She watched him drive off and smiled. For the first time in a long time, she was excited at the idea of a date with someone who had captured her attention completely. Closing her eyes, she turned her face toward the sun, but only Sean’s face was impressed behind her eyelids. I could so lose my heart to him.
Driving back to headquarters, Sean winced at how he had asked Harper out but was thrilled that she had agreed. Harper was the first woman to spark his interest in a while, and as frustrated as he was over the arsonist, he was excited to have someone who seemed to understand his world.
Back at the station, he walked over to Jonas and they began going through the list of companies selling both phosphorus and carbon disulfide. He placed a call to Shamika, telling her of the findings that Harper’s lab had discerned, and she agreed that the combination of those two chemicals could have combusted when mixed with air.
“My initial tests only showed us what chemicals were present but not the concentrations,” she explained.
“Hey, that’s okay. We’re heading in the right direction now.” Disconnecting, he looked over at Jonas who was staring at him, a slight smile on his face. “What?”
“Did you ask Harper out for a date?”
“Yep.”
Beth piped up from her desk, “It’s about time you went out with somebody again.” He caught her smiling along with Terrence’s wide grin.
Before he had a chance to retort, Todd came out of his office, and he glanced up to see what his captain wanted.
“Do you think you can get Ms. Walsh to take you and Jonas to her lab? If the technician who works there can give you and Jonas an example of what they’re finding, it’d be productive to have it sooner than waiting on our labs.”
“I’ll call her and find out, Sir.” Secretly interested in seeing John Simpson, he did not want to acknowledge his jealousy. Dialing her number, she answered laughing.
“Didn’t we just leave each other?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say he already missed her but realized with Jonas staring at him, he had an audience. Instead, he simply explained what the Captain had asked for.
“I don’t think John will have a problem with that. I’ll give him a call and then let you know.”
Within ten minutes, she called him back. “I spoke to John, and he’s more than excited to show you how it’s possible to start a fire with just the chemicals mixed with air.”
“When can we meet?”
“John said he was busy today, but we can meet first thing in the morning. Meet me at the front of the Central Lab that’s on 23rd Street. I’ll walk you through the building and take you to where he works.”
Looking at Jonas, he said, “Looks like both of us have a date with Harper tomorrow.” He gave Jonas the information, and they agreed to meet at the station and drive together. With a firm plan in mind, they went back to work, digging through their evidence.
12
Sean drove into the parking lot at headquarters to pick up Jonas the next morning, appreciating the fact he had a full night’s sleep. And, finally, a day when I had my morning cup of coffee in my own kitchen. As he had rested his hip against the counter, he had looked around, wondering what Harper would think of his house.
Jonas climbed into the passenger seat before doing a double take toward Sean. “Man, even with this suck-ass traffic, you’ve got a smile on your face. So, where are you going on your date tonight?”
“I thought I’d take her to the Inner Harbor. There are lots of restaurants, and if she likes seafood there’s Charlie’s right on the water. Plus, I thought we could do a sunset boat ride.”
“Nice. I think there are some concerts going on at the Inner Harbor this week.” They were quiet for a moment, then Jonas continued, “I haven’t seen you this excited in a long time, Sean. I’m glad you’re going out with her.”
He maneuvered through traffic with ease. “Hey, it’s just a first date. But I feel like all I’ve done is focus on my career and family in recent years. Hookups just aren’t doing it for me anymore, and at my age, I’m ready to find someone I can really talk to.”