Rainy Days And Mondays

(or …  “I’m Not Running Anymore”)

jmhenderson

 

Chapter One

         The rain was soothing to Starsky.  Unlike his best friend, he secretly found comfort in the gray of a cloudy day.  The smells that filled your nose were like a sign that Mother Nature was ready to wash away the dirt and dust to start anew.  He could always count on a rainy day off to sort of mellow out any mood that had stricken him, from the bad ones that lingered with him of cases still unresolved, to the lonely ones of missing people in his life that he had loved so much and lost. 

         It was Monday.  All the more appropriate for the rain.  Maybe it would rain the rest of the week.  He was off thanks to the successful completion of a very hard case and he wouldn’t mind if it did.  Something he was sure not many would understand.

         He sat at the kitchen window and watched the rain as it fell.  He snuggled himself into his sweater, enjoying the chill, thinking about taking a nap.  There were two things that he most enjoyed with the rain:  sleep and sex.  The latter was not an option, so napping would be the plan.  Until the phone rang.

         “Dave?  Is that you?” the female voice questioned quietly, a little unsettled by his angered tone when he answered ‘Hello’.

         “This is David Starsky. Who’s this?” he asked, still unsettled by the phone’s disturbance, but glad to hear it wasn’t anyone from the precinct calling.

         “David.  It’s Me.  Sharman.  Sharman Crane” There was silence for a moment as his mouth fell open, but no words came out.  “David, are you still there?”  Starsky’s mind raced.  It couldn’t be.  Not her.  Not the same one.

         “Sharman, is that really you?”

         “Yes Dave, it’s me.” Her voice wavered a little, her emotions racing at the sound of his voice. 

Starsky almost fell back into the chair, realizing who it was.  He felt his heart jump heavily within him. 

         “Sharman, what’s wrong?” he asked, feeling like there was a reason behind her phone call other than what he had hoped for and longed for only months before.

         “I, I, oh hell David, I kept missing you and couldn’t stop thinking about you.  I decided I couldn’t keep living a lie.” Her voice quivered, as if she were cold or crying.  “I grabbed up a few of my things and caught a plane from New York City this morning.  I wanted to see you again.  I know I was presuming a lot.” She hesitated, catching her breath.  “I mean, I don’t even know if you want to see me ... ” her words trailed off.

         “Of course I want to see you.  Where are you at right now?  Let me come get you, okay?” Starsky’s voice was soft and his words sounded genuine.  She began silently crying with relief.

         “I’m at the airport.  I can catch a cab and be there in a little while, if you want me to?” She tried to stop her tears from being heard by him, although it was already too late. 

         “I’ll be there in a half hour.  You stay there, okay?  I’ll pick you up at the main entrance.  Hey, are you alright?” he asked, already worried about what might have brought her back to him.  He heard her stifled sobs over the phone, even though she tried to cover the mouth piece when she couldn’t control them.

         “Sharman?  You there?”        

         “I’m still here, Dave.  Yes, I’ll meet you at the main entrance in thirty minutes.  Thank you.” She hung up the phone softly.

 

Chapter Two

         David Starsky raced around his apartment almost as fast as his mind raced with thoughts of her.  He changed clothes and brushed his hair and left, running down the stairs and into his car.

         The whole time he drove, he thought about her, going through scenarios in his head, trying to prepare himself for the worst.  Maybe she couldn’t handle the big city any more, or maybe another tragedy had happened in her life that brought her back to him, not knowing where else to turn.  If she needed him to steady her and help her get a grip on reality, he would be there for her.  For anything.  Whatever the reason.  The windshield wipers began scraping the window, no longer having rain as a buffer for the friction as they got louder and louder.  He didn’t notice.

         He also didn’t remember driving to the airport and getting out from his car to go find her.  It was all just a blur as his mind freed itself to think about her and the last time he’d seen her.  He let his mind wander back to the vision of her from before.

        First he noticed her silhouette; she was looking out at the traffic as it passed by the window she stood in front of.  Then, like some sort of fairy tale, she slowly turned towards him, as if she magically knew he was there.  She was more beautiful than he could have imagined.  It was obvious that she'd been taking care of herself, getting well as time went by.  She smiled at him as he walked towards her, and he smiled back at her, embracing her as soon as he was within reach.  She returned his hold, hugging him as if for dear life.

