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O’Malley’s pub was a classic Irish bar, full of deep mahogany furnishings, tricolours, and quaint charm. Declan O’Malley had mounted TVs in every corner and, with the plethora of sports channels, he drew a modest crowd every night. Tonight’s sport of choice involved a bunch of men on skates chasing a little black disc and since Angela had no interest in ice hockey, she settled at the bar with her back to the screens.
After Tim's strange voicemail, she'd only been too happy to ditch her husband and son to spend a night supping on a beer while she watched her best friend try to offer sage wisdom to his old rookie—and add her own fifty cents.
“Can I get a beer?” she called out, as the bartender slipped past her with a lift of his finger and ducked into the snug beside the bar.
Tsking her annoyance, she hopped on a stool to get a better view of the patrons.
The crowd in O’Malley’s ranged from colleagues enjoying an after-work drink, to sports fans urging their teams to victory, to couples meeting for the first time, and everything in between.
It didn’t take Angela long to pinpoint Tim and Lucy sitting in a booth in the back corner. She wondered if they realised that they blended in with the other couples. That, to a stranger, they looked like they were on a date, locked within a bubble no one could penetrate.
Despite the table between them, they sat close with their heads bowed low over Lucy’s phone as Lucy gave a running commentary on whatever she was scrolling through and giggled at the acerbic comments Tim made in response.
“Here’s your beer, Lopez.”
“Put it on Bradford’s tab,” she said, then slid off the stool and meandered to the booth.
Suddenly Tim grabbed Lucy’s phone and held it out of reach, using his significant height against her.
“It’s for your own good,” he grumbled.
“No, Tim, I need to check. What if he's already got a girlfriend? Or has bad taste in music? Or, you know, some weird sexual kink?”
“Seriously? That’s the line you’re taking here?”
“I’m just saying, I’m pretty open-minded but some things are an instant turn off, so it would be good to know in advance to curb my expectations.”
Snatching the phone while Tim was distracted, Angela slid into the booth beside Lucy. “Who are we stalking?”
“The baby lawyer.”
Lucy flushed and shot Tim a menacing look—which didn’t hold any threat considering it was Tim and she was Lucy, and Angela didn’t have the energy to unpack all of that—before rolling her eyes and pocketing her phone.
“Can you stop calling him that?!”
Tim smugly met her glare and folded his arms. Angela wondered idly if he’d chosen that grey t-shirt in particular because it struggled to contain his biceps, or was it simply by chance? Probably a bit of both. The man had his own little streak of vanity and, since perfection annoyed her, she appreciated the flaws in her best friend.
“And I’m not—“ Lucy took a sip from her beer to wet her lips and turned her attention to Angela. “What’s your opinion on him?”
“Who, Sanford? I don’t have one.”
Tim barked out a laugh and saluted Angela with his beer.
Lucy shot him another withering look before angling her body to fully face Angela, a move designed to cut Tim out of the conversation—not that Tim seemed to care when he leaned across the table, hands clasped around his bottle.
“Wesley must know him, right? They’re both lawyers.”
“I guess. I never asked.” Sensing Lucy’s frustration, Angela sighed and relented. “Look he seems nice. A little overly eager to prove himself but what rookie isn’t, right? Besides, you don’t have to like him to sleep with him. Just bang him and move on.”
“Lopez!”
“What? I’m right.”
Lucy scratched a nail over the stressed label of her bottle. “I’d have to see him at work though. Probably a bad idea to sleep with someone I work with.”
Angela nodded. “Not always.”
“Lopez.”
“But in this case, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea. He does seem clingy and you’re too nice.”
“Exactly,” Tim said, with a firm nod as he sat back. “You’ll sleep together, and the next day he’ll call you his girlfriend, bring you to meet his mother, and try to buy a house. And if you say no, he’ll play the kicked puppy and you’ll feel bad. And then you’ll have another puppy—a sex puppy.”
Angela bit her cheek to stop herself from smirking as Lucy reached out to swat Tim’s arm.
“Oh, gross, no! Don’t call him that! That’s weird.”
Tim grinned. “I’m sorry. He’d be your sex puppy.”
