The bracing fresh air had an added benefit, helping the morning queasiness she hadn’t fully shaken yet. Her sour stomach was slowly improving day by day, but bright sunshine and a cool breeze certainly helped.
All of which served to put her in a very good mood when she walked into that small conference room Gavin had reserved for them again.
He wasn’t in the room, but had obviously beaten her to work, because his notebook and files were at the end of the conference room table, along with a scrawled note that he’d be right back addressed to her.
Sera took in the bold scrawl and nearly picked up the note to trace her fingers over the letters before she caught herself.
Tracing his handwriting? Seriously?
For someone who was doing her level best to keep her heart in check, she certainly had her moon-eyed moments. Especially after the past two evenings in his company.
Last night had been...special.
Even if at times she’d felt the intimacy clawing at her, knocking on the doors of her past.
It was a silly thought, Sera admitted, but it was a fit for how she felt. And last night’s discussion—and her deep need to know more about Gavin—had left her more than aware that if she wanted answers from him, she’d need to be prepared to share some of her own.
Wasn’t that the whole reason she’d avoided building deeper relationships with others, sexual or otherwise? Her friendships were surface level. Even Uncle Enzo and Aunt Robin, who knew her past, were kept at an arm’s length most of the time.
They tried to get in, and Sera probably gave Aunt Robin the most leeway when it came to deeper discussions about life, especially her own, but that was the extent of it.
She’d always told herself it was a matter of privacy, but was it?
Or was it initially an armored response to life that had somehow become a prison?
“Sera!”
She glanced up to see Wyatt Trumball framed in the doorway. “Hey, Wyatt.”
“I had to run up here to check in on another team and realized you were here waiting for Gavin. We just had a briefing meeting with the captain, and he needed to stay a few extra minutes to wrap up.”
“Of course. I’ve got plenty to do while I wait.”
He looked about to leave before seemingly thinking better of it. “Gavin mentioned that he told you about our discovery yesterday and that he’d like to put it up as an item for consideration on the task force you’re both working.”
“It seems almost purpose-built for what we’re doing. How to share jurisdictions and more seamlessly communicate and hand projects back and forth.”
“I was more intrigued that you pushed him to focus on working the case.”
“Intrigued?”
“I get this task force is important. Everyone selected for it was handpicked by their leadership, and it’s a sign you’re being considered for more. To encourage Gavin to work the case before prioritizing the task force, that’s a credit to you, Sera.”
“Thank you. I—” She wasn’t entirely sure what to say in the face of such obvious praise, so ended up simply sharing what she truly felt. “I appreciate the opportunity to grow my career and my work. But the reason we’re even on a task force? It matters because we’re keeping the city safe. No amount of ambition can stand in the way of that.”
“Not everyone can say that. I hope you know it only reinforces why you were selected for the task force in the first place. I will make sure Captain Reed communicates the same to your DA.”
“Thanks, Wyatt. I appreciate that.”
Visit at an end, the man headed off almost as quickly as he’d arrived. Even so, Wyatt’s support of her lingered in her mind long after he’d left.
That ready sense of encouragement was special. And while she’d never have said David Esposito didn’t offer similar encouragement to his team of ADA’s, she could also honestly say there was a distinct sense of competition in her team. One that came from a pace and tone David set with all of them as their district attorney.
“What’s the frown for?”
She looked up from her laptop to see Gavin standing behind his seat at the table.
“Frown?”
“Yeah, you looked like a cross between angry and sad with distinct notes of annoyed.” He laid a hand over his heart. “What did I do?”
She had the urge to toss her pen at him but held back. “Every thought in my head doesn’t include you.”
“Pity.” Gavin pulled his phone and a thick leather folder that held his badge from his pockets before taking his seat.
“Why’d you think I was angry?”
“I don’t know, but you just looked really upset there when I walked in.”
“Wyatt stopped in to tell me you were delayed by your briefing. And he said something quite nice.” Without knowing why, Wyatt’s words fell from her lips, and she couldn’t deny how much it had meant to her that he’d acknowledged her in that way.
“And that put an angry look on your face?”
“That’s just it. I realized that there’s a lot of competition in my own team. I guess I always saw it as a good thing, but maybe it sort of pisses me off, now that I think about it.”
“Teams are all about personalities. I see that with the Harbor team, which is a good blend of personalities. But further back, when I went through training with my academy team. We were—” he shrugged “—let’s just say I’ve heard more than one person mention my class had a lot of high-maintenance personalities.”
High-maintenance personalities.
