Yes, but...

"Ok, but she's gonna have to get used to the van eventually if this goes the way I hope." I smiled at Maria, and walked around the sedan, liking how the red tail lights glowed in the dimming light. Maria hadn't unlocked the car door and there was a brief moment of fumbling while we alternately tried unlocking it with the button, pulling on the still locked handle, and finally a laughing woman pushing open the door after reaching across both seats.

"Thought I unlocked that." Maria leaned back into her seat and patted the passenger side. I had the opportunity to notice that she had changed into what looked like a floral print dress, which hugged her contours nicely. It ended at about mid calf, but absolutely had that slink factor that screamed she wanted to be looked at. "Oh, and thanks for the picture, Mom wanted to know who was taking it, so... she is assuming you have kids."

"Seriously? Well, I mean, just... the one that I know about." I thought about the earlier news from Kaila, and a smile crossed my features. "I shoulda done a selfie, I guess. Wait, so your mom's suspicious of a photo?"

"My mom's suspicious of everybody, don't take it personal." Maria responded with a shrug as I settled into the seat. Seat Warmer and everything. "But uh... I don't really know how to start here. Been a while since I've been on a date... date."

"Coffee dates a lot?" I asked, adjusting the seat belt and closing the door.

"Oh yeah. And always at Starbucks." Maria grumbled. "Wish, just wish once, one of my co-workers would be ok with being a stereotype and just bringing in some donuts."

"Wait, cops don't eat donuts anymore?" I was aghast at the idea. "You're pulling my leg."

"Nope. Always a lengthy order that we send the new guy for. Why you never want to be the new guy." Maria rolled her eyes. "We aren't allowed to officially haze any more, so... they come up with clever ways around it. Like, you know, send the new guy with the coffee order, and then berate him for the one wrong coffee."

"Eye Dee Ten Tee forms?" I grinned, remembering all the ones that had been pulled on me. "Sound Powered Phone Batteries? Chemlight Rechargers?"

"So many of them." Maria agreed as she drove down the dusty road. "So... uh... about earlier."

"Yeah?" I asked, watching the last bits of the setting sun in the distance.

"I don't usually, do things like that." She stated, looking over at me with a smile, before snapping her attention back to the road.

"Which part? The sex, the girl on girl, or the date afterwords?"

"Any of it really." The headlights reflected off the passing trees, and ahead I could see the now familiar intersection where the highway met our road. "But uh. Sofia said I looked happy, and she hasn't said that in a while."

"That's your daughter, right?"

"Yeah. She's in fifth grade, and right now it's that really annoying time when everybody decides that they're gonna try to divide up into their little cliques."