Help Me Heal

Chapter 13

The coffee shop that Kalinda had selected for the morning meetup, or maybe it was a date, was different to the one Hank had previously chosen. It was a place he hadn't been to before, so he had no idea if it was good or not. In any event, the important thing was the company he would have, not the coffee.

When he walked in, Hank found the place mostly full, but not completely. He was greeted with very welcome warm air and the pleasant smell of fresh coffee. Kalinda was already at a table, he saw, facing towards the entrance. She smiled when she saw him. To Hank, she looked as stunning as ever, albeit with the continued use of the hair style he disliked. Today she had a black leather jacket on, currently opened as a concession to the shop's warmth, with some kind of red top on underneath. No doubt there were leather boots too, but he couldn't see under the table.

"Morning. Never been here before," was Hank's opener when he approached the table.

"Good morning," Kalinda said, looking a bit uncertain. Hank got the impression that she had been caught in two minds over whether to get up and greet him with a kiss, deciding against it. He would have liked it if the decision had gone the other way, but he took off his coat and sat down while she continued talking.

"Neither have I. My friend recommend it. Apparently she comes here to grab breakfast sometimes. I've already ordered coffee for us. Hope I was right to order what you got last time we did this?"

"That works," Hank said with a smile, consciously reminding himself to do that more when he talked to her on a personal level. Sadly, it just didn't come naturally to him. "Did you enjoy your night last night?"

"I did. Had a few drinks and some laughs. Best of all, I got a lead on an apartment that a friend of a friend owns. It's vacant and on the rental market right now. He said he'd instruct the real estate agent he's using to show it to me tonight, and to make sure I have first refusal on it. I was wondering if you would come and view it with me? Having a man's eye cast over can't be a bad idea."

He realised that she probably wanted him to look over the plumbing, electrics, and check for any other defects to make sure she wasn't moving into a shit tip with a layer of new paint over it to make it look good for a casual inspection. That was a wise move on her part, and one he could help with.

"Can do. I don't have anything planned tonight. Dinner afterwards?"

Kalinda smiled broadly, and her eyes gleamed. It was a beautiful sight. "You're a smooth operator, Mr Voight."

Hank said nothing, but he couldn't quite stop a hint of a smile breaking out.

"Look at your face!" she cried, laughing. "A quick way to talk yourself into a dinner date. Like I said, smoothly done."

"Is that a yes?" he asked, playing it cool. That he could do well.

"It's a yes. Of course."

"Good," Hank said, feeling pleased with himself as their coffee arrived.

-----

Later, in the bullpen, an occasion had arisen for Hank to order the house of a suspect in their current case to be searched on suspicion of possessing illegal firearms. It was possible, in fact likely, that the suspect would be armed and dangerous. Before selecting who he was going to assign to the task, Hank caught himself hesitating for a moment when considering sending Kalinda.

Quickly, he reprimanded himself. He couldn't do that, and also she would not want him to if she realised he was doing it. At work, he was the sergeant and she was one of his detectives. Not just one of them, but the most experienced on his team. He had to be actively looking to have her involved in these situations, not to try and keep her away from them.