         “God you look good, Sharman,” he told her, beaming as he smiled at her.

         “You do too, Dave,” she said, snuggling herself into him.  “I’ve missed you.”

         After talking a few moments, discussing the ‘niceties’ that old friends do, he grabbed her luggage in one hand and put the other around her waist as he led her towards his car.  Quickly placing her belongings in the trunk, he opened the passenger side door for her and closed it after she got in.  Once he had gotten behind the steering wheel, he put the keys in the ignition and turned himself to face her.

         “Where to?” Her eyes looked up into his.

         “Your place?”

         Starsky smiled, then turned the key.

         The drive back to his apartment was filled with an awkward silence.  He couldn’t stop looking over at her, as if having to check and be sure each time that she was real.  Every once in a while, as she watched the scenery go by, she would catch him looking at her.  She would smile, melting him.

         They walked silently up to his apartment hand in hand.  The rain began falling again, but neither seemed to mind.  Once they reached the top of the stairs, he tried letting go of her hand to get his keys from his pocket, not wanting to put her luggage down in the puddles that were already forming from the rain.  Instead she held onto him tightly, leaning down as she lifted the mat in front of his door, moving aside.  She picked up the key.

         “Just like you said.  The key is always under the mat,” she told him, grinning as she unlocked his door.

         “And I meant it.” He grinned back at her.

         After they got inside, Starsky began boiling a pot of water.  He thought that making them something warm to drink would be welcome after being out in the chilling rain. 

         Sharman walked around in the apartment, letting the familiar feel of it comfort her as she stopped in front of the living room window, watching the droplets of rain as they slid down the panes.  She didn’t notice Starsky as he walked up behind her.

         “Hey,” he said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder.  She smiled, still looking out the window.

         “Hey yourself.” She leaned her head over onto his hand.  She turned around slowly, her face only inches from his.

         “Miss me?” she asked.   She tilted her head to one side, giving him an almost impish grin.

         “You know I did.  Come on, I made us some hot chocolate.” He led her towards the kitchen, sitting across from her at the table.  He wanted to grab her and hold her and show her just how much he had missed her, but didn’t want to throw himself on her.  Instead he decided to let her make the moves, or at least know for sure what she wanted from him first.

         They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping the extra chocolatey mixture from their mugs as they grinned at each other.

         “So …” he began, not knowing exactly what to say.  “What would you like to talk about?” he asked, watching her as she avoided his question for a moment, instead searching her purse for a pack of cigarettes.         

         “We could talk about what brought you back here?” Starsky suggested, leaning himself back in his chair as he fished out an ashtray from a drawer behind him, placing it in front of her. 

         She lit a cigarette.

         “Okay, then how ‘bout I start.  What brought you back here?  When you called you said you couldn’t keep living a lie. What did you mean?”  Starsky leaned back in his chair and fished an ashtray from a drawer behind him.  He placed it in front of her, waiting patiently for her to respond.

         Sharman took a deep breath as she looked down at the ashtray.        

         “The lie of still being able to be a model.  New York City is for the young girls with the perky bodies and, and ..” Her face was suddenly stricken, as if she were fighting tears.

         “What happened to you, Sharman?”        

         “Nothing.” She began, “Nothing happened, Dave.  I just am not young anymore and I wasn’t willing to sleep with anyone for a job.  Well, there I was, trying so hard to get a few modeling jobs lined up, and I suddenly realized that I was making all these efforts for something that was no longer a priority in my life.  You know?  It was like some sort of awakening,.” she said, using her finger to  slowly make circular motions around the rim of her cup, avoiding eye contact with him.

         “Are you sure that’s all there is to it?” Starsky questioned, watching her carefully. She nodded her head yes, still looking down.

         “So, what is your priority in life now?”        

         “Well, I haven’t been back here in town since my mother died …” she said, pausing a little, as if reflecting on what had happened only a few months before.

         “Yeah, I heard.  I’m so sorry about that, Sharman.  It was a tragic accident.”         “Thanks.  But, I guess, to get back to answering your question, my priority in life is going to be life itself.  I want to live life and not be afraid anymore of what it has in store for me.” She paused, letting her eyes meet his. “That sounds corny as hell, doesn’t it?” she asked, a slight chuckle escaping her.

