Beauty & The Beast (Book 1)

23. Live your life

Cat found Tess the moment she got back from lunch and explained what she figured out. That Amy was erasing herself, not being erased.

"That might explain what the system kicked out when I reran the prints," Evan says, joining them. "Her name's not Amy." He takes out the information he'd found. "Amy's real name is Lily Carter. Besides this driver's license there's no other record of Lily's existence before the age of 18. No birth certificate, no social security number, no school records." He turns to face the monitors he'd led them to and starts typing.

"Yeah," Cat eyes his outfit. A grey suit and shirt with a blue tie. "If we're keeping you from your hot date - "

"Oh, that's not a problem, she's waiting for me," he assures her. She purses her lips while he smiles.

"Chandler! Vargas!" Joe calls them up to his office, cutting them short.

**********

JT headed down the stairs of the chem building, acting sketchy because that's what he was being. He had supplies for the analogue blocker in a see through plastic container, rushing to get to his car.

"JT Forbes!" He stops when his name is called and some of the items spill over and out onto the floor. He looks at it and back at Sarah.

"Sarah hey," he chuckles nervously and puts the container on the floor so he can pick up what fell out. "I uh, am, sure you're wondering what I'm doing?"

"Yeah, you've been staring at me during staff meetings."

Not where he thought this was going. "Uhh...I - I wouldn't...I wouldn't call it staring, uhm...I'm far sighted so..." He shrugs.

She nods. "Oh, well I've asked around and apparently you don't have a girlfriend?" He stares at her. "Or any kind of life. Supposedly you show up to faculty functions alone," she smiles. JT wonders where this is going.

"So glad everyone's noticed." He was nervous. Both because he liked Sarah and because he was stealing.

"I kept waiting," Sarah shakes her head. "But..." She meets his eyes. "Do you want to go out for coffee sometime?"

JT blinked. Did she just ask him on a date? What should he say? He wants to ask if she's serious but he just laughs awkwardly. "I uh...I uhm...I uh...I gotta go."

And then he runs.

*

He tells Vincent about the incident the minute he gets home. Vincent is busy wrapping Catherine's present while he listens.

"What was I supposed to say?"

"How about, yes?" He looks at JT.

"Oh flake out Vincent," JT scoffs.

"Uh, finger," Vincent says, and JT comes over to hold the ribbon down in the middle so Vincent can tie it.

"Coffee leads to lunch, lunch leads to dinner, dinner leads to drinks and we all know where that leads."

"Exactly. And you could do with some of that."

"And what am I supposed to say after three months of dodging? She can't even come see my house because - ?"
JT questions.

"I don't know?" Vincent shrugs. "Because you live with your parents."

"Oh," JT nods. "That's studly. That'll get me laid thanks." He sits down next to Vincent on the sofa and sips from his beer.

"Okay what if she was trustworthy?" Vincent looks at JT. "If she was someone special that knew about us and understood?" he mentions this carefully.

JT stares at him. "I did that. Remember? I was that trustworthy friend. Lasted about a year."