“Stop!”
Angela raised her bottle to her lips and studied them. Dammit, there was something there. A vibe, an energy. She couldn’t put her finger on it. They weren’t flirting, at least not overtly, but she couldn’t deny the chemistry. Maybe another time, another place, another universe. Which seemed a shame, because they were uncannily perfect for each other in a way Angela could never have anticipated—she doubted Captain Andersen could have suspected how well the pairing of Bradford and Chen would turn out.
“No, Tim. That-that is not a thing and I’m not that much of a bleeding heart.” She glanced at Angela, brown eyes pleading for assurance. “Right?”
Angela held up a hand and took another sip of her drink. “Uh-uh, I’m not answering that.”
When Tim’s expression settled into a smug smile, and Lucy’s eyes began to fire, Angela nudged Tim with her foot. “This conversation requires something stronger. Go to the bar, Timothy. It’s your round.”
“Why is it my round? You just got here and you’re not even finished that one yet.”
“Because you invited me out for drinks and it’s Lucy’s intervention, you’re buying.”
“Fine,” he muttered, rising from his seat. “Gotta go to the bathroom anyway. Talk some sense into her, Ange, before she’s halfway down the aisle.”
As soon as he disappeared into the mob of people, Angela set her bottle on the table and turned to Lucy as the other woman lifted the corner of her label and began to peel at it.
“What’s going on?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Why are we staging an intervention for you and Sanford?”
“Don’t ask me. That would be a Tim problem.”
“Okay, then how did this even come about? I can’t imagine you and Tim spend a lot of time gossiping about boys.”
Lucy dropped her chin to her hand, lips forming a pout. “I don’t know, it just came up. We were talking about the summer, and Ashley, and how he took her to my sushi tea ceremony and it just— it hit me, or maybe it’s been simmering for a while, but everyone’s got someone and I don’t. It’d be nice to find my person and time’s ticking away.”
“Time? For what?”
“For everything. To find that special someone, cultivate a strong and steady relationship, get married, start a family. Whether we like it or not, there are deadlines in life and I don’t want to get to a point where I’ve missed my opportunity waiting for something else to come along.”
“Is this because your mom wants to freeze your eggs?”
“No. Yes. Maybe? I just can’t help thinking that I’m nearly thirty and in my peer group I’m the one who’s single and my track record isn’t good. Rachel has a boyfriend and they’re moving in together, my ex-best friend is married to my ex-boyfriend. My cousin is adopting a kid with her wife. And every time my Nana asks me about my life… I have to tell her that I’m still single, and she told me last time to get a cat. Oh god, I’m going to be a lonely cat lady.” With a whimper, Lucy folded her arms on the table and dropped her head to them.
“So, instead of a cat, you’d prefer a sex puppy?”
“At least there’d be sex,” Lucy retorted, words muffled.
“Are you even attracted to him?”
Lucy lifted her head and stared out at the crowd, considering. “Yeah, I mean, I think I could be. He’s good-looking, you know, in a straitlaced sort of way. He’s got great hair and, under that suit, he could be built, so yeah, he’s handsome. He’s…” she trailed off and her gaze drifted to where Tim had disappeared before she snapped her gaze to Angela, and sat up. “Plus, he’s a lawyer so he knows what the job is like, the hours I’d have to work and when I can’t discuss a case. It’s hard to find someone who gets it unless you date another cop and, if dating a lawyer and working with him would be awkward, trust me, dating a cop is worse.”
“Is worse?”
“Long story and so not important right now.”
Angela took a sip of her drink and composed her thoughts. “Look, Lucy, I’m going to be honest with you. If you have to talk yourself into dating someone, it won't work out. I know they say you have to kiss a few frogs but… you’ve still kissed frogs. They’re cold, slimy, and about 99.9% will not turn into a prince.”
“There’s still that 0.1%.”
“Those are very low odds and optimism will only get you so far. Besides, it’s not fair to him if you’re not interested and he catches feelings.”
Lucy puffed out her cheeks and blew over the open mouth of her bottle. “Maybe I just need to talk to him. Attraction can grow out of knowing someone, and that’s usually a better foundation for any relationship than basing it on looks or sparks. Sparks burn out.”
