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“Well what about the—“ “I’ve got them Tom!” Joyce replied, good naturally pushing her husband towards the door. “And the—““Them too!” She said, Cully trailing behinds them as they finished loading the car. The last case hd lasting two gruelling weeks, taking up every last minute of her dads time and, it seemed, his concentration. It was a blessed relief when he and Troy had finally caught the culprit—an unassuming woman by the name of Beth Capshaw.Cully reminded her self that her dad rarely took time off from work—this long weekend was a gift for both her parents really! Her mums 55th birthday was this week and she knew that her dad would have been far too preoccupied to have gone shopping for birthday presents. Now dad got a break, her mum got him all to herself and she had time to put her plans into motion. They would be away at Beechgrove B&B in Yorkshire for three days, three days in which they would be well and truly out of her business. Cully kissed them both on the cheek and waved as they drove off, thinking about what had happened a week ago, to set this all into motion. She supposed it had all really started with that ill-fated kiss, when they had stumbled out onto that damned survival ropes course. Troy had an excuse of course—a few too many glasses of red wine and a buzz from his impromptu performance on the spoons. Cully had no excuse really, only that she suddenly felt like kissing Gavin, finally giving into their circling of each other over the years, having known his as both her fathers partner and a friend. He kindly covered for her father when he cancelled on their plans, even when she knew he wasn’t keen on theatre. They had never spent such a long amount of time together before that play and Cully was surprised by some of their conversation. Her father had often complained Troy spoke first and thought later, that he was callous and at times mildly offensive. While some of his comments were…less than carefully considered, he had some interesting thoughts about the play and she found him to be a funny, largely decent man. After the play she had allowed herself to flirt a bit with him, on the occasion that their paths crossed—though never in front of her father. That night at Mercy Park she had simply chosen to go for it! Apart from finding the body having in the tree; things had been going well. She had to admit it was a good kiss. He had been startled at first, but then eagerly responded, threading his hand in her short hair. As fate would have it, her life was once again interrupted by Midsomer crime. Gavin had kept his distance in the following weeks—polite and friendly but with a reserved air. Cully had been planning to fix things between them, to clear the air, but then tech had started for the play she was working on in the village, and suddenly she had no free time to do much of anything!Last Thursday however, she was on her way back from rehearsal when her beloved rust bucket Bertie*decided he had also have enough for the day. Groaning, she had dialled home only to remember that her mum was out at her book club meeting and god knows her dad was still buried under a mountain of evidence and reports. She wracked her tired brain on who else she could call…a cab would just have to do—or! She scrolled through her contacts and paused before pressing the dial button. After two rings, he picked up, “Troy.”“Gavin?” She asked “Is now a bad time?”“Cully?” He said, sounding surprised, “I’m just leaving the precinct—were you looking for your father?”“No, no, actually, I was hoping to speak to you. As it happens, I’m in need of a favour.”“Oh?” Gavin asked “What’s up?”“Well it’s my car, I was on my way back from rehearsal and it’s died on me again. Dad lectured me on “reliable transportation” when I bought it and I really can’t do one of his lectures right now.”Gavin chuckled, all too familiar with such lectures. “I understand completely” he said “where are you then?”Fifteen minutes later Cully saw his car pull around the bend at high speed. He pulled up alongside her car and rolled down his window, “Someone call for a lift?”“Thank you!” Cully said again, as they drove down the road. After smothering a yawn, she returned her hand to the door handle, gripped it firmly. Her father might be harder than necessary on the young sergeant—but his driving really could be frightening sometimes. “Not a problem” he said pleasantly, taking a sharp turn. “How’s King Lear going?”Cully felt a warm feeling spread through her chest at his question. “Oh pretty well thanks, it’s just been exhausting lately, this director is particularly picky about lighting and it’s taking forever to do tech.”Having nodded, not wanting to speak and reveal his lack of knowledge about theatre terminology. “Are you one the witches then?” He asked. Cully smiled and rolled her eyes, “Witches? That’s Macbeth Gavin!”