Next of Kin

by Jae

  That's what I like about her, Kade realized with sudden insight. She's not playing roles. She's just herself, no matter what.

  Del didn't try to pull out Kade's chair for her, silently accepting the boundaries Kade had erected during their phone conversation – Del wasn't allowed to pick Kade up, open doors and pull out her chair for her, or pay for dinner since Kade wasn't ready to be constantly reminded that she was out on a date with a woman.

  Del waited until Kade was seated, then grinned up at her from under dark bangs. "So you didn't turn back around after all."

  Kade's fingers flexed around the wine list. She knew she was usually not that easy to read, and it irritated her that Del seemed to know exactly what had made her so late. She looked up sharply, directly into Del's eyes. She had learned a long time ago that attack was often the best form of defense. "What makes you think I wanted to turn back around? As you can see, I'm here."

  "Yes, to my surprise, delight, and unspeakable relief – I need someone to explain all these different forks and glasses to me," Del answered with a self-deprecating grin.

  Kade stared at her, not sure if she was being made fun of. No one in her circles would have ever admitted to not knowing one of the intricate rules of the higher society. Acting superior and not admitting any weaknesses had made Kade a good prosecutor and her mother the envy of her friends, but Kade knew it was also the reason why she had no close friends.

  Kade studied the menu even though she had been here often enough to almost know it by heart. At least it gave her something to do other than staring at the woman across from her.

  A few minutes later, the waiter came by to take their order. He asked for their wine selection, looking at Del, probably because she was the older woman at the table.

  "Don't look at me," Del told him with a smile. "I appreciate a good glass of wine, but I'm not a connoisseur by any means. Why don't you choose for us, Ms. Matheson?"

  Kade quickly made her selection, but her thoughts were on Del. The ease with which Del had deferred to her was unexpected. Kade thought back to her last date. Defense lawyer Neill Sutherland had always insisted on choosing the wine they would have even though Kade was convinced he was barely able to keep white and red wine apart and knew she would have done a much better job.

  Del seemed completely at ease with herself and her own shortcomings. She didn't feel the need to prove herself to anyone.

  When the waiter had brought over their wine and Kade had nodded her approval, Del raised her glass and softly touched it to Kade's. "Here's to getting to a first-name basis."

  Kade's glass hesitated halfway to her mouth. She wasn't sure she wanted to take away the old, comfortable roles just yet.

  "I admire Deputy DA Matheson, but I want to have dinner with Kade," Del said softly.

  The honesty in her eyes took Kade's breath away. Being here with Del Vasquez was so very different from any date she had ever been on – and not just because Del was the first woman with whom she had ever gone out. She was used to compliments, small talk, and flattery, not to this unveiled openness.

  "Or do you prefer Kadence?" Del asked when Kade remained silent.

  Kade blinked. Some of the men she had dated had called her "Kade"; some had chosen the more sophisticated sounding "Kadence," but no one had ever asked her what she preferred to be called. "Kade," she answered decisively and finally took a sip of her wine.

  Del nodded. "Kade it is." She clinked her glass to Kade's again. "Why do you prefer Kade to Kadence? Is there any particular reason?"

  Kade stared into the red depths of her wine, then back up into the attentive dark eyes. "Because it's the name I made for myself, not the name my parents gave me." She had never thought about it before, but she knew it was the truth as soon as she had said it. She had inherited the name "Kadence" as she had inherited her trust fund. But being called "Kade," being accepted into the circle of prosecutors and cops, was something she had earned on her own. "What about you?" she asked. "Do you prefer Del or Delicia?"

  Two black eyebrows rose. "How do you know the D-word?"

  "D-word?" Kade had to smile at Del's expression.

  "My dreaded first name," Del explained.

  Kade leaned back and allowed an enigmatic smile to curl her lips. "I'm a DDA. I have my sources." When Del continued to look at her, she finally relented. "You showed me your ID when you ambushed me in the underground garage, remember?"

  "Oh. Yeah." Del rubbed her ear.

  "So why Del?" Kade asked.

  Del extended her arms and nodded down at herself. "Do I look like a Delicia to you?"

  For the first time, Kade allowed herself to really look at the other woman. She let her gaze wander over the tall, sturdily built body, the muscular forearms that the rolled-up sleeves revealed, and calm dark brown eyes. Del wore no makeup and with her Latin complexion didn't need it. With her small breasts and narrow hips, Del was not one of the voluptuous Latina women, and her features were a bit too rugged to be considered classically beautiful. "No," Kade admitted, "not really."

  Del just grinned, and when the waiter returned, she allowed Kade to order for them both.