“Mine and Wesley’s hasn’t burnt out.”
Which was a blessing Angela routinely gave thanks for.
“You and Wesley are an outlier and shouldn’t be counted.”
“No, I think you’ll find that we’re the yardstick that everyone should be measured against.” Movement in front of her had her tilting her head speculatively. “Huh, look who’s here. My Abuela would call this divine intervention.” As Lucy frowned, Angela raised her hand. “Hey Sanford, over here!”
“Angela!"
Lucy grabbed for her hand, but Angela shrugged her off. Better for Lucy to confront her frog now in the harsh light of the bar, than to romanticise him into a prince in her mind.
Chris paused by their table, eyes roaming over them before seizing on Lucy and his face brightened. “Officer Chen, Detective Lopez.”
“It’s just Angela and Lucy when we’re out of uniform,” Angela told him, keeping her tone friendly.
He gestured with his frosted glass of beer, nearly sloshing it over his pressed slacks. “Well, you’re usually in plain clothes, so…” he trailed off with an awkward but abashed smile and gestured to the screen beside them where grown men on knives shoved at each other while others hugged. “Uh, you guys here for the game?”
“No.” Angela baulked. “Grown men on skates do nothing for me. Plus who can tell where the puck is.”
“Usually the players know.”
“I take it you’re a fan?”
“Season ticket holder when I can find the time to go.”
“Great, well, hey, I’m gonna go check on our drinks, Tim must have got lost on the way to the bar. Why don’t you sit down and keep Lucy company while I’m gone, and you can tell her all about the great sport of—what the hell are they doing stripping up there? You know, what, I don’t care. Keep Lucy company. I’ll be right back.”
“Angela—“
Angela leaned close to Lucy, keeping her voice low, as she played at retrieving her wallet and phone from her jacket. “You said you wanted to get to know him, here’s your chance while you’re in a safe place. If he tries to lure you out with talk of wedding plans, I’ll extract you. I promise.”
Ignoring Lucy’s hissed breath, Angela slipped from the booth, patted Chris’s shoulder and made her way to the bar.
She’d been standing there, surreptitiously watching as Lucy relaxed more and more, smiling at whatever Chris said, and leaning in to add her own tidbits when she heard a low curse behind her.
“What the hell, Lopez? We’re supposed to be staging an intervention, not setting her up on a date with the sex puppy.”
“Cool it, Bradford, he came over, what was I supposed to say? Oh sorry, you can’t sit with us? We’re not twelve.”
Tim ground his teeth, jaw twitching as he leaned on the bar beside her and clasped his hands together, knuckles white, blue eyes straying to the back corner as Lucy released a peal of laughter.
“They’re sweet.”
Releasing a long breath, Tim swivelled his head to send her a disgusted look. “She can do better.”
“Lucy doesn’t think so.”
“Which is why we're supposed to be staging an intervention and convincing her that she can. There’s tons of guys out there that would be better for her.”
“Like who?”
“Anyone!”
“Tim, she’s a cop, which means most guys find her intimidating. Add to that she’s beautiful and smart, and funny and caring. She’s a total package and some men won’t know how to be with her or they’ll see her as some kind of trophy. Chris is nice, he’s smart, he’s handsome, and, disregarding his weird taste in sports, he’s a good match. She said it herself: he understands her job and her hours. As someone married to a lawyer, trust me, it’s hard to find someone who accepts that aspect of your life and when you do you’d be a fool not to.”
Tim scoffed and lifted his fingers, signalling for the bartender. “And if he’s not a good match?”
“That’s for Lucy to decide.”
Tim’s eyes constantly flickered in their direction, shoulders hunching forward, expression darkening as the minutes ticked on.
Did he realise how jealous he sounded?
Or was he simply protective because Lucy, despite his protestations to the contrary, was his friend and he felt he’d pushed her into the hands of a serial killer?
Maybe Angela was reading too much into their relationship. Of course, there was a bond. They’d forged it over years of trials and triumphs. Lucy had supported Tim during the collapse of his marriage to Isabelle and Tim had torn the city apart to rescue Lucy from a barrel. Not to mention the numerous small issues they faced daily while wearing the uniform.
