Longmire: Second Chances

Chapter 5: Thawing Out

V

Vic's studies at BC were going well. She was pretty much acing all her classes at this point, yet she knew this was the easy part. She had a good foundation of the law in being a cop and a deputy, and she knew she could transition to the courtroom side of the equation. It would take a few years, but she was confident that she'd make it.

Vic found herself eyeing one of the guys who was in two of her four classes. And he had been eyeing her as well. She was closing in on forty, but felt like a school girl with this classroom flirtation. He was good looking, and she knew she was good looking.

Near the end of the semester, she finally worked up the nerve to go up and talk to him. "Hey there", she said cheerily, "You now we've been glancing at each other for nine weeks, I think it's about time we actually, ya know, introduce ourselves?"

She hadn't caught him off-guard, as he'd been eyeing her when she made her way over, "Yeah, I think maybe that would be a good idea. I'm Jason Slater." He extended his hand to Vic.

"Victoria Moretti, Jason, it's good to finally know that we both can talk", and she flashed that electric smile of hers that had always melted men everywhere. Vic could see her smile had turned his face a little red, "How'd you like to get a bite to eat?"

"I think I'd like that", Jason said with a smile.

They went to a pizza joint just across the street from where their class was held. Jason was about six feet tall, built like an NBA Point Guard, with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes that Vic found instantly intoxicating. He was only twenty-five but that kind of intrigued Vic, after Sean and Walt, maybe some youth in her life would serve her well.

"Can you guess how old I am, Jason?", she said with a grin, then chomping down on a bite of pepperoni pizza.

Jason studied her for a moment. He had never seen eyes with the color that Victoria had-they were almost golden. And her smile...he had never seen one like it. "Hmm", he said, eyeing her, "I'd say you're about the same age as me? Maybe a little older."

Vic gave forth her sultry laugh, "Wrong, Counselor", and that made him laugh, "I'm thirty nine, cowboy."

His eyes bugged out of their sockets, "There is no way in hell you're almost forty, Victoria!" He truly couldn't believe it.

"Well, I ain't lying", she said with a laugh, "Ever dated an older woman before?"

The look in her eye let Jason know that she was instantly interested in...getting to know him better. He was never one to rush with a woman, but in her case, he might make an exception. "Maybe one year older, like when I was a junior in High School, does that count?"

Vic laughed, "A senior in High School isn't a woman, Jason." The look in her eyes was like nothing he had ever seen. It was mesmerizing.

"You know, Victoria..", but she interrupted him.

"Call me Vic", she said easily.

"You know...Vic...If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying get me to go out with you?"

Vic leaned in and looked him dead in the eye, "How about Friday night, maybe dinner and dancing?"

Jason smiled at him, but behind his smile he was thinking, She's gonna eat me alive...

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Walt was still hurt by what he had heard about Vic, but his mind immediately went to work, using his experience as a law enforcement officer to try and find the clues to where Vic could be. He became obsessed with finding her.