Last Name -> Jay Halstead

Chapter 2- If You're The One She Lets In

Bess took Jay to her favorite cafe to talk more about the marriage. Once they ordered, Bess talking to the owner for a few minutes then they sat down at a table.

Bess got a notebook out of her backpack and started making a pros/cons list. "Pro: Family events to have a date and nosy co-workers"

"Con: We barely know eachother but we can fix that. Speaking of, what's your job?"

Bess replied while writing the con with a question mark next to it, "I work at the science and history museum as a curator."

"What is a curator?"

"We authenticate items to make sure they're the real deal in a collection. Now another pro?"

Their food and coffee comes so Bess puts down her pen to take a drink of the coffee. Jay starts eating his breakfast sandwich and puts it down when he's halfway through the sandwich. "No family members forcing a relationship down our throats even though that goes with the family events."

"No it doesn't because my grandma did annoy me trying to find someone until i found my fiance which turned into a crapshow." She added it under the pros side.

"Con: We might hate eachother by the halfway point or the end of this and be stuck together then never talk to eachother again." Jay takes a drink of his coffee.

"That's a bet i'm willing to take." Bess grins at him and Jay smiles at the look on her face.

"Okay break from the pro/con list. Who are the members of your family?" Bess pushes the list away from her and takes a bite of her blueberry scone.

"My brother's name is Will and he's a doctor. My dad's name is Pat but he and I don't get along that well. What about you?" Jay sits up straighter, taking a sip of his coffee.

"My parents Luke and Miranda live in North Carolina where i'm from originally but I moved here for my job and to be near my aunt Trudy."

"If you don't mind me asking because this might come up, why did you break up with your fiance? If you don't want to tell me it's fine."

"He was controlling. First it was getting mad when I got home from work a few minutes late and picking what movie we watched all the time but then he started wanting to know who I was going out with and wanting to come with me to every outing I had with my friends if a guy was going to be there. I felt like I couldn't have a moment to myself. I could not do anything without him being there. And he told me to stop wearing sneakers because they were too boyish and he told me to wear my hair straight because it makes me look better. Then yesterday he said I couldn't go to my aunt's house because he thought it was a code for meeting another guy and when I said I could do whatever I want he threw a glass at the wall near my head. That was enough." Bess looked down at her half eaten scone.

Jay leaned across the table to put his hand in hers. "I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve any of that."

Bess looked up and smiled softly at him. She held his hand while taking a sip of coffee to collect herself and her thoughts, "Did you go to college?"

"No. I enlisted in the army after high school then the police academy."

"What rank are you? Police I mean."

"Detective."

"Nice! When I was younger, I wanted to be one but my aunt said I would have to go through the police academy so I said no."

Jay laughs, "You didn't want to?"

"Heck no! Too much work and too much running."

Jay smiles, "Did you go to college?"