Keeping It in the Family (Linstead)

Chapter 40

During a text conversation late the previous night, Jay and Erin had arranged to meet up for breakfast before going into work.

Jay had arrived first, and settled himself into a booth at the diner he had chosen for what he supposed was a date of sorts. He hoped Erin would be in a good mood when she arrived, but imagined it was more likely that she wouldn't be, given that she was going to be up before Superintendent Kelton over the Martinez mess. He didn't envy that appointment at all.

Only a couple of minutes after he sat down, Erin walked in. She was wearing her uniform, which he couldn't help finding seriously attractive. It was the first time he had seen her actually wear the rank of sergeant, and that made him proud of her. She smiled as she walked over, which was a good start.

"Hey. Good morning," he said, standing to greet her.

"Morning. How are you?" She kissed him on the lips.

"I'm good. You look great in uniform, I must say."

"Thanks. Shame I only have to wear it when I'm about to get my ass kicked all over Kelton's office."

"It won't be that bad, Er."

"You sound more confident than I am," she grumbled, taking a seat in the booth.

"How's Hank?" he asked as he sat opposite her, deciding a subject change might be a good idea.

It brought a smile to her face right away. "He's good. He's got himself some consulting work that he can do from home, working at his own pace. He was very pleased about it."

"That's great," Jay said, smiling. He owed a lot to Hank Voight, and genuinely wished him nothing but the best. The way his career had been stolen from him by his stroke was truly awful. The man had deserved to reach retirement age and leave Intelligence with dignity. But life often wasn't fair, unfortunately.

"He asked about the undercover job, and I told him all about it."

"Hopefully not all about it. A few things happened at the safe house that I wouldn't be keen on him knowing."

"Jay!" Erin cried, laughing. It was the exact reaction he had hoped for in his attempt to lighten the mood.

A waitress chose that moment to come over for their order, intruding before he could make a joke about a broken bed. Jay had the advantage of knowing what he wanted to order, having eaten at the diner before. Erin had to quickly pick up a menu. Jay began by ordering coffee for them both.

"Anything to eat?" the waitress asked.

"Yeah. I'll get the All-American breakfast, please," Jay said.

"And I'll get a ham and cheese omelette," Erin added.

"Coming up," the waitress said cheerfully, leaving them to it.

"So what did Hank have to say about the operation, and the mess it turned into?"

Erin sighed. "He said sometimes things go sideways no matter what you do. Other times they go sideways because someone screws up. These things happen. Part of being a sergeant is knowing how to deal with all eventualities when they happen."

"You told him about Purrazzo's ill-judged usage of her initiative?"

Erin grunted a laugh. "Interesting way you put that. Yes, I told him about it. And I told him I could have just as easily fired her when I decided not to."

"What made you go with keeping her?" It was an answer he very much wanted. He was glad his partner and understudy was staying, but he wasn't the one running the unit. He wanted to understand how Erin's mind worked when she was making decisions as a sergeant.