In a low voice, Dez said, "What’ll you do with the other part of your time?"

The rookie smiled broadly, then stepped into the sweat bottoms. "Downtown beat patrol, mostly in the skyways. Doesn’t that sound great? I’ll be out of the cold."

A snort of laughter burst from the tall cop, and then she was laughing out loud in relief. It was just like Jaylynn to be excited about a warm assignment. She hoped the blonde would take the job, even though she, herself, would go crazy with boredom if she were expected to wander the skyways in downtown St. Paul. The rookie, on the other hand, would get to know all of the restaurant, store, and business owners and be a positive presence. It would likely be an excellent post for her. "You’ll be very good at the training piece, and I think the skyway beat patrol could be fun for you. Congratulations on that, and it’s great you solved the case."

"I didn’t do it alone."

"No, but you did find the one true lead. That was nice work, and we should whoop it up. Let’s go out for a big dinner and celebrate the solving of the case and the new job."

Jaylynn sputtered and gave a half-laugh. "I haven’t even accepted the offer yet. I wanted to talk to you first. What if I decide against it?"

Dez shrugged. "It’s nice to have options. And besides, I just feel like celebrating. That and this..." She picked up a packet of papers that was sitting on the couch next to her.

Jaylynn moved over to the couch, and knelt on the cushion right next to Dez, then curled up against her. The tall cop set the papers and libretto down on the couch, put an arm around the blonde, and pulled her close. She pressed her face into the short hair and inhaled the soft fragrance of strawberries.

Jaylynn tilted her head up and looked into the dark-haired woman’s bright blue eyes. "What have you got there in that stack of papers?’

"Credit approvals and approved loan paperwork. Looks like we’re pretty well set for the house loan."

"And did you have any doubts?"

Dez shrugged. "You never know. When Crystal and Shayna went for a simple car loan one time, they ran them through the wringer. And when Julie and Ryan bought their house, he ended up with someone else’s credit problems on his report. Took him weeks to get it straightened out."

"But ours turned out fine?"

"Yup."

"Well, that’s good to hear." She reached up a hand and smoothed a stray lock of hair off the tall woman’s forehead.

"Whaddya think? Want to go get something to eat? I meant to cook something, but I just got carried away listening to this new CD."

Jaylynn smiled. "That would be nice. You mean like at the Cutting Board?"

"Nuh uh. I mean let’s go someplace nice. You know, dress up."

"I just got changed."

Dez laughed. "It’s not irreversible. Put on some nice duds, and we’ll go get any kind of food you like a lot."

"Like Italian?"

"Sure. If that’s what you want."

"But what about your diet? Noodles equal lots of carbs."

Dez blushed and frowned. She started to speak, but Jaylynn interrupted. "Dez! I’m teasing. Don’t take things so seriously. I’m just kidding you."

"But I like Italian food."

"What’ll you have: three olives and an ice water?" Jaylynn laughed.

Dez elbowed her gently in the side. "You’ve got a cruel streak, you know that?" But she said it with a trace of a smile on her face.

"Okay. I’ll go." Jaylynn gave her a squeeze around her middle.

"Which olive and ice water joint do you want to visit?"

"Definitely Pazzaluna. Kevin and Tim have been raving about it ever since - well, for ages. But I have to go over to the old place and get some clothes out of the closet. I don’t have anything nice enough at your place."

"Wait a second, Jay. I hear that Pazzaluna is hard to get into. I think we’d better call and get a reservation."

"I know just who to call to get in at the last minute." She rose and grabbed up the phone.

Dez picked up the sheaf of papers and slipped them into the manila envelope in which they had arrived, then put the libretto back in the CD’s jewel case. By then an animated Jaylynn was talking to Kevin, and it certainly sounded like he was going to get them in.

The blonde hung up the phone and turned to her, triumphant. "No sweat. 7:30." She looked at her watch. "Whoa! Doesn’t give us a lot of time. I’ll have to hurry and run over to the house to get decent clothes."

"What? You don’t want to go in those old gold sweats?"

"Not really." She whisked around the room, putting on shoes, gathering things up, and then went into the kitchen to grab her coat. Dez followed her and stood leaning against the cabinet nearest the living room door. Jaylynn zipped up her coat and said, "You go ahead and get beautified, all right? Then I’ll come back and pick you up."

The tall cop shook her head slowly. "No, you take longer than me. Just go and get ready. I’ll pick you up about 7:20." She smiled, then tilted her head to the side. "Meanwhile, I’ll just put away this rapidly warming milk."

Jaylynn stared blankly for a second, then got an amused look on her face. "Oops. I was in such a hurry to tell you all the news."

Dez grabbed the milk jug, and opened the refrigerator to put it in. "You’re nuts, you know, Jay? I never know what to expect from you."

Sheepishly Jaylynn said, "Keeps life interesting, don’t you think?"