Naturally, they were protective of each other. They spent 12 hours a day in the Shop, they shared a dog, and had mutual friends. According to Nolan, Tim had let Lucy stay at his place on the night that Jackson—
She swallowed tightly and breathed through the sharp, staggering grief that threatened to surge up and drag her down into the mire.
That night and the following days had changed a lot of things for everyone. It hadn’t surprised her when Tim had taken Lucy on as his aide shortly after—they did work seamlessly together—but now, looking back, she wondered if something had changed between them that night.
No. Tim was too honourable and Lucy too smart to jeopardise her career that way.
It wasn’t like colleagues never hooked up. After all, they worked a high-intensity job, and it was only natural to blow off steam with a quick and meaningless tumble in the sheets, against a wall, or a bathroom stall. She’d done it plenty of times before Wesley, but always with someone of equal rank who knew the score: that, if they breathed a word about it, they and their equipment would be dearly departed.
Hooking up with a superior officer, however, was a different story. And a long-term affair? Well, that got messy and, even if it didn’t, it could never remain hidden in a building full of people trained to root through closets and vents to expose carefully guarded secrets.
So, no, she doubted Lucy and Tim had hooked up. They were close, and if there were any underlying emotions, she suspected both of them were oblivious.
Across the bar, Chris said something that made Lucy stiffen and their easy rapport died to uncomfortable silence.
Tim relaxed, releasing a satisfied breath. A smile curved his lips as he turned to face Angela.
“Now he’s done it. See, they’re too different. They just argue.”
“Arguing can be fun,” Angela told him with a wiggle of her brows.
He shook his head as if dispelling an image. “Not on the important things. If you’re not on the same wavelength about the core values the relationship is doomed to fail.”
“Do you and Ashely agree on those core values? Have you discussed where you see yourselves in five years?”
He frowned, drawing back, walls building. “What do Ashley and I have to do with anything?”
“It was just a question. I’m taking an interest in my best friend’s relationship.” She took a napkin from the dispenser on the counter and wiped up a spill so she could rest her arm on the polished surface. “If I don’t ask you won’t tell me.”
She knew Tim liked his privacy, but the fact that he never mentioned Ashley made her curious. Was it so new and exciting that he was scared that talking about it would jinx it? Or was he simply settling? Phoning in a relationship because he didn’t want to be alone? Or because the person he did want wasn’t available?
She shut that thought down before it could gain traction.
Tim made a face, straightening, his eyes darting around the bar. “It’s going fine.”
“What’s she doing tonight?”
His brow creased, his mouth tightened. “Look, me and Ashley aren’t the topic right now. Let's get our drinks and head back before we need to hide a body for Chen.”
“Please, Chen can hide her own body…” She caught sight of Chris and Lucy approaching. “But looks like we don’t need to go over.”
Tim glowered, squaring his shoulders and plunging his fisted hands into the pockets of his jeans. Angela eyed the movement before stepping around him to greet Chris.
“You heading out?”
“Yeah, I’ve got to pick something up from the office and head home. You know lawyers,” Chris said with a rueful smile, “never really off the clock. It was nice seeing you again, Detective, Sergeant.” His eyes darted to Lucy and he smiled. “I’ll give you a call.”
Lucy pushed her hair off her shoulder and curved her hand around her neck as she flushed and smiled back. “Yeah, I’ll see how my schedule works.”
Tim shoved away from the bar. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
Angela watched him go, bemused, before turning to Lucy as she slipped into Tim's vacant spot. “So? How was Chris? Is he a frog?”
“No, he’s nice. Funny and smart and… not interested.”
Angela blinked, looked back at the door where Chris had left and then back to Lucy in her skin-tight jeans, low-cut black top, her mouth slicked with a soft taupe gloss. “Is he human?”
Lucy laughed and bumped Angela’s hip with her own. “Yes, I mean, I think if the timing was different, then maybe, but he’s not looking for anything right now. With the new job and a new place, he wants to get settled before he pursues anything. He has an actual timeframe outlined for when to progress in his job and start dating to find the right wife.”
