Casio's POV
I watched her leave; my eyes fell to her ass as I took a sip of my coffee. She was something else, someone I could stare at forever. As she stepped out of eyesight, my eyes searched for the guy who smiled at her. Spotting him, my gaze darkened. There was a fine line between being kind and being flirtatious, and this guy was clearly being flirty with her.
My gaze lingered on him as I finished my coffee. Setting my cup down, I placed money on the table and walked past the guy. I put my hand on his chest, holding a card. The card had my contact details on it. Looking at him, I grinned. He took the card and looked at it as I made my way out of the coffee shop. Climbing into my car, I made sure the guy saw. I could tell he didn't want to waiter; he wanted to have a job that paid well.
I know my bait was set, and now I just need to wait for the call.
Looking at the time, I saw it was just past two, so I made a turn at the liquor store to buy a nice bottle of wine. I stood in the queue waiting to pay, then a woman tapped me on my shoulder. Turning to face her, she gave me a bright and warming smile, "Hi, I was wondering if it was possible for me to get your number?"
"No," I said sternly and turned around. Placing the bottle on the counter, the woman scanned the bottle of wine while looking at me with fear in her eyes. I handed her the correct amount of money; she took it with almost shaky hands. Really, I wasn't that harsh. I didn't want to engage in a further conversation with her. What was wrong with saying no?
I grabbed the bottle of wine and headed straight to my car. Climbing in, I felt an uneasy sense wash over me. My eyes scanned the area before pulling out of the parking lot. It was almost four when I stopped in Andy's driveway. Climbing out, I still felt the same uneasy feeling as I did when leaving the store. Looking around, I spotted nothing out of the ordinary, but something felt off.
I reached the door and knocked. Ashley's face peeked through the door, and she smiled brightly, "Casio! Hey, come on in." She stepped to the side to let me pass.
"Hey, Ashley. I brought wine." I handed her the bottle, and her eyes widened. "What's the matter? You don't like that wine?" My voice was laced with concern.
"No, no. It's not that, do you know how expensive this bottle is? Shit…" She quickly made her way to the kitchen and set the bottle down. I chuckled; it was almost like she was holding a bomb. "Don't you dare laugh at me!" She gave me a death glare; I lifted my hands in a defensive gesture. "Andy is outside."
I nodded, "And Whitney? Is she here?"
"That girl is always late; I believe she will be showing up just in the nick of time." She shook her head and continued making the salads. Nodding, I made my way outside onto the patio. Andy was wearing a 'Kiss the Cook' apron, and I looked at him with confusion and curiosity. "And why on earth would you wear that?" I asked as I leaned against the table.
"Hey." Andy looked at his apron and smiled, "Why not? My soon-to-be wife loves it." He laughed, and he prepared the grill. "Besides, have to live a normal life somewhere."
"True." I nodded, "Do you have something to drink?" Andy pointed at the mini fridge standing by his outside bar. I walked to the fridge and saw there were only beers. "Do you seriously only have beers?" Grabbing two and removing their lids, and handing one over to Andy.
"What? An ice-cold beer just works wonders on a hot summer day."
Shaking my head, the sound of Whitney's voice echoed through the house. I looked through the glass door to see her stepping inside. I know I saw her earlier in the day, but fuck, she was stunning. The woman stepped outside, and Whitney hugged Andy, and she gave me a warm smile. Fuck, this woman's smile was something I wouldn't mind seeing every day.
Her gaze fell to my arms; I had rolled up my sleeves, and my tattooed arms were showing. I always wore long sleeves, due to always wearing a suit. She bites her lower lip slightly as she turns away and looked at Ashley. "So, Andy, hope you won't ruin the meat this time." Whitney teased.
"That was only one time, and we were all past drunk." Andy let out a chuckle.
We all laughed. Then Whitney stood next to me, "I missed this. Missed hanging out with them."
I looked at her, her hair vibrant in the sunlight, "Why did you leave in the first place?" I asked, then she looked up at me with her glass blue eyes.
"Work. I got a job offer in L.A., the money was good. But then the old firm I worked at offered me a partnership. The old man wants to retire, and his daughters want nothing to do with the business. Plastic surgery isn't for them. So, I happily agreed. To have my own practice someday, it's a dream come true." I could see the excitement and happiness in her eyes. "I never did ask, what do you do for a living? Clearly it pays well, seeing by the bottle of wine you brought."
I chuckled, "I run my own company. So, yes, it does pay well." Giving her a smile. "But, it has its ups and downs. And Andy works for me."
Andy stepped closer, "Yeah, been working for him for the past year now. Some days I want to quit, but then again, I don't think I would find another job."
Whitney's eyes narrowed. "Why would you say that?"
Andy noticed he spoke too quickly without thinking. "What he meant was, he gets a decent salary, and he won't get that kind of money at another company," I said quickly, yet calmly, then glared at him. Andy just nodded and turned his attention back to the grill.
"Oh, that makes sense. Well, I'm just glad I got this offer; otherwise, I wouldn't have met you." Her cheeks turned red as she turned away, "And I wouldn't get to spend time with my friends."
I smiled and chuckled softly. Then there was a knock on the front door, and Ashley excused herself and disappeared into the house. A few moments later, she returned with a worried expression. "Darling, here are two men asking to speak with you." Then her eyes met mine, "And apparently you as well, Casio." I looked at Andy with a concerned look, then thanked Ashley and entered the house.
Andy opened the door, and two men in black suits stood on the sidewalk. Closing the door behind us, we greeted the men. "What can we help you two gentlemen with?" I asked my voice calm.
"I'm Detective Morgan, and this is my partner, Detective Jordan. We're from the special unit's force. We are investigating a murder. We would like to ask you two just a few questions. If you don't mind." His voice was calm, but it had a hint of overconfidence in it. I nodded, gesturing for him to continue; Detective Jordan took out a picture and handed it to me. Andy and I studied the photo; it was a dead body at the crime scene. I glanced up and met Morgan's gaze.
"Assuming this is the victim?" I handed the photo back to Jordan.
"Yes. Do you recall ever seeing this man? Or had any interactions with him?" Morgan asked, taking out his little notepad.
"Can't say that we have. He doesn't seem to jog my memory. Andy?" I turned to look at him. Andy just shook his head. "If that is all, we have a barbecue to return to." A fake smile appeared on my face.
Morgan nodded, "Thank you for your time. If anything does come to mind, please give us a call." He handed me his card. Glancing at it, it read: Jay Morgan, special unit detective, with his phone number at the bottom of the card. Placing the card into my shirt pocket, we shook hands.
"If something does come to mind, we will surely give you a call." Andy and I watched as the men left.
Then Andy turned to me and spoke softly, "Why would they be investigating that guy's murder. I thought it was all taken care of."
"That is my thought exactly. We will have to look into this, and quick. But let's get back before the girls wonder and ask too many questions." I take one more glance at the men as they climbed into their black SUV. Following Andy into the house, the girls were already standing ready to ask questions.