“I know! I was just joking” Gavin lied, hoping that she couldn’t see the blush heating the back of his neck. He always felt somewhat flustered around Cully Barnaby—especially as of late. Ever since… well ever since she crossed the boundaries he has so desperately been trying to maintain—that night when his guard had been lowered and she kissed him. God help him, he kissed her back. It had haunted him ever since that ruined night, the press of her lips against his, her breath warm on his cheek. The way her fingers had bruised the nape of his neck as he..“—Gavin!” Cully exclaimed as his left wheel veered off the pavement. God he needed to shove that night to the back of his memory once and for all—maybe then it would stop popping up at the most inopportune times. “Sorry!” He mumbled, as Cully laughed quietly. God even that sounded lovely—this was not going to be easy. “Long day” he said apologetically. She nodded, as they neared the Barnaby’s home. “Fancy a cup of tea?” She said, turning towards him once he had pulled into the driveway. He blinked a moment “Ah, tea?” “Yeah” she replied, amused. “I might be able to scrounge up a biscuit or two.”He stalled, wanting desperately to spend more time with her, to ask her why exactly she had kissed him that night. Knowing that he shouldn’t didn’t make it any easier. Still, a voice inside his head said tea is innocent, nothing bad ever came of sharing a cup of tea! Against his better judgment—and with the knowledge that Tom would be less than pleased to find him having tea in his home—he agreed. Oh hell, what was the worst he could do to him? “Sure” he said, smiling back as he twisted the key out of the ignition “sounds great.” ~~ Gavin had come in for tea and the two of them continued talking, though he checked his watch ever so often. Cully had gone into the kitchen to boil more water when she decided just to come out with it. “Listen Gavin, I just wanted to apologize for what happened at Mercy Park.” Troy’s eyebrows rose, “Apologize?” “Yes! Er, for kissing you without asking if you minded, and then for running off after we found the…”she shuddered, remembering the sight of the body dangling palely in the moonlight. “If I minded?” Gavin repeated incredulously. Cully turned around to look at him. He met her eyes, then quickly looked down at his empty cup of tea. “We both know I’d be lying if I said I’d minded.” He murmured quietly. She smiled at his honesty and reached for the teabags. “Why though?” He asked, serious once more. “Why?” She asked—Cully supposed she had been wondering that herself, after it had happened. She decided to be honest in return. “I suppose the simple answer is because I wanted to.” The kettle clicked off and she poured the water into the teapot with the bags. “Oh” Gavin said, sounding dazed. Cully thoughts she could almost see the thoughts crossing his mind and once again opted for total transparency. “I did it because I like you, Gavin.” She brought the teapot with its cozy, over to the table and sat down opposite him. “You’re funny, nice, smart—and while you’re a reckless maniac behind the wheel, you’ve never missed one of my opening nights. Not even dad make all of them.” She smiled. Gavin could feel heat rising up the back of his neck—Christ this was not what he had expected when she’d asked him in for tea. Growing up with fair skin, he’d learnt early that a blush would quickly give away his inner feelings. Trying to stop the blush he felt threatening to swallow him whole, he showed a chocolate digestive in his mouth, counting to ten. Cully watched him with her head tilted to one side. “I…er…thanks” he said finally, around the last of the biscuit. “You know I really like..the theatre.” He finished lamely. “Oh yes” Cully said, trying not to laugh as she poured them both a fresh cup, “I know how interested you are in the theatre.”He laughed nervously, pouring a health spoonful of sugar into his cup, then stirred in the milk. The wind blew a tree branch against the window and Troy flinched, looking at the door. “Won’t..won’t your parents mind if I’m here?”“No, why would they?” Cully asked. “You’re dads partner, he trusts you.”Trusts? Troy wasn’t too sure about that.“And” Cully continued, “You saved me from having to call a cab tonight, from having to hitchhike!”Gavin choked a bit on his mouthful of tea. “Still, I probably should be going soon, lack of progress on this case means an early start and a grumpy boss.” Cully knew full well what her dad was like when a case reached a stalemate. Troy finished the still-hot cup of tea, feeling it scald his throat just a little on the way down. If he didn’t say this now he never would. “Would you, ah…perhaps once we close this case we could go out for dinner, or something. He raised his eyes to meet Cully’s and saw her smiling behind the rim of her cup. “I’d like that.”