* * *

Jaylynn dressed carefully in an outfit she hadn’t worn since she became a police officer. Black tapered pants and a lime green silk blouse were topped by a black toreador style jacket that accentuated her slim waist. In a pair of black leather zip-up boots with two-inch heels, she thought she looked tall. She came down the stairs and peeped out the window just as Dez drove up in her red truck. The blonde grabbed her coat and pulled it on, picked up a pair of mittens, and tore out the door and down the walk. When she got to the truck and opened the door, she was surprised to see the tall cop dressed all in white. Standing on her tiptoes, she looked in the open door of the passenger side. "Wow! Get out and let me get a look at that suit."

"No way," Dez said, as she tried unsuccessfully to keep from blushing.

"Oh, come on. I’ve never seen you in such finery."

"You can see at the restaurant." The dark-haired cop was embarrassed, but grinning.

"All right, be that way." The blonde crawled up into the cab and slammed the door. "Great jacket though. And how the heck can you sit there in that suit without a coat on? Aren’t you freezing?"

Dez shook her head and pulled away from the curb. "I’ve got an overcoat behind the seat if I need it. Heck, we’re just going from the truck to the restaurant and back. I’m not going to get cold." She glanced to the side at Jaylynn and smiled at her.

"I’m in black. You’re in white. Sure hope no one confuses us with the salt and pepper shakers."

The dark-haired cop grinned. "Not with that neon green on."

As she drove, it occurred to Dez that she was feeling nervous. She hadn’t ever dressed up and gone out to a fancy place with Jaylynn. She was glad her stomach was empty because it was churning. She didn’t want to blow this. She wanted it to be a perfect night for her partner.

"Whatcha got for tunes in this heap?" the blonde asked.

Dez flipped open the armrest. "By the time you pick something out, we’ll be there."

"I’ll bet not." Jaylynn extracted a CD case and pulled out a disc, then slid it into the player and advanced the tracks. After a second, the sounds of an accordion filled the truck cab. "This is one of my favorites ever."

"Mine, too." Dez thought about how k.d. lang’s song "Constant Craving" reflected the reality of her life. It had only been the last few weeks that she realized she even had cravings. Thank God for Marie. I don’t know what I would have done without her. When she thought of all she had learned in the last couple months, it almost made her head spin. But at least it wasn’t spinning as badly as it had in the wake of Ryan’s death. So many bad things had happened in the year and a half - so much confusion. From such violent and painful events came the dawning of the knowledge that she wanted to live, to be happy, that she wanted to feel again. And that it was okay to admit not just those desires, but also that she was in love and that she felt tremendously vulnerable, that she hurt at times, that she did indeed cry. And even though she had no idea how exactly to proceed, she knew she wanted to keep sharing those things with Jaylynn.

They pulled into the restaurant parking ramp as the song ended. "Guess you were right," Dez said. About more than one thing, she added to herself.

They cut across the darkened street, walking under a decorative lamppost that illuminated the corner in a strange orangy hue. A trifle ill at ease, the tall woman followed Jaylynn into the restaurant. She looked down at the marble-chip floors and painted tiles, and then around at shiny wood and tall, antique columns and thought the place was quite beautiful. The first face she saw was Kevin’s, and he was grinning with glee.

"Yo, girls. I have just the spot for you." He waited for them to check Jaylynn’s coat and then led them past several occupied tables and over to a corner booth that was a bit out of the way and more private than some of the tables. In a stage whisper, the handsome blond man said, "I arranged for our best waiter to cover you guys. You’ll like him, and you’ll get the absolute best of everything.

"All right, that’s great, Kevin," Jaylynn said. "Thanks a million." He reached down to squeeze her shoulder and then strode off toward the front.

For no good reason at all, Dez found herself at a loss for words, but Jaylynn didn’t seem to notice. As usual she more than held up her end of the conversation, telling Dez all the details of what had happened on the Tivoli case. When the exceedingly polite waiter came over, they ordered soda as their beverage and Focaccia Contadina for an appetizer.

"Hey, Dez, guess what I found when I got over to Tim’s tonight? I should’ve brought it with me."

The dark-haired woman shrugged. "What?"

"A nearly shredded postcard delivered in one of those clear plastic containers that the Post Office uses when they screw up."

Dez looked at her blankly with no clue as to what she was talking about.

"The entire upper half of the card was ripped up, but two words at the bottom were clear. Love, Dez."

A wisp of a smile started on the tall woman’s face. "I told you I sent you a card."

"I believed you! But isn’t it funny that out of the zillions and billions of cards and letters, they picked yours to be the one to mangle?" She shook her head. "I’m telling you, I could’ve really used that card back then."

Dez raised an eyebrow. "But now, it’s pretty useless, huh?"

