Starting Over (A Linstead Story)

Chapter 5

"Have you said anything to Will about me?" was Jess's opener when they had settled into the booth. "Assuming you're in contact with him of course. Guess I shouldn't assume anything about either of you at this stage. Such an odd situation we're in, isn't it?"

Jay sipped some of his beer. "It sure is. But I don't find it odd in a bad way. Since I got over the initial shock, I've been looking forward to learning more about you. As for Will, I've not said anything to him yet. Figured I'd wait until after tonight so that I had more to tell him about you."

Her expression showed she thought that made sense. "You guys are on good terms then? Does he live in Chicago? All I know at the moment is he no longer works at Chicago Med."

"Yeah, this is where I've got some bad news for you. He left Chicago to move with his partner, another doctor called Natalie. Then, a few months ago she got a job offer in Germany for ridiculous money, so they've moved over there. You'll probably have to fly to Europe if you want to meet him in person."

"Well that sucks. You don't think he'll come back to visit some time?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it. There's no beef between us, but we're not close. Never have been. Besides, he's a doctor. They're always a bit self-absorbed in my opinion. He's over there doing his thing, and good luck to him. That might have sounded like I'm talking him down a bit, but that's not my intention. I figure it's best to be honest with you about what to expect."

Jess drank some beer and considered that. "Honesty is best for sure," she said eventually. "Getting to know each other and maybe connect as siblings is going to take time. Openness and honesty will help the process. So, what can you tell me about yourself? You're a cop, obviously."

"I am," he said with a smile, before going on to lay out his working history - starting with his service in the army, to joining the police, to being selected for Intelligence, through leaving Intelligence for Bolivia, before finally coming back to the unit again. Jess listened to it all attentively while working on her beer.

"That's some story, Jay. You're obviously a very courageous and talented man. Do you have a partner on that roller coaster ride with you? Any kids?"

Only then did Jay consider that Jess might have kids. There was no wedding ring on her finger, he had already checked that.

"No kids," he said. "There is someone in my life. Erin." He went on to briefly tell her that story, conscious of how much of the time was being spent talking about him.

Jess laughed when he finished the story by saying he'd had a successful first date with Erin on their latest attempt at a relationship the previous night. "So I showed up in the morning, then you had a big date in the evening. Quite a day that must have been."

"And then some," Jay said, also laughing. There was a good vibe between them already, which he was really pleased about. "So, enough about me for a while. Do you have a partner? Kids?"

"No to both," she said with a hint of regret. "I've been single for almost a year now. The guy I was with wanted more time from me than he was ever going to get, so we had to go our separate ways. I've not had much time for dating since, mainly for the reason that relationship failed: I work a lot."

Jay drained his beer. "Do you want another drink? Then you can tell me about being a crime scene cleaner. That's something I've been looking forward to learning about."

Jess chuckled. "That's one perk of the job - everyone wants to talk about it when they meet me. Yes, I'll have another drink. It's my turn to get them though. Same again?"

"Please," Jay said pleasantly.

She got up and headed for the bar. Jay took out his phone and found a text from Erin asking how it was going. He quickly replied, saying it was going well and he liked his first impressions of Jess, but it still didn't feel like he was talking to a sister. Those feelings and that bond would take time to build, he thought, assuming it happened at all.