would be?”

  “The one where you’re enfolded in an embrace that goes from shoulders to chest to hips to thighs. Whew! It’s intense.”

  With a twinkle in her eye, Sara said, “Am I to assume the latter was the variation you experienced?”

  Jaylynn was nodding before the question even ended. “But maybe I’m giving it too much credence. I really don’t know. But I am calling to ask her to a movie tomorrow.”

  “Why don’t you have her over for dinner? In fact, why don’t I make you guys dinner one day next week? Do you know that in just nine days it’s the one year anniversary of you meeting her for the first time?”

  Jaylynn stopped and thought for a moment. “That’s amazing. I can hardly believe a whole year has passed.” From the kitchen she heard the murmur of Tim’s voice as he spoke on the phone. She lowered her voice and said, “I don’t know how much longer Tim is will live here, Sara. Either he’s moving out, or else Kevin will need to move in. He practically lives here now. What do you think of that?”

  “I’ve considered that lately, too. Kevin can move in. I don’t mind. The more the merrier.” With a wicked smile on her face she said, “You can have Dez move in, too, for all I care.”

  “I think you’re jumping the gun a bit.”

  “Maybe. Will you ask her over for a thank you dinner from me? I’ll make you those barbecue chicken wings you like so much.”

  “Okay. I’ll ask.”

  Tim returned to the room. He ran his hands through his red hair and did a cannonball jump over the back of the couch and slid down between them.

  Sara rolled her eyes. “Guess who’s on the way over?”

  He smiled. “Yup.”

  With menace in her voice Jaylynn said, “And who gets thanks for the suggestion?” He stared at her with a blank look on his face.

  Jaylynn rose up to kneel on the couch and looked at Sara, raising her eyebrows. Both women attacked at once, tickling him mercilessly until he begged for mercy and forgiveness.

  On Sunday, Dez and Jaylynn went to see the latest Star Wars movie and then walked around Como Lake in the bright sunshine. Though humid, the temperature was surprisingly mild.

  Jaylynn said, “I didn’t like that one as much as the other three.”

  “Me neither. I figured out too fast about the queen.”

  “Yeah, I kept wondering why they’d have all these short little brown-haired attendants who looked just like the queen. I wondered if maybe it was bad casting at first. But the kid was cute.”

  “Too bad he grows up to be the evil Darth Vader.”

  They kept the conversation light as they made two loops around the lake. Jaylynn could tell Dez was tired. “Did you sleep well after yesterday’s hoopla?”

  Dez shook her head. “Nah. Maybe tonight.”

  “You should go see Dr. Goldman. She does great visualization exercises. Helps me with my nightmares.”

  Dez glanced down at Jaylynn affectionately. “Bad enough that the lieutenant made me go see her after I got shot. I’d prefer not having to go again.”

  Jaylynn stop
ped on the path and put her hands on her hips. “What is it with all you tough-ass cops? How come none of you ever want to talk about your feelings?” She tapped her foot on the ground. “And I want a serious answer.”

  With an amused expression on her face, Dez said, “I dunno. She’s a stranger.” She bent over and picked up a round rock from beside the path and pitched it into the lake. When she looked back, Jaylynn was still waiting patiently. “If I wanted to talk about stuff, I’d tell Luella. Or maybe you. Not some nosy shrink.”

  Jaylynn sighed and shook her head. “You are incorrigible.” She dropped her hands from her sides and started walking again.

  In three long strides Dez caught up with her. “Hey, not everyone can process things the way you can.”

  “Sure they can. Just takes practice.”

  “Geez, Jay, there are a lot of other much more pleasant things to practice than that sort of junk!”

  “Now, why do you say that?”

  Dez shrugged, though Jaylynn didn’t see it.

  In an irritated voice, Jaylynn said, “There’s processing—and there’s not processing. How come everyone thinks I’m crazy for wanting to avoid the latter?”

  Dez frowned. “Maybe they’re jealous.”

  “Why? Makes no sense to me.”

  “There’s a lot of shit in this job, Jay. Not everyone can deal with it head-on like you do. Sometimes it’s easier to just not think about things.”