  "So," Del said when she picked up the fork Kade indicated to eat her entrée, "tell me a little about yourself."

  Kade delicately picked at a piece of lamb's lettuce. "What do you want to know?"

  "Everything." Del's voice was quiet and sincere.

  "Well, I've been with the sex crimes unit for a little over two years and before that –"

  "I already know the competent counselor, now I want to get to know the woman," Del gently interrupted.

  Kade set her fork down and dabbed at her lips with her napkin. "My job with the DA's office is a very important part of my life." She had expected them to converse about their jobs, something they had in common and could use to build a connection. It threw her completely off stride that Del refused to talk shop.

  "One part, yes, but there has to be so much more to you than just your job," Del said. She looked at Kade, clearly waiting for her to start talking about herself.

  "I spend fourteen hours a day with lawyers, detectives, and criminals, so what more do you expect there to be?" Kade asked soberly.

  Del shrugged. "Well, you could tell me what you do with the other ten hours, what kind of music you like, if you have any siblings, and what you're looking for in a man... or a woman."

  "Sleep and go for a run, Jazz, one older brother, and I'm not looking," Kade answered, ticking off the answers on her fingers.

  Del stared at her for a moment, then burst into laughter. The people at the other tables started to look at them, but Del didn't pay them any attention. "You're very efficient if not detailed, I'll give you that."

  Kade smirked and picked up her fork again.

  "You're a runner?" Del asked.

  Oh, yeah, running from the things I don't want to face is a specialty of mine, Kade thought wryly. Aloud she said, "Yes. I try to run every morning, no matter what else is going on." She tried to picture Del's long, strong legs that were hidden under the table. "Do you run too?"

  "I'm training to run the Portland Police Marathon, but I have a feeling you'd run circles around me, Counselor," Del teased.

  Kade smiled. It was nice to have dinner with someone who thought her capable of things other than looking beautiful. "You never know," she answered with a grin.

  "Unless of course I accompany you on one of your morning runs and find out." Del's dark eyes observed her closely, waiting for her answer.

  "Smooth, Detective, really smooth. Are you trying to get a second date when we haven't even made it halfway through the first one?" Del's insistence was flattering even if it scared her a little.

  Del circled the rim of her wineglass with a lazy finger. "You said you aren't looking, but if you met a person who could hold your interest, would you give them a chance?"

  Kade sighed. She definitely wasn't used to so much openness. "We could be friends."

  "Friend
s?" Del repeated the word as if she was trying to taste it.

  "Yes." She knew it wasn't what Del wanted to hear, but she wasn't ready to jump into a relationship with a woman. "For now."

  "All right, let's try to be friends for now," Del agreed. She extended her hand over the table, attracting the gazes of their fellow restaurant guests again.

  Kade was very aware of their attention while Del didn't even seem to notice. Hesitantly, she reached across the table and laid her hand into Del's warm, solid grip.

  They conversed about a variety of topics during dinner, none of them related to their work. Finally, Kade was ready to ask for the check, but Del shook her head. "What about dessert?"

  Kade folded her napkin. "No, thanks, not for me."

  "Come on, Kade, you can afford to put a little more meat on these bones. Share a piece of cheesecake with me," Del said.

  Another first in the history of Kade's dates: no one had ever encouraged her to eat more. Her male dates always seemed to like the elegant, ladylike way she sampled dinner, and her mother had taught her that a woman should never, ever eat more than the man with whom she was dining. You're not dining with a man, she told herself. And your mother isn't here to criticize you – and even if she were, you eating dessert would be the last thing she would comment on if she saw you on a date with a woman. "Does that mean you think I'm too thin?" she asked, adopting her most stern badass DDA glare.

  "It means I think you're denying yourself the opportunity to enjoy life," Del said, not breaking eye contact for even a second.

  Kade was speechless again. No one had ever affected her like this before, and she still wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing.

  "And just for the record," Del said, this time with a smile, "I think you're beautiful just the way you are."

  Kade was a veteran at handling compliments with grace, but now she felt herself blush. "Sharing a piece of cheesecake sounds good," she said.

  Just a few minutes later, the waiter set down a piece of cheesecake between them.

  "Stop nibbling and dig in, or you'll have to make do with the crumbs," Del warned her as she picked up her fork. "I have five brothers. Ladylike restraint wasn't taught at our dinner table."

  Kade smiled but inwardly shook her head. God, this will never work. We couldn't be more different if we tried. We grew up in completely different worlds. She took a bite of cheesecake and savored it for a long moment.

  "So," Del asked around a forkful of cake, "what finally convinced you to go out to dinner with me?"