         “I think, “ Starsky began, putting his hand on hers, “that it sounds like you are ready for anything.” He smiled, looking at her proudly. 

         As the day went by, Sharman’s tension eased thanks to Starsky, talking about subjects of long ago that made her feel comfortable.  She knew she’d made the right choice coming to him.  Before they knew it, night had fallen.

         Starsky took Sharman out to dinner, opting for a nice little Mexican restaurant that was only a few miles from his home.  It had a few other patrons, but being Monday night and also being late in the evening, Starsky found the privacy he’d hoped for.  By the time they had finished eating, they were caught up with each other’s lives somewhat and happily reflecting on ‘old times’ from high school.  The subject of the last time they had seen each other never came up, other than the comment Starsky made about how well she had pulled herself together and how great she looked.

         When they left, they held hands all the way to the car, and resumed doing so after Starsky began the drive back home.  Within a couple of minutes, Sharman was fast asleep, leaning into Starsky’s shoulder.  He put his arm around her, grinning as he thought of how his day had started off nicely and ended up even better than he could have imagined.

         He pulled in front of his apartment and cut off the engine.  He just sat there, watching her as she slept securely wrapped in his arm.  When he finally woke her, she smiled at the sight of him, and he leaned in to her, kissing her gently on the forehead. 

         “C’mon sleepy head.  You’ve had a long, busy day.  How about we get you settled in where you can get a good night’s sleep?” he asked her sweetly. 

She nodded her head in agreement and let him walk her up the stairs and inside the dark apartment.

         Starsky led her into the bedroom and switched on the light on his nightstand.  He watched as she sat down on the bed, then leaned herself over to lie across it.  She patted the bed with her hand, inviting him.  He stood there for a moment grinning, then laid down beside her. Taking his left hand, he gently pulled her long hair away from her face, enjoying the twinkling eyes that watched him.  He leaned forward to kiss her, and she met him halfway.  Her lips were soft as they joined his, and he felt a tingling of excitement from the longing he’d had for her from long ago.  He reached over, pulling her into him as he rolled himself on his back, reaching with his other hand to cut of the light beside them.  Outside, it began to rain again.

 

Chapter Three

         Starsky awoke to the gentle sound of the rain as it fell on his roof, soothing and calming.  He looked over at his clock.  It was 8am.  He stretched his arms until he felt her lying beside him and smiled.  He hadn’t been dreaming.  Quietly, he slid himself out from the covers and stood up, grabbing his jeans from the floor as he walked out of the bedroom, pulling the door closed so he wouldn’t wake her.  He went straight to the coffee pot, setting it up and starting it, then went into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

         Coming out from the bathroom, he noticed how dark it was in the apartment.  The clouds that gave him the rain he enjoyed were making it look much earlier than it really was.  He cut on the light in the kitchen and got himself  a coffee mug from the cupboard.  Looking thoughtful for a moment, he grabbed another, filling them both with coffee and then walked back into the bedroom.

         Opening the door, he walked in carefully with the two steaming cups, placing them silently on his nightstand.  He looked down at the resting woman in his bed.  Even in sleep, she was beautiful.  She looked peaceful and content, and he wasn’t sure if he should wake her.   But a devilish grin crossed his face, and he leaned himself down on the bed, kissing her gently until moans of pleasure escaped her.

         By 10am she had also showered and was sitting across from him in the kitchen, watching as he cooked their breakfast.

         “Please don’t fix me anything.  I have a lot of running around to do today and the last thing I want to do is get that sluggish full stomach feeling, okay?”   

         “Too late.  I already scrambled the eggs,.” he told her, grinning.  She smiled at him.

         “Well, maybe I can eat a little bit.  I do feel slightly ravenous for some strange reason …” she said, almost blushing at her comment.  Starsky smiled broadly at her, leaning over to kiss her as he continued stirring the eggs.

         “Where do you have to go today?  You need any help?” he asked as he took the eggs and put them on two plates he had set on the counter.  She looked down at the table, a slight frown crossing her face.

         “Hey,” Starsky began, setting down the pan.  “What’s wrong Sharman?”