  “But it’s self-preservation for me. If I don’t deal with this stuff, I have terrible dreams. Why is that so weird?”

  “Hmm, never thought of it that way.” She smacked at a mosquito that came to rest on her forearm. “The damn bugs are coming out. I better head home before I’m eaten alive.” They stopped on the path near the stone arch. “See you at work Wednesday?”

  Jaylynn nodded. “Sure. Hope you sleep better tonight.”

  “Yeah, me, too. See ya, Jay.”

  They parted. Dez crossed the street without looking back and set out toward home. Jaylynn headed on around the lake. She decided to put in a few running laps and started off at a slow jog. Jaylynn was puzzled as to why she seemed to be one of the only cops willing to discuss how the job—and other things—made them feel. At least Oster talked to her a bit. He was the exception. No one else did. Didn’t the rest of them feel like they would explode otherwise? She picked up her pace and fell into a good rhythm. She decided she wasn’t changing for the rest of them, not even for Dez. If Jaylynn wanted to see Goldman every single day, she would.

  Not until she was on her third lap did she recall Sara’s dinner invitation. Oh well. I’ll ask Dez at work.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  On patrol Wednesday night, Jaylynn told Dez about Sara’s dinner request and asked her if she wanted to come over. For some reason she didn’t understand, she expected Dez to beg off. So she was taken aback when Dez said, “Sure. When?”

  Surprised, she said, “Gosh, I don’t know exactly when, but she mentioned one day next week. I’ll check with Sara. What works for you?”

  Dez shrugged. “Whenever. I guess Monday or Tuesday since that’s when we’re off.”

  Jaylynn nodded. “I told her you’re a picky eater—”

  “No, I’m not!” Dez said with more vehemence than Jaylynn expected. In a softer voice, she said, “Not so much anymore.”

  “Give me a break. So you’re eating a few carbs now—big woo! You still don’t eat things normal people eat.” She paused and pointed out through the windshield. “Hey! Check out that Volvo. Is that the one on the hot sheet?” She grabbed the sheaf of pages they kept on the seat between them and flipped on the center light.

  Dez hit the gas and inched closer to an orange station wagon. “Nah, the other one had Zero-Two-Four in the license number, and I think it was blue.”

  Exasperated, Jaylynn perused the hot sheet. “How do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Remember the dinky details like that?”

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t change much from night to night. You drop a couple cars from your memory and add a couple.” She passed the Volvo and turned right onto University. “And I’ll have you know I’ve gained eight pounds already, so don’t be telling me I eat weird.”

  Jaylynn had indeed noticed her partner’s face had taken on a less gaunt appearance since the weekend bodybuilding competition. She reached across the seat and gripped Dez’s upper arm. Dez gave her a startled sideways glance.

  Jaylynn said, “Yes, I did notice. You look much healthier now. You were looking kind of haunted before.” She let go of the short-sleeved arm, but not before she squeezed the tight muscle there. “You’re still solid as a rock.”

  Dez made a squinty face and flexed her right arm. “Damn right.”

  Tuesday night found Dez parking in front of the stucco house and making her way up a cracked front walk bordered with freshly mowed lawn. The day was once again humid, and the evening promised more of the same, with the unfortunate addition of mosquitoes. She slapped at one and juggled the items she carried, a bottle of Chablis and a six-pack of Twinkies. She was happy she’d worn shorts, a tank top, and sandals because, if she remembered correctly, the old house didn’t have air conditioning.

  Before she could reach the top of the cement stairs, the screen door was thrown open and a familiar head poked out into the late afternoon light. “Whatcha got there?”

  She stepped up to the top stair. “I didn’t know what we were having, but I brought some wine, and I thought a special dessert was in order.” She waved the package in Jaylynn’s face.

  “Twinkies? You wouldn’t—”

  Dez silenced her by running a big hand through Jaylynn’s hair and messing it up, smirking as she sidled past. Out of the corner of her eye she took in the golden tan displayed quite nicely by cut-off jeans and a sleeveless white shirt. The shirt tightened against Jaylynn’s body as she ducked and shifted away with a smile on her face. Dez said, “I may surprise you yet.”

