Simply Be Mine Matchmakers

6. A Painting Class

Even though he knew he would be walking Kojo alone, Tim arrived at the pet shelter and checked his surroundings in the hopes Lucy would reach to touch the handle at the same time as him like they had before. He put on a bright face for Kojo that did turn genuine after walking for a block together. Still, the empty space beside him where Lucy usually occupied made him miss her, especially after the practice date they shared the night before.

The practice date that did not feel like practice at all.

Because it felt like more than practice, Tim did not want to treat it as such, so he decided to do the gentlemanly thing he always did after a good first date. He called Lucy.

Jackson heard the phone ring before he saw Lucy blazing down the corridor from the office break room with a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. He watched through the glass walls of his office as she looked at her device, then her face lit up, and finally she answered the call with a warm, "Hi, Tim. I was just about to text you." Jackson refused to eavesdrop, but his brief observations were enough to know that SOMETHING was brewing between them.

Tim was surprised by her greeting and asked, "Really?" He wondered if she had changed her mind about identifying their time together at the food trucks as a "practice".

"Yeah, since now I know you're ready, I have your details for your first date ready."

Disappointed, but not surprised, he replied, "Right. My date."

She set down her coffee cup, composed a text, and sent it before putting her phone back to her ear. "I just texted you what you need to know. Were you that excited about your first date that you called me to make sure I was on top of it?"

"No, I wanted to say thank you for last night. I had a good time."

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. "Me, too." She leaned against her desk and said, "You know, you didn't have to call me like it was a real date, and you don't get extra credit for doing something so sweet."

"I really just wanted to say that seeing you was nice...wait, extra credit? I didn't think I was being graded." He heard her giggle into the phone, and that made him grin.

"So, you're telling me you're naturally such a gentleman? Wow, Rachel is a lucky girl."

"Who's Rachel?"

"Your date this Saturday night. Check your texts."

He pulled his phone away from his ear to read the name of his date, time and day they would meet, and location. "Wait, a painting class? No, Lucy, I'm not going to a painting class on a first date."

"Why not? It'll be fun, creative, and a good icebreaker."

"I didn't need an icebreaker last night."

"That's because we click, but I can't be sure it'll be the same when you go out with Rachel."

Appreciating that she at least admitted they "clicked", Tim said, "I thought it was a practice date."

"It was, but you and I get along well regardless. I mean, it makes sense, since we were partners on the force."

He rolled his eyes despite the fact that she was not there to witness it. "You were my ride along for ONE shift, and no one says 'on the force'. Where do you get your cop terms from?"

"My time on the force," she replied deadpan. There was silence on the other end, but Lucy was fairly certain he was scowling at her. Then, she heard a dog barking. "Are you with Kojo?"

"Yeah, I told you last night I'm taking him for a longer walk today, since I'm off shift."

"Oh, give him a kiss from me. I'm sure he misses me."