“Hmm. That sounds… structured.”
The bartender set their second round on the bar and Angela grabbed the bottles, including Tim’s non-alcoholic, and led Lucy back to their booth, mercifully unclaimed. Angela took the empty seat opposite Lucy and set down their drinks. “So, if he's not interested, why does he want to meet up?”
“I think he’s lonely. He just moved to the area and he doesn’t know a lot of people. So, we agreed to meet for drinks if our schedules allow, and I can convince him that he doesn’t need to take the hard line on every case.” Her smile lacked its usual wattage and she tugged at the sleeves of her top, curling her fingers over the cuffs. “Which is not the same as changing him.” At Angela’s curious look, she waved it away. “Just something Tim said.”
“Huh, well a few drinks might turn into something more.”
“Maybe. I don't know. He’s nice.”
Ohh, multiple mentions of nice, Angela mused, usually meant there wasn’t much else to say.
Tim sauntered over to them and dropped into the seat beside Lucy. “Well? Is he going to take you to your sushi tea ceremony?”
Lucy immediately brightened, as if life had seeped back into her. “I dunno. Maybe, he will. I never asked.”
Tim rolled his eyes, resting against the seat and pinning her with a judgemental stare. “What was the point of this intervention if you’re going to disregard all our advice?”
“What advice?” Lucy demanded, laughter colouring her tone as she pushed into his space.
“Uh, the don’t date someone you work with advice. The don’t be nice to Sanford, he’s a puppy advice. You never take my puppy advice seriously.”
“Why should I? I got to have an amazing person in my life by ignoring your puppy advice last time.”
Angela watched them bicker back and forth, forgetting all sense of personal space as they leaned into each other and bickered like a married couple. She might as well not even be there.
She eased out of the booth, snapping Tim from his argument.
“Bathroom,” she answered his unasked question, "be right back.”
She ducked into the bathroom, took care of business, and then returned to the bar, wondering if she could make her excuses to go home. They’d already staged Lucy’s intervention, even if it hadn’t gone according to Tim’s plan, and while evenings out without her son were few and far between, she found herself missing the comforts of home. She could empathise with Lucy; the single life was not for her anymore. She wanted to snuggle up with her husband and whine about the idiocy of her best friend.
She rounded the corner of the bar and nearly collided with another person. “Sorry,” she called out over the louder music pumping from the speakers overhead.
“No probl—Angela? Hi!”
Ashley McGrady, looking casually stylish, stopped in front of Angela.
“Oh, hey, Ashley. You looking for Tim?”
A furrow appeared on Ashley's brow.“Uh, no, just picking my dad up from his poker game. He’s in the car but forgot his glasses.” She waved the case in her hand but scanned the room, a hopeful look on her face. “Tim’s here? I thought something had come up with work.”
“No, no, just an intervention for Lucy, stopping her from dating a guy that’s not her type.”
“Lucy’s here too? And Tim’s trying to stop her from dating someone?”
There was a laugh to Ashley’s words, but it fell flat, pricking at Angela’s instincts, a warning that she’d stepped into the quagmire and was up to her ankles.
Instead of flailing to save herself, she jerked a thumb to the booth where Tim and Lucy sat, relieved to find that Tim had taken advantage of Angela’s absence and moved back around the table. Not that it did anything to create space between them.
Lucy pointed a finger in his direction, obviously still lecturing him, and Tim settled back in his seat, arrogantly amused as he sipped his drink and watched her. Even from the angle they looked intimate, with Tim’s long legs stretching out under the table to bracket Lucy’s. Angela doubted they were even aware of how tangled they'd become, so comfortable with each other that it wouldn’t even resonate.
Lucy suddenly sat back, chin tilting up with a superior air of smugness as her mouth closed over her glass. A look passed between them, electrically charged, before Tim’s expression softened, radiating fondness, and he ducked his head, relaxing back into his seat as he rubbed the palm of his hand across his thigh.
Angela swallowed, catching the way Ashley’s expression tightened, a living marble statue, her eyes glittering hotly before she averted her gaze, folding her arms tight around her torso.
