by Jack Parker
"Of course, I declined." I pointed out.
"Yeah, but just now you called and thought it would be a good idea… with Taylor resigning recently… if we went even bigger. Instead of just me, it would be Mike, Taylor and I." Eric mentioned. "And you as well if you are interested."
"Well… you know what they say about not dating people you work with." she joked. But then she quickly followed it up by saying. "Ok, I'm in. On one condition."
"What's that?" Eric wondered.
"I get a say in what our name will be." she said, flashing her usual bright smile. "I'm thinking there's four of us… the four amigos? No, no, no… too cliché. Maybe our first initials spell out something. Let's see… D… E… M…K… DEMK? MEDK? No, that's not good."
"We can decide on a name some other time. But you'll have a vote, and you are certainly welcome to come up with ideas." Eric extended his hand again. "Welcome to the team."
"Thank you." she said. "Ok, how 'bout last initials? We have C…A…T…M… CATM? MATC? Maybe MEDK-MATC? I don't think those work. I'll have something by tomorrow I'm sure."
Eric gave her a look as he tried to hold back a smile. They kept going on and on about the new detective group we were forming. Everyone had things to say, except for me of course. I was fine just watching everyone talk. But mostly… I was just glad everything was over. All of the questions had been answered, and in the end I got the girl as well. Not to mention the cool new job that would certainly be enough like the old one for me to be able to comfortably adjust.
It was one of those days where everyone wins. I glanced over at Taylor. He was going to get another chance to do the job he loved to do, and without having to deal with all the bureaucracy that comes with a government job. Eric gets to fulfill his dream of having probably the best private detective business in the city now that the three of us are around to help. Kari gets a job that is known to throw interesting and sometimes unpredictable twists, and she gets to work with people she cares about.
And then there was me. At the end of the day, I chose the job where I would see interesting puzzles on a weekly basis. Did that mean I was the loner that was obsessed with knowing the answers and afraid of change? Or was I something else? A man with a new girlfriend and a new job who is able to take everything life could throw at me, perhaps?
Maybe I was a little of both.
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THE END
Copyright © 2019 by Jack Parker