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“Fucking hell! " Gavin swore, as he pulled the charred remains of a roast chicken out from the oven. The sight reminded him eerily of the case in Badgers Drift, when David Whitely was burned alive in his trailer. His stomach, which had been churning with nerves, was now feeling queasy for another reason. With this last case finally closed and the Barnaby’s away for the weekend, Cully had taken him up on his half-arsed invitation for dinner. Friday being a day he so rarely had off, Gavin was jogging along Causton green when she had called. A couple months ago he’d chatted up a girl at the pub and she’d called him “cuddly”—after that he’d taken to jogging when he got free time and not eating quite so many sweets at the office canteen. He answered the phone somewhat out of breath, hoping it wasn’t the office “Troy”“Gavin? It’s Cully—did I catch you in the middle of something?”“Oh, Cully, hi!” Gavin said, now hoping he didn’t sound too odd, “No I’m just out and about, what’s up?”She sounded amused, “Oh right, Enjoying your day off?”“Yeah” he replied, “been a while since I’ve had a couple days off in a row.”“I’m sure!” Cully said good-humouredly. “My folks are actually away for the weekend— I was wondering if I might take you up on your dinner offer?”Gavins face was flushed—not entirely from his run, “Oh! Ah..sure!” Gavin would blame his next words on heat exhaustion or sun stroke. “Would you like to come eat at my place?” Cully had justifiably sounds surprised, but had accepted, saying she would bring dessert. Which brought him back to his current predicament: an incinerated main course. He ran a hand through his hair before reaching for the worn takeout menu he kept on his fridge—curry it was! He’d picked up a baguette from the grocers and sliced it, then dug around in his freezer for veg—frozen peas would suffice!When Cully arrived at 7 he had the curry warming up in a saucepan along with the rice, bread and the peas. She gave him a peck on the cheek as he let her in, then wandered into the kitchen to unpack her contributions. Gavin trailed behind her, his left cheek burning. She turned to him, one eyebrow raised, “Master of Indian cuisine are we?”He let out a nervous laugh, “The uh roast chicken was a bit..overdone…I hope butter chicken Is alright.” Cully smiled good-naturedly, “love it!” The meal was actually quite tasty—and with the addition of Cully’s caesar salad—quite filling. After they both cleared their plates, Cully offered to help with the washing up.Gavin had put up some token resistance, claiming she was a guest—but he had been secretly relieved. He hated washing dishes.Cully donned the rubber gloves and organized the dishes, starting with a couple of mugs that had clearly been used earlier. One of them was a faded pastel pink with “Mum” still barely legible. She rinsed it and handed it to Gavin. “Very you!” She teased.He smiled, “had my mum o’er for tea yesterday” he explained. “It’s funny” she said, as she started on the plates, “You know all about my family, but you’ve never spoken about yours.” “No?” Gavin said, his voice a bit strained, “Well it’s a long story.” He put the mugs back in the cupboard and turned to find Cully looking at him, an expectant look on her face. She gestured with one hand to the counter, which was fairly covered in various pots and pans. “I’m not going anywhere soon Gavin.” Gavin rolled his shoulders, the familiar feeling of shame and anger washing over him.“I was raised by my mum and my grandparents” he said evenly.Cully, undaunted, pushed on “and your dad?”“My dad” he gritted out, “Was a right nasty sod who lost all our money to the wrong people. They came to collect one night when I was about 10, thrashed my dad, knocked my mum around a bit for good measure. When I tried to fight back they knocked me down on my arse and told me to stay there. Dragged my dad out of the door with ‘em. At Cully’s horrified expression he shrugged. “We packed up the next day and moved in with my grandparents, here in Causton. Took a while but my mum got back on her feet, opened a florists shop in town..and as for me, you know the rest.” He really didn’t mean to bang the pots s he put them back in their drawer—but he hated talking about his good-for-nothing father. Gavin huffed out a breath, before straightening. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder.“Gavin I’m sorry” Cully said, “I didn’t mean to pry.” Her tone was sympathetic, but not pitying. He shook his head, determined not to let him ruin what had so far been a lovely evening. Finally meeting her concerned gaze, he smiled tightly. “It’s fine really”, he picked up another plate to dry, “besides, now I’ve got your dad doing more than enough fatherly chastising.”Cully chuckled before turning back to the sink to finish the last of the dishes. ~Once the counters were cleared and the sink emptied, Cully took out the berries and cream she had brought for dessert, rinsing the berries under the tap and placing them in a bowl. “Tea?” Gavin asked, reaching for the kettle. Cully knew what tea meant—sober, polite conversation and an early night in. For once she certainly did not want tea. Cully opened a nearby cupboard “Actually, I saw you have my favourite Scotch—fancy a glass?” She was prepared to feel right foolish until Gavin grinned back at her. “Well you’re full of surprises aren’t you? I didn’t take you for a whiskey drinker!”Technically she wasn’t, but she’d taken a couple distillery tours when she was working up in Edinburgh and she found she didn’t mind the peat-y taste. She lifted one shoulder “Maybe you don’t have me figured out completely” she replied cheekily. “Try at all” Gavin muttered under his breath, reaching for two tumblrs. They brought their drinks and dessert to the small coffee table, sitting on opposite sides of the love seat. Cully dipped a strawberry into the cream and popped it into her mouth, making a satisfied noise—Midsomer might have a disproportionate amount of murderers, but it also grew some of the best berries. She licked the last of the cream from her thumb. “So Gavin..” she said, looking up to find him staring at her, mouth slightly agape. He coughed, closing his mouth abruptly and taking a long drink from his glass. Cully thought he looked a bit flushed. “Everything alright?” She asked. “I’m fine!” He said hurriedly, “what were you going to say?”“Well” she said, “I was actually going to ask why you became a detective..as opposed to, I don’t know, a cricket player!” She smiled at him playfully.He took another swig fro this drink “I guess because I was always really good at solving puzzles, there happened to be a CID booth at my school career fair..and I didn’t have the athleticism for the army?” He said wryly. Cully rolled her eyes, the whiskey egging her on “Or is it so you’d never turn bad like your dad? Right wrongs, help people, put the bad guys away?” Gavin shifted in his seat “Now I know how people feel when your dad's interrogating them. Are all you Barnaby’s so…perceptive?” He popped a strawberry into his mouth and chewed. “What about you then?Why theatre? DIdn’t you used to study art history?” Cully tucked her feet up underneath her. “Well…I’d always liked art, so I enrolled in art history. Then I saw a flyer for a play at school one day and I thought why not! It may have been a bonus that it ticked off dad..” She smiled sheepishly. “Chalk it up to teenage rebellion!” Gavin laughed. “But then I really enjoyed it, it was a chance for me to put all my feelings into something!” Gavin nodded, dipping another strawberry in cream and eating it, a spot of cream landing on his chin. Impulsively, Cully leaned forward and wiped it off, meeting Gavin’s somewhat alarmed expression. With timing that was almost theatrical, lightning flashed through the window, followed by a spectacular crash of thunder. “Jesus!” Gavin exclaimed, jumping in his seat and spilling his drink on his lap. He stood, this time unable to stop a blush as a wave of embarrassment washed over him. “Its alright!” Cully said, standing up as well. Heavy raindrops started to fall outside as she stepped closer, brushing some of the whisky off his shirt. This time it was Gavin who leaned in first, catching her lips with his own. After a moment he pulled back “I don’t suppose you mind?” He asked, eyes half-closed. She swatted his shoulder “Not at all…but you know I didn’t bring an umbrella…” he opened his eyes at that. “would it be horrible if I stayed?” In response he brought a shaky hand to her side, murmured, “ah hell” and kissed her again.