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“Wow,” Jackie exclaims approvingly when Becky comes out of the bathroom after having just finished getting ready for her date. “You look great! Mark’s not gonna know what hit him.”
Becky grins and does a small spin, giving her aunt a look at her entire outfit. Even though she’d borrowed the black floral dress she’s wearing from her friend Monica, the knee-length, form-fitting style fit her like a glove. She’d finished the look with a matching black shrug, some minimalist jewelry, and a pair of tasteful heels. A bit of makeup and a short encounter with the curling iron later, she was finally ready to go. The fact that her mother would probably hate the dress and definitely already hated Monica was just icing on the cake.
“Thanks!” she says brightly. “You look great too.”
Jackie smiles at the compliment as she finishes sliding her earrings through her ears. “So, what are you guys doin’ tonight?”
“Oh, just going to a party,” Becky says.
Jackie opens her mouth to ask another question, but Becky beats her to it.
“The number is by the phone, and I’ll be in by eleven, I promise.”
“Alright,” Jackie nods. “And you have the number where I’ll be, right?”
Becky leans over the back of the couch and scoops her small purse up off the cushions, then holds it up. “It’s in my bag with my key.”
“Good,” Jackie tells her. She grabs the slip of paper off the table next to the phone as she walks past Becky and takes her coat down from the rack attached to the back of the door. After slipping it on, she grabs her own purse and then gives her niece a mischievous smile. “And Becky?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t call.”
Becky laughs. “I won’t.”
Jackie winks at her and goes to twist the doorknob when there’s a sudden knock on the other side.
“Oooh,” she says teasingly, her hand still on the knob, “I didn’t know I was gonna get to meet him!”
Becky groans. “You weren’t supposed to.”
Jackie ignores her and throws open the door with a flourish. “Hi!”
Mark stands in the doorway looking confused. He steps back and takes a second look at the apartment number on the door before Becky rushes forward and skids to stop beside her aunt.
“Hey, Mark,” she says apologetically. “This is my Aunt Jackie. Jackie, meet Mark.”
“Hi, Mark,” Jackie says kindly. “It’s good to finally meet you.” She glances over at Becky and smiles before adding, “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Great,” he says sarcastically, shoving his hands into his pockets. “From Mrs. Conner, right?”
“Oh,” Jackie winces. “Well, yeah. But mostly from Becky. Becky thinks you’re amazing!”
Becky squeezes her eyes shut and wonders if it’s possible to literally die of embarrassment.
“Yeah?” Mark asks. “Well, that’s great. Because you know, I think Becky’s pretty amazing too.”
Becky’s eyes shoot back open at that. Mark is giving her aunt the kind of half smile that’s making Becky swoon all over again, and it looks like it’s having the same effect on Jackie. She turns and flashes Becky a quick thumbs up, a move that she clearly thinks Mark misses entirely, before she finally moves around them to head out the door.
“Well, you kids have fun. And Becky - ”
“Be in by eleven,” Becky repeats patiently, “I know.”
Jackie waves at her, then turns her attention back toward Mark. She studies him thoughtfully for a moment, then clears her throat.
“Mark,” she says as she claps a hand onto his shoulder, “I’m a cop. And cops have a sixth sense when it comes to danger. We can sniff it out a mile away. So, if the two of you get into any trouble tonight, I’m gonna know about it.”
Becky watches Mark glance at her aunt’s hand before he looks her in the eye.
“Okay,” he says evenly.
“So, I’m trusting you to get Becky back here safe tonight. Understood?”
“Yeah,” he says, still holding eye contact with her. “We’ll be fine.”
“Good man!” Jackie exclaims, patting his shoulder again. “Well, I gotta get out of here. Have fun you two!”
She gives them another wave as she walks down the hallway, and once she’s out of sight, Mark turns to Becky and raises his eyebrows.
“So, that’s your aunt, huh? Wow.”
“Yeah,” Becky confirms awkwardly. She grabs her coat off the back of the door and slips it on, then finally shoulders her purse.
“She’s…..uh. They let her carry a gun?”
Becky laughs as she flips the lock on the doorknob and pulls the door shut behind them. “Yeah. Well, they used to, anyway. She’s not even a cop anymore, she’s just tryin’ to scare you a little.”
“That was supposed to scare me?” Mark asks her incredulously.
Becky gives him a shrug and starts walking down the hallway. “She’s not as intimidating as she thinks she is.”
“So, she’s not a cop anymore,” Mark says, following behind her. “What happened?”
Becky sighs. “She tackled some naked guy and they fell down a flight of stairs together. She thought he had a gun, but it, uh, wasn’t a gun.”
“Beck,” Mark says with a laugh of disbelief. He scrubs a hand over his face. “Come on.”
“I’m serious!” she insists, amused. She stops for a moment and leans backward against the wall near the door to the stairwell. “She hurt her back and they were gonna make her take a desk job, so she quit. But don’t say anything about it, okay? Mom wasn’t supposed to tell us that part.”
Mark still looks skeptical, but apparently decides to let it drop for the time being, because he changes the subject.
“Do you really want to be back by eleven?”
“Yeah,” Becky nods. “She’s bein’ real cool lettin’ me stay here and all. I don’t want to blow it.”
“Okay,” Mark agrees. “We’ll be back by eleven.”
She gives him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
He leans in and brushes her hair away from her face, then kisses her softly. “Hey, I’m just happy we can see each other again.” He takes her hand in his and runs a thumb over her knuckles as he gently pulls her away from the wall. “You ready to go?”
She grins. “Yeah, let’s get outta here.”