         “I have to go to my mother’s estate today and try and get things settled with my stepfather.  I don’t want to, but it has to be done.  He’s been avoiding me, like he thinks if I go there I am going to kick him out or something.  My mother loved him.  I wouldn’t do anything that she wouldn’t want me to do.  God I miss her.” She looked away from him, lifting her head in hopes of keeping the tears from falling down her cheeks.  Her efforts failed as two tears came forward.  Starsky wiped them away with his hand, then pulled her into him, hugging her.

         “I know you do, honey.  I wish I could take your pain away.  Why don’t I take you over there.  If nothing else I can give you some moral support.” he rubbed her back as he continued to hold her.  She began nodding her head, then leaned herself back from his grip. 

         “I’d like that.” She wiped her tears and smiled.

         “Good.  Then it’s settled.  Now all you have to do is eat.”

 

<O><O><O><O><O><O><O>

 

         The ride over to Sharman’s family home was almost silent except for the monotonous swishing of the wiper blades and the occasional revving of the Torino’s engine.  Sharman was surprised that Starsky remembered the way to the place, but never actually said so out loud.  She was too busy soaking up the scenery and reliving old memories.

         They walked up to the front door and Starsky rang the bell, looking in awe at the tall windows and columns that surrounded them.  It was a mansion, but not one of those garish ones that flashed dollar signs.  This one had conservative tastes and style.  The lawns were well kept and the shrubs were neatly trimmed.  There was a small fountain down further from the porch that he found himself staring at when the door suddenly swung open.  A portly older woman with a genuine smile greeted them.

         “Oh my heavens!  Miss Sharman!  You’re home!  I’m so glad to see you child!  Come in, come in!  Both of you now, before you catch a cold from this dampness out here.” She ushered them inside.

         “It’s so good to see you again, Mrs. Clark!” Sharman said, clutching the older woman in her arms and squeezing her tightly.

         “You look beautiful, just beautiful, Miss Sharman!”        

         “Oh gosh, thanks, so do you!  You haven’t changed a bit.”

         “I was wondering, is Ed around?  I need to get some things taken care of,.” Sharman said, looking around the foyer.

         “Mr. Brannigan is upstairs having tea in the study.  Shall I announce you?”         

         “No, that won’t be necessary.  I’ll just go on up there.  Oh, where are my manners?  Mrs. Clark, I’d like you to meet David Starsky.” 

Starsky extended his hand and smiled.

         “Ah, the man you have talked about before.  A pleasure to meet you Mr. Starsky.” She smiled as she shook his hand.

         “A pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

         “I am going to go upstairs and see Ed.  Could you take Dave into the kitchen and get him a drink?” Sharman asked.

         “Come along Mr. Starsky, let’s find you something.” Mrs. Clark grabbed his arm and led him away.  Sharman smiled at him as he looked over his shoulder at her.

         Starsky sat down and was given a tall glass of milk.  Almost secretly, Mrs. Clark looked around the room, making sure they were alone, then went to a cupboard door and pulled out a tin once filled with crackers.  She opened it in front of him on the table.  To his delight, he saw homemade cookies inside.  He smiled like a child and grabbed one.  She looked at him and grinned, proud of herself when she saw his reaction to her homemade goodies.

         After the third cookie, Starsky stopped himself, thanking her for sharing the treat with him.  She enjoyed the flattery on her home baked goods and told him to take the full tin home; an offer he couldn’t refuse even if he’d wanted to, which he didn’t.  She began discussing how Sharman loved them when she was a child.  But the conversation was disrupted suddenly.

         Starsky and Mrs. Clark stopped talking when the raised voices of Sharman  and her step father bled through the kitchen door.  Starsky stood up suddenly and moved through the doorway, half walking, half running towards the front of the house.  The voices became louder as he approached them.

         “I don’t understand, Ed.  Why are you being like this?  Do you think I came back to …” Sharman’s words were abruptly cut off.

         “Get the hell out of here and get away from me!” The voice was clearly Ed’s, and he was obviously unsettled by her visit. 

         Starsky walked through the living room towards the foyer in time to see Sharman at the top of the stairs with her stepfather a few feet away from her.

         “You think you’re going to come here out of the blue and bring your cop friend, for what?  Are you accusing me of something?  What DID you come here for anyway?" Ed’s voice was harsh and demanding.  Sharman backed away from him as he stepped towards her.  Starsky watched in horror as she backed herself to the top of the staircase. 

