Chapter 18

[Sandy writes]

Twenty minutes later, David rang the doorbell and Chastity let him in. The door was barely shut before she plastered her body against his and kissed him firmly. She said, "I'm glad you're here."

He gave her a gentle smile and said, "I'm glad to be here." He grinned. "If I get that greeting every time, I may step out and come in again."

Chastity said, "You don't have to waste time on the door." She plastered her body to his again and kissed him for an even longer time.

Jack said, "Good afternoon, David. Tell my love child to unhand you long enough to sit down." He chuckled.

Chastity pulled David to the sofa and sat him down. She sat next him very close. She asked, "Does this meet your request, Poppa?"

"Barely. I don't see David fighting you though." He chuckled some more.

"Jack, it's best to surrender to the inevitable particularly if you like it."

Jack chuckled. "I understand."

I came in from the kitchen. "Jack, I would like a drink." I looked at David. "He makes great Rusty Nails or anything else you can imagine. David, what's your pleasure to drink, whether it's alcoholic or non-alcoholic?"

"I know the Rusty Nail and would like one." He looked at Chastity. "Chas, what would you like?"

"You!" We all laughed. "To drink, I would like some Pink Zin." Jack nodded and rose to fix the drinks. He handed them out.

"Jack, this is probably the best Rusty Nail I've ever had."

"David, thanks. I use Teacher's scotch. I've always found it to be a smoother scotch than many of the others."

Chastity said, "Let me have a taste, David."

She sipped it. "That is smooth but I can tell it's strong."

She went back to her Zin and we sipped our Rusty Nails. I said, "David, I hope you like stir fry with beef and a mystery sauce."

"Yes, ma'am. That sounds great."

I went back into the kitchen to cook and the three of them joined me sitting around the kitchen table. When I was ready to sit for a moment, I looked at Jack and he swung his chair and made a lap. I sat down lady-like and didn't straddle him as I often did. Chastity and David were holding hands while they continued to sip their drinks.

David's eyes widened when he saw Jack swing his chair to give me his lap rather than me take the vacant chair. I smiled and said, "Jack is good at knowing that I like a lap when he is available. He never seems to mind."

David said, "If a beautiful woman wants my lap, I hope that I always have the good sense to offer her mine." Chastity looked at him and stood. David immediately swung his chair to give her his lap.

She sat down and put her arms around his neck. He said, "I have good sense." She hugged his neck while they both laughed. I stood to do some more cooking. I asked Jack to put rice in the microwave which he did. He sat back down and I came back to sit for a moment.

Chastity said, "Mom, what can I do?"

I said, "I need four small cups from the cabinet in the dining room for the sauce." She nodded and stood. "Jack, you and David can set the table please. I want some pink Zin with supper. You can find out what David wants to drink and handle that while the two of you are setting the table."

Jack and David left to perform their assigned duty. They were in there as Chastity got the cups for the sauce and left. They set the table and set out wine glasses. David put a wine glass by his plate. Jack said, "What's it like making the transition?"

He answered, "There's a lot to it. I move to being low man on the totem pole for a while. That means working evenings and weekends. Most of the crime occurs at night though so I will get more experience that way. With my experience in uniform, I will be able to move into the investigative side fairly quickly. At first, I will ride with a senior detective who will work me through some of the things not taught in the classes and help me with procedures. Procedures are probably where I will be up to speed the quickest. I am very organized in what I do. Once my captain, John, knew I wanted to head toward detecting, he gave me the lead on most of the simple matters in our precinct that the uniform watch usually handles." He grimaced. "For a while, I think it was just to keep me busy after my wife was killed."

Jack said, "If you don't mind telling me, what happened?"

"She was a bank teller. There was a robbery and the perp panicked. He was slow and the police had surrounded the bank. He started shooting and the officers charged the bank. He was killed but killed Jean and one other teller and wounded a loan officer and a customer. We had been married three years then. It was rough for a couple of months. My church really helped me out by caring for me. A couple of the older ladies adopted me and made sure I ate and functioned. It's an ache now. Jean would have liked Chas and she would have liked Jean. They are very different in temperament and looks but have good hearts. I'm greatly enjoying time with Chas but I'm trying to go slow. I know I'm on the rebound and both of us are vulnerable."

Jack said, "Just be patient and let things flow." A moment later as he was pouring wine, the ladies came in with supper. I whispered to Jack that he should get the sauce cups. He went into the kitchen and brought them back. We sat at the table and Jack prayed for our meal and our friends and family.

The meal was delightful and David raved about my cooking. I said, "Chastity makes a great breakfast. She fed us this morning. I just wanted to cook this. It's one of Jack's favorites."

Chastity said, "Sandy Mom, you will have to show me how to make it when my ribs are better. I don't know that I can handle a wok right now. Gretchen and I both like to cook stir-fry. I haven't used beef much though."

I said, "You can sprinkle the sauce or dip it. It works either way. Jack's a sprinkler and I'm a dipper."

Chastity said, "Mom, is this squash in the stir-fry?"

"Yes, dear. It has celery, carrots, snow peas, and different colors of peppers, too. Sometimes, I add different kinds of nuts."

I smirked. "I've added peanuts, cashews, and even walnuts. So far, I haven't added Jack so I haven't run the full gamut of available nuts." We all laughed.

Jack said, "I do worry that you might take things a nut too far." Now, we all groaned theatrically.

We enjoyed our meals. My husband filled any long silence with a funny story or remark. David contributed some entertaining stories about his police work. I noticed that he told them without names, places, or identifying points. I noticed Chastity's face when she laughed. "Chastity, is it hurting to laugh?"

"Just a little bit but it's worth it. It's good food and good companionship. If my ribs give me a little nudge, it's okay. I rarely get a bad twinge. It's much better than it was and that's important."