Chapter 104: Valentine’s Mishap (Part 6)

The blonde woman's smile returned as she stood up and stepped closer to John.

"That moment when you saved my life today—it made me feel alive again."

"It's like you brought meaning back into my life. Do you know what that means to me?"

John's brows furrowed as he met her gaze seriously.

"It's just an adrenaline rush from the rescue; it has nothing to do with me."

"Honestly, I'm flattered by your affection, but I already have someone in my heart," John said, glancing over at Jack, who nearly choked on his muffin. Was this the right time to be looking at him?

Jack quickly caught on and raised a hand as if swearing an oath. "Oh, yes, his college girlfriend. John's planning to propose to her soon. I can vouch for that."

The blonde forced a smile, "Well, I wish you happiness."

As John turned to leave, he looked back and added, "Take care of yourself."

Leaving the widow's home, Jack started the patrol car, ready to head back to the station and clock out.

"I think even if you stayed to comfort her a bit, Gailis would understand," Jack couldn't resist teasing.

"Two boxes of Cuban Patagonias, please, let's not talk about this," John pleaded.

"I meant comforting in the literal sense," Jack said, trying to keep a straight face.

Unexpectedly, John shook his head firmly this time.

"I can't help her. No one can. What she—uh, Denise—needs is to find her way out of this on her own."

Well, it seemed John had at least an entry-level understanding of psychology now.

"Let's hope your 'crazy' admirer stops here," Jack remarked, unwittingly setting another flag.

Back at the station, they clocked out. Jack made an excuse to go home and grab some seasoning, first dealing with Justin's therapy session, then catching up with Chris. On his way to the supermarket, he stuffed his car's trunk with groceries. This made him think: while his 'KITT' was flashy, its trunk was too small. Maybe he should consider a more practical grocery getter, like Chris's Ford Raptor, which seemed quite suitable...

Fighting the impulse to buy another car, Jack arrived at John's house, retrieved the key from under the flowerpot, and let himself in.

John was picking up Gailis from the hospital, so Jack got busy in the kitchen. With more people expected, and limited kitchen space, he decided on a barbecue and hot pot theme for tonight.

With the time constraint, the American-style steaks that required marinating a day ahead were out. Instead, Jack prepared a Northeast Chinese-style barbecue. He cut large chunks of beef hindquarters and lamb, skewering them in the traditional three-lean-one-fat order. He brushed on a mixture of salt, pepper, soy sauce, sand ginger powder, minced garlic, and oyster sauce.

Hot pot was even simpler. Ready-made soup bases were easy to prepare, and the most time-consuming part was just washing the ingredients.

The party was set in John's backyard, by the pool. Jack decided to move the grill a bit to the side, recalling the unlucky guy who had bled to death there last time.

The most time-consuming part was cleaning the pig brains, which Jack had bought for himself. Considering that no one else would likely touch them, he only bought two pairs—one to be wrapped in foil and grilled, the other for the hot pot.

John entered, holding Gailis close, and was startled, thinking a zombie crisis had erupted. Gailis, however, seemed intrigued and asked Jack to ensure she got to try some.

As the evening deepened, the rest of the crew started arriving from their shifts. Wesley brought six bottles of wine and a case of champagne, all personally selected by his mom from a French vineyard during her recent vacation.

Tim showed up with a case of Budweiser, completing the evening's supply of alcohol. Jack had also prepared various fruit juices—plum powder, aloe, cactus, and watermelon—to help cool off from the barbecue and hot pot, ensuring the middle-aged folks wouldn't suffer from the heat again.

John was busy lighting the barbecue, while the others set up tables, chairs, and dishes. Having had many such gatherings before, everyone was well-practiced and knew their roles.

Then the doorbell rang again. Bored from sculpting fruit platters, Jack went to answer the door and was greeted by the sight of Zoe and Maureen, both stunning in their similar office-style pencil skirts—one in white stockings, the other in black.

Jack instinctively reached out to hug them, only to be stopped by their sharp looks. Realizing his mistake, he awkwardly scratched his head and moved to let them in. But then he heard a soft gasp behind him and noticed more people approaching.

Jack froze at the sight of the next arrivals: Taylor escorting the petite Carla, which wasn't surprising since he had casually invited her that afternoon. But walking alongside them was Denise, the blonde woman from earlier.

Oh boy, Jack thought. He had worried all day over his little mess, not realizing that John's situation was the real drama. He hoped the watermelons he bought would be enough for everyone.

Taylor and Carla seemed unaware of the tension, exchanging puzzled looks at Jack's reaction. Taylor explained, "I picked up Carla and ran into Denise at the corner. She said she wanted to thank John for saving her today, so I..."

Since this was John's house, Jack couldn't turn them away. He reluctantly invited them in, secretly eager to see John's reaction.

"This woman is nuts," Tim declared after Jack recounted the day's events, bluntly sharing his opinion.

"So, I've got a rival on Valentine's Day?" Gailis, remarkably composed, seemed entirely unbothered and joined the others in listening to Jack's story with amusement.

Maureen, offering her professional insight, said, "Poor woman. She's probably trying to use John to escape her grief over losing her husband. She seems to have a somewhat obsessive personality and may lack close family support, leading her to seek emotional comfort."

"Like when I used to hang around the police station a lot? I only felt safe when I saw Jack and Hannah. But why is she interested in John and not Jack? They saved her together, right?" Carla, her innocent curiosity restored, raised her hand to ask.

"Probably because John performed CPR on her. When she regained consciousness, he was the first person she saw. It's a bit like the suspension bridge effect. Am I right, Professor?" Jack played the dutiful student role.

"Not bad. You're quite the quick learner," Maureen replied, giving him a playful, teasing look.

"Professor Cahill, I think Denise needs psychological counseling. Do you have time soon?" John joined the circle, looking anxious as he glanced at Gailis, then turned to Maureen for help.

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