         “Sharman!” Starsky yelled, jumping the steps two at a time, fearing she would go backwards on them.  Hearing him yell startled her, making her realize how close she had gotten to the edge.

         “What the hell is going on here?” he demanded as he stood by her side.

         “I don’t know.  Ed, why are you so angry with me?”  Her voice shaking as she tried to keep her composure.  Ed’s eyes looked back and forth from her to Starsky, showing some confusion.  Finally he looked away, noticing Mrs. Clark, who stood watching them from the bottom of the steps.

         “I don’t know why you’re here, but I want you to go.  There’s nothing left for you here now.  If you want to take the house, you can have the damned thing.  If not, I don’t want to see you anymore.  Do you understand me?  Now go!” He turned away from them as he headed back towards the study.

         Sharman was numb.  She stood there for a moment, lost in the confusion of what had just happened.

         “Come on Sharman, let me get you outta here; take you home.” Starsky put a guiding arm around her and walked her down the stairs.

         “But this is my home.” she said quietly, her eyes welling with tears.

 

<O><O><O><O><O><O>

 

         Starsky drove with a cautious eye on the road and another on Sharman.  She just sat there, looking out of the windshield yet seeing nothing.  It was almost as if she were in shock, and it had Starsky worried.  He pulled the Torino in front of his apartment and cut the engine off, still watching her as she methodically got out from the car and walked towards the steps.  He got out as well, following behind her, then unlocked the door for them to go in.  Once inside, she went into the bathroom, still saying nothing.  Starsky stood outside of the door, wondering just what to do next.  He remembered the last time she had locked herself in the bathroom, and felt a chill crawl up his spine.

         “Sharman?  You alright in there?” he asked as he knocked on the door softly.

         The door opened and she stood before him.  Her eyes were swollen and her face was red, lines where tears had fallen streaked her cheeks.  She looked up at him.

         “I don’t know what happened over there.  We used to get along so well, I mean, now all of a sudden he acts as if he can’t stand the sight of me.  I don’t know what I’ve done …” her voice cracked as her eyes filled with tears again.  Starsky hugged her, holding her tightly with his arms firmly surrounding her.

         “You didn’t do anything.  It was some kind of reaction I think, that’s all.  I mean, he hasn’t seen you since your mother’s funeral, and well, you do look like your mom.  Maybe it just hit him too hard, seeing you there.   It looked to me like it hurt him to see you.  He’s probably kicking himself in the butt right now for reacting like that.  And if he’s not, I’m sure Mrs. Clark is.  I bet she can be a real pistol.” He kept a strong grip on her.  Sharman began laughing as she pulled herself from him and wiped her face with her sleeve.

         “Mrs. Clark probably has him sitting in a corner right now for bad behavior.” She grinned.  “Maybe she’s even got him writing ‘I will behave myself from now on.’ a hundred times.  She was a school teacher before she came to work for my family.”

         “Yeah, I bet she has him wishing he had never spoken to you like that.  And I’m betting he wishes he hadn’t anyway.  You know, sometimes people react funny to grief.  Give him a little time.  He’ll come around.” He placed a hand on each of her shoulders.  Sharman shook her head in agreement.

         “I’ll give him a little time.  Then I’m going back over there,.” she said, leaning herself in an upward motion and kissing Starsky on the cheek.  “Thank you for making me feel better.”  Starsky leaned over her and kissed her on the forehead.

         “That’s what I’m here for.” He gave her a lopsided grin, making her smile broadly.

         “Hey!  Hey-hey!  I gotta let Hutch know you’re in town.  You wanna go out for lunch and surprise him?” he asked hopefully.  She looked down towards her feet.

         “I don’t know.  I mean, the last time he saw me, well, you know.  I don’t think that he’d be all that eager to see me again.” She walked away from him and into the living room.

         “Sure he would.  He knows we went to high school together and he’s seen some of the magazines that Ma used to send me when you were modeling.  I bet he’d get a real kick outta seeing you doing so good now.  C’mon, what do ya say?” Starsky’s eyes had a way of pleading that no woman could resist.  Within a few minutes, he was on the phone with Hutch, making plans to meet at Huggy’s.

