Page 4 of Dad's Cop Buddy

“Come in,” she shouts from inside so I walk through the empty living room into the kitchen where I find Kendal chopping vegetables to go with the burgers she’s prepared.

It hits me from out of nowhere how domestic this is. Me fixing things outside and her preparing our lunch. I’ve always loved living alone. But this? I don’t mind coming home to this girl. I don’t mind that at all.

“Smells good in here,” I tell her as I grab a pickle off the little white tray on the counter.

“I hope you like burgers. I don’t go shopping much, and I didn’t have anything for sandwiches.”

“Burgers are great. Everything outside is good to go. I hope you have thick curtains on your bedroom windows because it’s gonna be very light outside tonight.”

“I do, but even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t care. I can’t thank you enough for doing this.”

“Even so, I wouldn’t blame you if you chose to move back in with your father until this whole thing gets wrapped up.”

She sets the spatula on the counter and looks down at her feet.

“I can’t do that.”

“May I ask why? You two seemed to get along just fine last night. So much so, I wondered why you would move out here instead of moving back into your childhood bedroom.”

“Well, my childhood bedroom doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t know if you know this, but my mother died when I was twelve.”

“I didn’t know. I was in Tucson then and didn’t really keep up with anyone back here. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you. In my senior year of high school, my father remarried. His new wife didn’t want to live in a house filled with memories of my mother. She said she wasn’t going to share her husband with a ghost. Dad sold the house and we moved to the other side of town.”

“That must have been rough for you.”

“That wasn’t the worst part. She didn’t just want to get rid of the house. She wanted to get rid of me, too. I think the day I left for college was the happiest day of her life. That’s why I moved out here. She doesn’t want me there.”

“Does she know that being away from home could be dangerous for you?”

“That’s not my home, and yes, she knows. That makes it even worse. She doesn’t want me bringing my problems to her doorstep.”

“That’s pretty shitty. I don’t remember your father being the type of guy who would let a woman run all over him like that.”

“Well, she’s got some kind of spell on him and it sucks. I just want my dad back, you know? He’s the only parent I have left.”

It takes all of my willpower to keep me from taking her in my arms and holding her. It seems like this little angel has adversaries on all sides. It’s not fair and it isn’t right. Good thing I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere.

“Are you married?” she asks me.

“I am not,” I grin.

“Were you ever?”

“No, I never thought I was the marrying type. Besides, my career has kept me busy.”

“And you’re my dad’s age?”

“A little younger, I think. I’ll be forty next year. What about you? How old are you?”

“Twenty-one. Well, twenty-two in six months.”

Damn, she’s just a baby but that doesn’t detract from the fact that she’s completely irresistible and my body goes haywire when she’s around. Is it really so bad wanting her like this? It’s not like I just wanna hook up. No, sir. What I want is to keep her beside me…forever. She may not know it yet, but she’s mine. All mine.

“So what’s next for us?’ she asks, catching me completely off guard.

“What do you mean?”

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