Angela felt a pang of sympathy. “You should go over, say hello. I’m sure he’d be glad to see you.”
Blinking out of her thoughts, Ashley offered a smile that was significantly cooler than before. “No, I don’t want to interrupt. Dad’s waiting. I should go. Uh, say hi to them both. I’ll message Tim later.”
Once Ashley ducked out the door to the main street, Angela glanced back at the table before detouring to the bar. She needed a stiff drink.
She settled in to wait at the bar just as Tim broke through the crowd. Lucy called out to him and he turned, made a face, and when he looked back, he was smiling, cheeks creased, entire face lit up with it and Angela groaned.
The idiot was in love.
And he didn’t even know it.
Or maybe he was scared. Isabelle had done a number on him. It was only fair that he’d be reluctant to experience that level of vulnerability again.
He noticed Angela and the smile faded; a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
“Hey, I was coming to find you. I’m gonna pay the tab and then I can drive you and Lucy home so don’t order anything more.”
“Fine, a shot probably isn't the best idea."
As he flagged down the bartender and handed over his card, Angela said, "Oh, I ran into Ashley.”
Tim straightened, immediately on alert as he scanned the bar. “Ashley’s here?”
“Past tense. She came to pick up her dad, took him home. Told me to tell you that she said hi.”
He winced. “Shit. Okay, I should give her a call.”
“Mmhmm.”
He stilled and his eyes narrowed on her. “What? Did she say something else?”
“No.”
“Did you say something?”
“Only that we were here to stage an intervention for Lucy.”
His jaw clicked, the lines around his eyes tightening as they darted around the bar, blindly taking his card back from the bartender.
“Should I not have?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll talk to her. We were supposed to meet for drinks tonight but obviously…” He trailed off, gesturing to the booth where Lucy typed rapidly on her phone.
Obviously, staging an intervention for Lucy took precedence. Angela bit the tip of her tongue against the urge to call him an idiot. “Ashley seems nice, and she cares about you.”
Tim looked at her blankly. “Okay?”
“So what are you doing, Tim? If you’re not fully invested, don’t you think you owe it to her to come clean? No one wants to be the person their significant other settles for because they can’t be with who they want.”
He scrunched up his nose. “What are you talking about?”
Angela pointedly looked over his shoulder at Lucy and raised her brows, a non-verbal Hint Hint.
Tim followed her gaze and she watched his hackles rise as he turned back, arms folding across his chest. “No. Whatever you’re implying, you’re wrong.”
Pursing her lips, Angela rocked back on her heels. “Am I? I got a shiny gold shield that says I’m very good at figuring things out, particularly things people don’t want me to know.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to the counter and lowered his voice. “Whatever you think you know, forget it. I’m her superior officer and that kind of rumour could end her career. Plus I’m dating Ashley.”
“Yeah, you’re dating Ashley, and if you’re happy, perfect, I’ll support you. But don’t settle just because you think you can’t have what you want.”
He closed up, expression turning to stone, blue eyes glacier. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sensing the sheer cliff he’d erected between them Angela backed up, hands raised in surrender. “Sorry, I was just trying to help.”
“Well, you aren’t.”
“Hey, are we ready to go?” Lucy asked, slipping her phone into the back pocket of her jeans as she sidled up beside them and rested her fingertips on the crook of Tim’s elbow.
He met Angela’s gaze, the muscle in his jaw jackrabbiting as he flicked his arm to dislodge Lucy’s touch. “Sorry, gonna have to rain check. I need to go see Ashley. You can grab a ride share with Lopez, right?”
“Right, you were supposed to have drinks with her tonight, I totally forgot. Tell her I’m sorry and I’ll find another place for you guys to grab dinner. It’ll be better than the sushi tea place.”
Tim’s features hardened to granite as he continued to ignore Lucy in favour of glaring at Angela. “No need. See you tomorrow.”
He shoved away from them leaving Lucy confused as she turned to Angela with a frown. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, you didn't. I did. I said something I shouldn’t have and now he’s pissed.”
She just hoped he didn’t make Lucy pay for her mistake.