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Sometimes, Grace wished her boss would just notice her a bit more. The whole team thought her idolization was purely hero worship. And in some respects, it was. Grace thought it was amazing how Teresa Lisbon had broken the glass ceiling, how she had managed to progress in such a masculine-dominated environment. But, after all these years of working in close quarters with her, Grace knew that it was something far more than that.
Her feelings had only begun to run deeper and deeper. Instead of focusing on the words her boss was saying, she found herself admiring the fire in her eyes, the way her hair framed her face and her petite, yet feminine, frame. Occasionally, Grace worried that Teresa – or worse, Patrick – would catch her staring at an inappropriate part of her superior’s body. So far, she had been lucky, but she knew that her luck could run out at any time. Besides, the whole team assumed that she was merely attracted to men and even Grace had to admit that her past liaisons did indicate as such. However, the fling with Wayne had, ultimately, just been a brief distraction. Grace genuinely did like him, and she had enjoyed the time she spent with him. But, she had never really been attracted to him, at least not in the same way that he had been with her. She had hoped that it would silence the small voices in her head, but it had only made them grow louder. The less said about her relationship with Craig O’Laughlin, the better. Deep down, Grace was still very embarrassed about that period of her life.
But things were looking better now. She was ‘enjoying’ being young, free and single by dedicating her life to her career right now. Everyone said that there was nobody as good at computing within the CBI as her and that made Grace feel inordinately proud of herself. She had worked hard to get to this point and it was all coming to fruition. Despite being technically the rookie even though she had been in the job for over five years now, the others made it clear that she was an invaluable asset to the unit. While it was nice that Teresa complimented her on her skills, she still wanted something more. In truth, Grace Van Pelt felt like she was picking up scraps in order to satisfy her hunger.
She understood that it was hard to get Teresa’s attention, especially during working hours. She was the boss and therefore, she was always ten times busier than the rest of them put together. If she wasn’t dealing with paperwork, or meetings with bosses, or irate politicians, she was clearing up the mess that Patrick Jane had made somewhere along the line. And if she wasn’t picking up the pieces after Patrick, then she was trying to save him from herself. That left very little time for anyone else.
However, they had closed a pretty important case recently. It wasn’t Red John – it was a pedophile who had started to change his M.O. and kill his victims instead of just abusing them – and that had been enough to raise spirits. In private, Grace had suggested that the team go out for a meal and then to the movies in order to celebrate. Teresa had agreed in an instant, something which surprised Grace, and immediately sent her off to organize the celebrations. With a skip in her step, Grace had returned to her terminal, ready to set her plan into motion. It was only a little white lie, but she hoped that it would be the tipping point for things to come.
xxx
Now that it was actually happening, Grace felt incredibly nervous. She wiped her sweaty palms down her favorite chocolate brown dress; it brought out the color of her eyes and did fantastic things to her cleavage. Suddenly, doubt washed over her; she was worried that Teresa would realize the truth, and that she had lied to her. Just a few minutes ago, Grace sent her a text message, saying that Wayne, Kimball and Patrick had all realized they had other places to be for one reason or another. Of course, she had never actually invited them in the first place, but that was beside the point. Teresa had promptly replied, stating that she was happy to come along anyway and that she was looking forward to it, even.
But that wasn’t her only concern. After all these years, she still wasn’t entirely sure if Teresa Lisbon was attracted to women. She had never shown an indication either way, and that made it slightly difficult. Grace could only hope that she wasn’t going to completely humiliate herself when (and if) she started to hit on her boss, of all people. Regardless, it was too late now and she was just going to have to play it by ear.
Eventually, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind her. The click of the heels indicated that it was a woman and Grace put on her brightest smile as she turned around. Her heart practically leapt up into her throat when she saw Teresa, a vision in emerald green, walking towards her. At least she didn’t feel overdressed, not anymore, but that wasn’t enough to quell any of her nerves.
“Hi,” she said softly as Teresa stood before her. “Shall we?”
Teresa nodded and Grace’s heart leapt up into her throat as they walked into the restaurant together. The brush of Teresa’s hip against her legs made it feel like a jolt of electricity had just spasmed through her body. This is what it could always have been like, she thought to herself. And finally, she had Teresa’s undivided attention. The only problem was, what did she actually do with it?
“You look beautiful tonight,” Teresa murmured as they were guided towards a candlelit table for two.
Those simple words were more than enough to convince her that she had made the right decision. Sometimes, a girl just had to take the lead if she was to get what she wanted.
And now, Grace was even more determined not to leave this place alone tonight.