 

Chapter Four

         The Pits was full of patrons by the time they arrived, but lunch time was almost over, and the customers who had come in for their break were quickly departing.  Starsky walked with Sharman arm in arm over to a booth, both of them sitting down as they waited for Hutch to arrive.  The waitresses were busily cleaning tables and collecting their tips, commenting on some that weren’t so good, while Huggy took bus pans full of dirty dishes into the kitchen.  One waitress came over and got their drink orders, smiling at the two as they sat holding hands.

         Hutch walked in, wearing a gray jogging suit looking a bit dressed down from his normal attire.  He was off and wanted to be comfortable.  Starsky’s call had interrupted his meditation, but gave him the ‘out’ he was looking for to postpone some house cleaning that he’d been dreading, and he had gladly accepted the invitation for lunch.  He saw the curly giveaway sign of the back of his partner’s head in a booth and walked over to it, whistling when he arrived at his destination.

         “Hey Starsk, I thought you’d be sleeping in until three everyday of this vacation and …” he walked around the booth and saw Sharman, sitting there beside Starsky, leaning into his arm.  His words stopped cold as his mouth dropped open.

         “Sharman?  Sharman Crane, isn’t it?” Hutch extended his hand out to her, which she accepted with a smile.  “Wow.  You look really good.  Really.  So, partner, this is the surprise you said you had for me, huh?  Well, it’s a very pleasant one,” he said, looking between the two as he released her hand.

         “Thank you.  It’s good to see you again, Hutch.  You look really good, too,” Sharman told him, blushing at his comments.  Starsky was pleased by his friend’s good mood and smiled. 

         Hutch stood straight up to maneuver himself around to take the seat across from them, inadvertently slamming into the waitress who had returned with the drinks.  The sodas spilled backwards on her shirt, all over her tray, down her jeans and onto the floor.  She just stood there, glaring at him.  Hutch quickly grabbed some napkins from the table and tried to dry her, embarrassing himself when he realized he was patting down her chest.

         Apologizing and red-faced, he handed the napkins to the still glaring woman.  She looked over at Huggy, who rolled his eyes then shrugged his shoulders at her.  Taking the napkins, she grinned, letting him know it was alright.

         “I’ll be back in a minute with more drinks.  What will you have, sir?” she asked Hutch, keeping a professional tone about her.  Hutch sat down, then looked up at her and grinned.

         “Call me Ken, or Hutch, okay?  I’m really sorry,” he added.  She stood there for a moment, looking over at Starsky, then back at Hutch.

         “Hey Blondie.  I think the lady really just wanted to know what you wanted to drink,” Starsky said slyly.  Hutch looked at Starsky and Sharman, then his face began to flush, and he grinned up at the waitress.

         “I’m sorry.  Could I have a glass of iced tea?”  A genuine smile crossed his lips.  She smiled back at him.

         “I’ll be back in a moment,” She said politely, then turned and walked over towards Huggy.  Hutch sat there, watching the brunette as her well-curved figure got farther away.  Starsky cleared his throat, making Hutch divert his attention back to the people in front of him.  Simultaneously, Sharman and Starsky began to laugh.

 

<O><O><O><O><O><O><O>

 

         Lunch had been a wonderful distraction for Sharman, who talked about different things and enjoyed the teasings and pickings between Starsky and Hutch.  When she excused herself to the restroom, Starsky told Hutch about what had happened earlier that day.

         “Sounds rough.  She seems to be handling it okay now though,.” Hutch said, still watching the waitress who worked the floor.  “Do you know what her name is?” he asked out of the clear blue.

         “What’s whose name is?” Starsky knew the answer, but wanted to play the game.

         “That new waitress Huggy’s got.  I think she likes me,” Hutch said, making Starsky spit the soda he was sipping.

         “What’s in that tea of yours?” Starsky asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

         “No, really.  I wonder if she’d like to go out for dinner tonight.”

         “What if she’s married?” Starsky’s tone was teasing.

         “No wedding ring,” Hutch replied, proud of his observation.  Starsky watched Hutch’s eyes as they followed the woman around the bar.

         “You wanna little privacy? Sharman and I can take off.”

         “Thanks,” Hutch said, grateful for his partner’s intuition,  “but I think I’ll go to the bar and talk with Huggy for a while.  THEN I’ll talk with her.” He stood as Sharman came back and sat down beside Starsky.

