it. What with you being a lawyer and all, we want to make sure we follow all the rules.”
“I work for the same company that Erin does. I just came over to, uh, drop off something she left there.”
“I’ll make a note of that fact.”
I could see a smear of sweat on Jonathon’s forehead. It was clear a life of crime and deception is not in his future.
“Look, what if I don’t want to press charges?” I asked. “The situation appears to be nothing more than a bit of a misunderstanding. Diana didn’t mean any harm, and it seems out of line to have her arrested.”
“You would do that for me?” She took my hand. I fought the urge to yank it away from her. “I am so sorry. I really thought if I came over here, then we could try again and you would see that it wouldn’t be a big pain to have me around, that I could be helpful.”
“Yeah well, I don’t want you letting yourself in my place anymore. Knock next time, okay?”
“Next time? You mean you’ll be my partner after all?”
“Of course she will,” Jonathon said. I gave him a glare but he was busy motioning the police toward the door. “I’m sure we all appreciate how quickly you responded this evening. It looks like there won’t be a need to file any kind of report or contact the press.”
“Sorry about your glasses there,” the officer said, tapping his pencil on the broken pair held in Jonathon’s hand.
“Yes, well. These things happen.”
“They sure do. You folks have a nice night now.” The older officer tipped his hat and they shuffled off. Jonathon, Diana and I stood in the entranceway after they left for a moment. Diana broke the silence.
“So… are you the married guy? I should have guessed when she was talking on the radio today that there had to be a married guy in the picture. She was way too laid-back on the topic.”
Jonathon gave a strangled cough, his face flushing.
“You know, Diana, it’s been a long day. Why don’t we call it a night? We can get together another time.”
“How about tomorrow? I think it would be cool to see the station.”
“Look, I don’t know.”
“But you told the officer you would be my mentor.”
“And I told you I didn’t have time to be your mentor. Besides, I didn’t promise anything. Jonathon did.”
“Don’t you belong in school? How can you spend time at the station in the middle of the day?” Jonathon asked.
“You are the married guy, aren’t you? I can tell. It’s not just the ring; you come across as really hostile. Most likely it’s the guilt.” She pulled on a rain jacket and moved toward the door. I didn’t look at Jonathon. I could feel the tension radiating off of him like heat waves. “I’ll stop by the station tomorrow and see if you’re free.” She gave a cheery wave and closed the door behind her.
“Who does she think she is?” Jonathon sputtered. “She’s certifiable.”
“She’s a bit of an original.”
“She’s insane. She’s lucky we didn’t have her arrested.”
“We didn’t have her arrested because we didn’t want your name in the paper,” I pointed out.
“So this is my fault?”
I bit back what I wanted to say. One of the things about dating a married guy is that you have limited time together. You have to settle for the time he can steal away from the family. I could spend my time with him proving how I was right or enjoying his company, not both. Being right wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying as the other ideas I had in mind.
“How about you sit down and I’ll make you a drink?” I rubbed slow circles on his back and gave him a soft smile.
“My glasses are broken,” he said, holding them out. I took them from his hands and leaned toward him.
“I’ll get closer so you can see me better.”
“You better get even closer. I still can’t see you.”
I moved a step