ZEKE
The sergeant finished our end-of-shift debriefing with a reminder to log any issues with our cruisers in a timely fashion, “And timely doesn’t mean two days later, Livingston,” and dismissed us. I pushed back my chair and headed to the locker room.
“Good to have you back.”
I turned and saw Olivia Tran at my shoulder. “Thanks. Good to be back.” The rhythm of a uniformed shift had been good, settling me back in my own skin.
“Been a hell of a long time since we got together. Want to catch a late-night snack after we change out?”
“God, I wish,” I said, realizing how much I’d missed her compact, practical, powerhouse presence in my life. “But I can’t. I have my little brother waiting at home.”
“I heard about your mom. So sorry.”
“Distant stepmom, so I don’t need much sympathy, but I have custody of my brother now. That’s tying my life up in knots.”
“I bet. How old is he?”
“Jos is twelve. It’s an awkward age. Too old for a babysitter, but I don’t like leaving him home alone in the evening like this.”We’d worked the one to eleven-thirty p.m. shift. “And then next week when we’re on five to threes, really not.” Getting home around four a.m. meant leaving Jos on his own most of the night.
“Tough call,” Olivia agreed. “Twelve is right on that borderline age. I was babysitting at twelve, but if the parents were late getting back, I did get spooked sometimes.”
I ran a hand over my head, which reminded me my hair was still growing in weird and I needed to do something about that. “He says he’s fine, but I’m not comfortable.”
She nudged my shoulder. “And sadly, our magnificent salary is tight for childcare.”
“Have you and Nicole ever considered having kids?” They’d been married for three years now.
“We’ve talked about it and decided not anytime soon. Neither of us wants to stay home, and we don’t believe in putting babies in full-time daycare, even without the cost. At least you’re starting with a kid who’s half-baked. When does he turn thirteen?”
“He just turned twelve a month ago.”
“Meh. Sadly, I can’t offer to help out, since we work the same shifts. But if you’re ever desperate, Nicole might chip in a few hours.”
“I wasn’t angling for free babysitting. Just bitching, I guess. Actually, my neighbour’s helping some.”
“The old guy with the corner store?”
“Yeah, Mr. Fitzpatrick. And his grandson Callum too. He’s a hockey player.” Abruptly, memory of his mouth under mine and his hands on my head rose inside me. I felt my face heat and swiped a palm over my eyes to hide the flush. “Man, I’m tired. Not used to this shift stuff anymore.”
“I heard you were undercover. How did it go?”
My stomach rolled and my blush was no longer a problem. “Fine. We busted lots of nasty douchebags. Worth my time.”
Olivia caught my arm and peered up at me, as if something in my tone had alerted her. “If you want to talk about it, I’m up for listening.”
“Thanks,” I said, meaningno way in hell. She didn’t need to hear that shit. I eased out of her grip. “I’m gonna go get changed and head home to my twelve-year-old. Odds are about equal whether he’ll be asleep, or watching something he’s not supposed to, or burning down the kitchen trying to make a midnight snack.”
“Good luck. I hope you’re underestimating him. Although one hint from my teen years. If you’re not around for hours at a time, you’re not going to be able to restrict what he watches. So take off the controls he can sneak around anyway, but encourage him to talk to you.”
“I guess. My stepmom was pretty strict.” Aunt Heidi’s complaint that Krystal spoiled Jos was way off the mark. “I need to figure out how to loosen up without him running wild.”
“What does he enjoy? Are there things you could do together?”
“I don’t know.” I really didn’t know much about my own brother. These days, he retreated to his room whenever I tried to make conversation, and I wanted to respect his privacy, so I didn’t barge in or snoop. “He likes comic books, but that’s not something I can really share. It’s silent reading.”
“Maybe pick up a few and show some interest?”
“I guess. Maybe.” I’d been so overwhelmed with all the logistics of Krystal’s estate, I hadn’t even made a simple gesture like that. “I can try.”