"Well, we sure won’t be saving it for the Tretter Gay/Lesbian Archives at the U of M." She giggled and started to say something else, but just then, the waiter arrived carrying a platter of four tasty-looking pieces of Tuscan flat bread with white bean puree, chunks of roasted garlic, warm goat cheese, and olive oil. Jaylynn took one look at the plate with all the food displayed so elegantly, and said, "Yum! Two for each of us."

"No, three for you and one for me."

Jaylynn gave her a stern look. "I thought you said you were going to splurge tonight."

"What? I can’t fill up on appetizers. I wouldn’t be able to eat whatever decadent main course you make me order."

"Okay, so no argument then, because I’ll be thrilled to eat all three." She proceeded to smear cheese, oil, and bean puree on the bread and then groaned with delight as she savored the first bite. "Oh... isn’t this luscious?"

Dez laughed out loud. "You enjoy food more than anyone I’ve ever known."

"Isn’t it great?"

In a flash, Dez was filled with a sense of peace and well-being unlike anything she’d felt for a long time. She actually felt like getting up and doing a few jumping jacks or a jig. Instead, she stretched her legs out under the table, nudging Jaylynn in the process. "Whoops. Sorry." She smiled and Jaylynn beamed back as she took another bite of the tasty morsel.

"I’ve never been here before," Jaylynn said, "but Tim’s right. I can tell already this is going to be a fabulous dinner."

"And I’ll bet the food will be good, too."

"Why, I do believe you have a sense of humor after all, Miss Big Shot Cop."

"Thank you," Dez said smugly. "Contrary to popular belief, I’m not always grim and unforgiving."

Jaylynn looked thoughtful. "No, you’re not. I think your real nature is to be mischievous and kind."

Dez shifted in her seat and thought about that. "Ryan and I used to play a lot of practical jokes, but you’re right, not the mean kind. Like, one of the best ones ever was how every night for a week we took Sergeant Andres’ keys out of his jacket pocket and moved his car from wherever he’d parked on one side of the lot to the other. I usually kept a lookout, and Ryan moved it. Pretty soon everyone knew but Andres, and you never saw anyone so befuddled in your life!"

Jaylynn picked up another piece of flatbread and began to decorate it. "You miss him terribly, don’t you?"

Dez looked away. "Yeah. I think about him a lot."

"Sometimes I can tell. You get this wistful look in your eye."

The tall woman turned back to her partner. "How do you know I’m not thinking about you then?" It popped out before Dez could even think about it, and she held her breath.

Jaylynn gave a short bark of laughter. "Desiree Reilly, you’re getting positively flirty!"

Dez felt the flush start at her neck and wash up her face, but she smiled back at the rookie as the waiter appeared to take their order. They ordered Rigatoni for Jaylynn and Manicotti con Ricotta with extra meatballs for Dez.

"You’re actually having that with meatballs?" Jaylynn asked.

"Big night. Gotta celebrate."

There was a moment’s pause at the table as the two women waited for the appetizer dishes to be cleared, and then they were alone again. They looked at one another shyly, neither fidgeting, neither moving.

In a quiet and low voice, Dez said, "I’ve never liked going to places like this. In the past, when I’ve imagined getting all dressed up and going out to a fancy place, I thought this would be hard. I haven’t asked anyone else out - to do something like this - ever before. I was always too - you know - too nervous. But now that we’re here, and it’s you and me, it’s not so hard after all."

"Why? Why would you be nervous? You look wonderful, Dez. You seem totally at ease." Jaylynn couldn’t help but smile at the dark-haired woman who looked so beautiful in the flickering candlelight, the lines in her face magically gone, the usual tension around her eyes softened.

"We’ll see how at ease I stay when these plates of red sauce show up."

Jaylynn looked down at the stark white suit her partner was wearing. "Just try not to get too close to me."

Dez rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I’ve already thought of that." She met the blonde’s eyes and they both laughed, but then the laughter trailed off and Dez suddenly felt breathless. She cleared her throat and looked away, and when she looked back, she said, "I brought you a present."

"You did?" Jaylynn said with excitement. "Where is it?"

Dez patted a small velvet box in her pants pocket. The tiny box contained a ring exactly like the one she was currently wearing. She blushed some more. "I’d like to give it to you a little later, okay?"

Jaylynn nodded and looked across the table, her face shining. She whispered, "Dez?"

"What?"

"How am I gonna make it through this meal?"

With a puzzled look on her face, Dez said, "What do you mean?"

"I have this overwhelming need to touch you." The hazel-eyed woman looked around at all the other diners in the room and then felt two warm legs press up against either side of her calf.

"Best I could do on short notice," Dez said conspiratorially.

"Uh oh."

"What?" Dez said, alarmed.

"Now it’s worse."

Dez moved her legs away and tried to stifle a grin. "Don’t make me laugh." She took a sip of her ice water and said, "Weren’t you the one who once said food was as good as making love?"