         “Well, if you two will excuse me, I think I’ll go question Huggy about a certain waitress.” Hutch said, then turned to walk to the bar. 

         The crash that followed startled the remaining patrons.  As Hutch turned around, he ran directly into the waitress, again, who had a tray full of dirty dishes she’d just cleared from the booth behind them.  He set her off balance with his sudden movement, and caught her by the arms before she could join the dishes on the floor.  By the time they had balanced themselves, Hutch had her in an entangled embrace. 

         “You are dangerous!” she scolded him, pulling herself from his hold as she  leaned down to pick up the mess.  She backed away from him, staring as she picked up the broken glass.

         “Damn, Hutch!  Are you trying to destroy my profits today?” Huggy hollered, walking towards them with a towel and a broom and dustpan. 

         “Actually he was trying to figure out a way to ask your new waitress here out on a date,” Starsky said smugly, his words greeted by the harsh glare of his partner.

         The waitress shook her head in disbelief.

         “That’s a very unique style you have there, Hutch.  Really swept me off my feet.” She rolled her eyes and stood upright.  “I’m taking a break, Huggy,” she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

         “Smooth my man, real smooth,” Huggy teased, finishing the cleaning chore.  Hutch just shook his head, looking at the three of them.

         “I think you made quite an impression,” Starsky added.

         “Stephanie looked impressed.  Yeah.  Right,” Huggy sneered, laughing out loud.

         “I need to go over and fix all this,” Hutch said quietly, leaving them as he  walked towards her.  Everyone watched for a moment, then Sharman stood up, leaning over as she kissed Starsky on the cheek.

         “Well, I need to get going.  You take care of him, alright?”  Starsky grabbed her arm as she leaned herself back up.

         “Hey, where are you going?”

         “Just down the street.  I need to rent a car and get some things done.” She noticed the look of worry on his face.  “I’ll be fine.  Okay?  I’ll see you this evening?” She leaned in, giving Starsky a smooch.  His look was still of concern, and she raised her eyebrows at him.

         “Alright.  Call me if you need me.”

 

<O><O><O><O><O><O>

 

         Hutch walked over beside Stephanie as she sat at the bar, first sipping on a glass of soda, then taking deep rhythmic breaths as if meditating to calm herself.  Hutch grinned.

         “Am I the cause of your meditation?”

         She looked over at him, looking seriously at first, then she sighed, letting her face ease into a smile.

         “No.  I’m just trying to keep focussed.  So many things to be done and I need to keep my mind clear.”  She rubbed the back of her neck, closing her eyes as she leaned her head backwards.  After a moment, she stopped and looked over at him, as if almost embarrassed when she caught him staring at her. 

         “Sorry.  I didn’t mean to ignore you.” 

         Hutch stood up and walked behind her chair as she sat herself straight up.  She expected him to walk around to the other side of her, but instead felt the touch of his hands, gently placed on her shoulders.  He began massaging her tensed muscles.   Her mouth opened to protest, but the relief she felt from his expertly placed fingers made her lips close in silence.

         “Hmm.  That feels good.  You do this for a living?”

         “No, actually, I’m a cop.” 

         She laughed out loud.  “That’s’ quite a turn around from what I was thinking!”

         Hutch laughed with her as he continued working her shoulders, letting his strength work the tension away.  Finally she pulled herself forward to release his hands, then turned in the bar stool to face him.

         “Any more of that and I’ll be falling asleep.  Thank you.  That really felt nice.” She smiled genuinely at him, making him return the gesture.

         “Any time.  Hey, listen, I know we started off on a bad note here, but I was wondering … ah, if maybe you’d like to go out to dinner sometime?” It was at that moment that she noticed the beautiful blue eyes that looked at her, filled with sincerity.

         “I’d like to.  But I’m afraid that the only night I could probably go out this week would be tonight.” Stephanie smiled at him, her allure even more compelling than before.  Hutch looked at her, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

         “Uh, tonight?  Tonight would be fine.  Um, when?  Where …”

         “How about you meet me back here, around seven?” 

         Hutch grinned, looking down for a moment before returning his eyes to hers.   “Sounds perfect.”

 

 

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