  Jaylynn took hold of Dez’s arm. “Believe me when I say you already keep me in constant amazement.” She led Dez into the living room where Tim was lounging bare-chested in crazy-colored boxer shorts. He sat in front of the oscillating fan looking miserably hot.

  Jaylynn said, “He just finished mowing the lawn.”

  Tim replied, “Yeah, and I don’t think I’ll ever recover. Hi, Dez.” She nodded and smiled as he fanned himself with a Cosmopolitan magazine. Dez resisted the urge to ask if the Cosmo was his or Sara’s. She was pretty sure it wouldn’t be Jaylynn’s.

  “You are full of surprises,” Jaylynn said. “I’m surprised enough for one night that you showed up with alcohol. I didn’t think you ever drank.”

  “I’ve been known to tip a few upon occasion.”

  She handed the bottle to Jaylynn who accepted it and pointed the bottle at her red-haired friend. “Tim, go take a cool shower. Go on. You’ll feel much better.” He grumbled, but rose with a groan and padded off to the staircase. Jaylynn said, “Sara’s in the kitchen. Come on. Let’s get some wine glasses and drink it with dinner.”

  A short time later, the four of them sat down at the picnic table in the backyard near the grill, which was emitting considerable heat. The sun no longer burned so hot and was rapidly falling behind the stand of evergreens across the alley, though rays of bright light still streamed through. Sara had placed four citronella candles at the corners of the picnic table and lit them to ward off the bugs. On the menu were teriyaki chicken wings, brown and white rice, corn on the cob, and a green salad laced with chunks of cucumber, tomato, and broccoli florets.

  Sara and Jaylynn settled in on one side of the table. Dez sat across from Jaylynn with Tim beside her. As she dug into a generous helping of salad, Tim popped up from the table and stepped over the picnic bench. “Forgot the salad dressing,” he said. “Anyone want thousand island?”

  “Sure,” Sara and Jaylynn said in unison. He ambled off toward the back door.

 
Dez asked, “He works at a restaurant, right?”

  Both women nodded and looked at one another. Jaylynn’s mouth was full, so Sara said, “He wants to be a chef someday. Right now he’s in charge of salad prep and is trying to get into a culinary school.”

  The kitchen screen banged open and Tim emerged juggling several bottles of dressing. He stood at the head of the picnic table and set out seven bottles.

  With a smile on her face, Jaylynn said, “That’s a lot of thousand island.”

  He replied, “It’s not just thousand island. We’ve got bottles and bottles of this stuff. What do you girls do—buy another jar every time you make a salad?”

  Jaylynn picked up the tongs and rose as she said, “Yup. And every time we make a steak we buy another bottle of steak sauce.”

  Sara said, “And every time we get a hair cut we buy a new brush. It’s a girl thing.”

  Jaylynn laughed out loud and moved over toward the grill. As she passed Tim she poked him in the butt with the tongs and giggled some more. She lifted the lid off the grill and busied herself flipping over the chicken wings.

  Tim moved around the side of the table and startled Dez by putting his hands on her shoulders. He leaned his face down close to her ear and quickly whispered, “Jay’s birthday is next week. Will you help us with the surprise party?” When she nodded, he glanced up to ensure Jaylynn’s back was still to them. He squeezed Dez’s shoulders and stepped back over the bench to settle in next to her. Casting a conspiratorial glance at Sara and back at Dez, he waited until she choked down the bite she was chewing.

  “Details?” Dez asked.

  He whispered back, “Later.”

  Sara jumped right in. “Tim, we were just telling Dez about your salad work at the restaurant. I think she’d be interested to hear about your new job.”

  “Yeah,” Dez said dryly. “Which restaurant do you work at?” She spoke to Tim but her eyes followed Jaylynn as she bent to pick up the grill cover, replaced it, and then came back over to the table. Jaylynn’s eyes flicked toward Dez and caught her looking. She smiled and blushed ever so slightly, regarding Dez with amusement and giving her the tiniest little wink.