  Kade picked up her napkin to dab at her lips. "I guess your insistence finally paid off," she answered with a shrug. She didn't want to admit that with all the happy couples around her she had felt lonely, like the last remaining spinster on earth.

  Del tilted her head and arched one black eyebrow. "Insistence?"

  "You wouldn't call ninety-seven bouquets of flowers insistent?" Kade asked with a smile. Even for Matheson standards, that kind of courtship seemed impressive.

  "Ninety-seven bouquets of flowers?" Del repeated.

  Kade gave a nod. "I kept count."

  Del pushed the plate back and leaned forward to study Kade. "I'm not sure what you're talking about. Someone sent you flowers?"

  Kade stared at her. Del had been so open and honest before, why was she denying this now? "Yes, you did."

  "Are you talking about the roses?" Del asked.

  "The roses, the carnations, the lilies, the gladioli..." Kade stopped herself when she saw Del's blank expression. "You didn't send them?"

  Del shook her head. "I wish I had, but no, that must have been another admirer."

  "Are you serious?" Kade stared at her in confusion, not sure if Del was telling the truth or denying her role in the flower deliveries for unknown reasons. "I was so sure. The flower deliveries and the cards started the day after you gave me the roses, and I just thought..."

  "Kade." Del gently laid her hand over Kade's. "Having flowers delivered and sending unsigned cards is not my style. I'd have personally brought you flowers every day if I had thought it would accomplish anything but chase you away."

  Kade still couldn't believe this. "But who else would send me all those flowers?"

  Del squeezed her hand. "I'm sure there are a lot of people who would go to great lengths to impress you."

  "One bouquet of flowers, sure, but ninety-seven?" Kade shook her head. "That's not something your garden-variety admirer would do. Are you sure you had nothing to do with this?"

  "I'm a lieutenant with the Portland Police Bureau. I don't make that kind of money, believe me," Del said with a rueful shake of her head.

  Kade pulled her hand out from under Del's and nervously folded them in her lap. "In one of your cards you said you grew them yourself."

  "I didn't write that card or any of the other ninety-six," Del insisted. "You really have no idea who else could have sent you the flowers and cards? Kade, if this is not just a harmless admirer or an insistent law firm who's trying to lure you over to the dark side, maybe you should have this investigated. Do you want me to –"

  "No," Kade said quickly. She didn't want to involve Del in this whole mess even though the thought that anyone else but Del had sent all the flowers was scaring her. Who else would go to all this trouble to get her attention, but then not even tell her his name? In the last six months, no one had given her more than a second glance. No one but Del.

  Then another thought hit her. She didn't send the flowers, probably hasn't even thought about me since we met last November, and I call her to make a date on Valentine's Day! I knew this was a bad idea. Kade didn't think she had ever been this embarrassed.

  "Hey, listen." Del reached across the table to squeeze Kade's hand, but Kade pulled back before their hands could touch. "I didn't send you the flowers, but that doesn't change anything." She looked at Kade with an open gaze. "I'm still interested in you."

  *

  "Kade?" a voice interrupted her memories. "Kade? Hello?"

  Kade looked up and into the dark eyes she had avoided for the last two months. She had rarely seen Del since Valentine's Day, telling herself it would have never worked out anyway. It was better not to start something when nothing could have come of it.

  Now here she was, in the middle of a rainy night, trapped in a tiny backyard with Lieutenant Delicia Vasquez, with no way of escaping this awkward situation. She squared her shoulders and put on the practiced smile with which she usually dazzled jurors. "Hello, Lieutenant."

  Del just stood and looked at her. She took a few moments to take in all of Kade. Finally, she smiled. "It's Del, remember?"

  "Not when we're at work," Kade said. And not since you witnessed me making a complete fool of myself.

  Del stepped closer, ignoring the still falling rain and Kade's discomfort. "Listen, I know you were embarrassed by your assumption that I was the one who –"

  Kade held up a hand, stopping Del's words. She threw a quick glance at the two crime scene techs. She was sure they were paying close attention to every word Del said. "Lieutenant," she warned in a low voice.

  "You broke off contact, and I accepted that," Del continued undaunted. "I'm not a stalker."

  Kade couldn't stop herself from flinching. Stalker. The word echoed through her mind. Since Del had come into her life, the feeling of being watched, of being followed, had become more and more pronounced. By now she was sure someone was stalking her. She didn't need rumors about her being gay to add to all the complications in her life. "Is he a family member?" she asked, pointing at the dead body in the middle of the backyard. Focusing on work had always been her method of dealing with the complicated things in her life, and now was not the time to change that.