My Billionaire Husband

Detecting that she was ill at ease, Jimmy asked amusedly, "Are you afraid of me?"

Kate shook her head immediately.

Jimmy said, "They say I am too hot to be a policeman, so I have to pull a long face at work to match the outfits. Luckily I can still be who I am when I get rid of the costumes." And he made a face to indicate he was just joking.

Kate burst into laughter and asked casually, "Don't you need to go to work today, sir?"

"Don't be so polite. Just call me Jimmy."

As for speaking, he glanced over at her and continued, "You prefer me in uniform?"

Kate was struck dumb. "Oh, no, I was just asking."

Jimmy said with a casual air, "I thought you liked uniformed temptation."

Kate didn't catch him. "What?"

Looking into her big green eyes, Jimmy suddenly realized that she was not one of his female colleagues whom he could freely make fun of. Her confused look made him think of himself taking liberties with a high school student. He felt ashamed for his attitude.

He hurriedly held it back. "Nothing."

The car zigzagged its way through alleys and finally stopped by a courtyard. The cyan colored stone wall was a bit old, and the pitch-black iron gate was half-open. There was a small board hung on the gate with a few words on it: "Lexi's Mexican Kitchen." This man drove so far to such a place, ordinary and even crude. Was he saving money for her?

Amused by her puzzled expression, he said, "Don't be deceived by its modest appearance. The food here is superb. And of course," his tone changed suddenly, "the prices are also nice."

Hearing that, Kate reached for her satchel. She had all her savings with her. One thousand dollars.

They pushed the door open, and an old man came up to welcome them. He was of medium height, lean, tanned skin with grey hair and a benign face. Jimmy greeted him warmly. It was spacious and bright inside. There was a young couple dining on the other side of the restaurant.

Jimmy knew the place well as if he was at home. He pointed at the seats by the window and asked Kate to sit down. Then he picked up the plain-looking menu on the table and asked Kate if there was any food she avoided.

Kate shook her head and asked him to just go ahead and order for both of them, as she didn't know the meaning of the names of the food at all. Then he ordered tortilla soup, enchiladas, quesadillas, and fajitas.

The old man got into the kitchen to help prepare their meal, while Jimmy prepared the juice for them. Before long, the guests at the other table left and paid their bill. There were only the two of them left. Jimmy found a remote and turned on the TV.

He switched the channels for a long time and finally stopped at a teen sitcom. Looking at the hilarious teen girls and boys jumping on the screen, Kate asked curiously, "You like watching this?"

Jimmy raised his eyebrows. "No. I picked it for you, in case you get bored waiting for the food."

He showed a wronged face to amuse Kate. She laughed, "Thank you, then."

An old lady with an apron came over with a dish in her hands. She looked chubby and kind. She said laughingly, "Here's the enchilada."

Kate took her hands from the table to make room for it. The portion was generous.

Jimmy took a breath dramatically and added lemon and a spoon of chili sauce to the enchilada. He said with a sigh, "Dear! I've been missing it these days in my dreams."

Lexi, the old lady, said laughingly, "Jimmy, it has been two months ago you came here last. What major cases have you been busy cracking?"

Jimmy's face darkened, and he replied depressingly, "Forget it. I've been running trivial errands all the time. Major cases don't come to me."

"Maybe you will find the next mafia while running errands someday."

Kate burst into laughter.

Lexi caught sight of Kate's little dimples and said in surprise, "Pretty dimple girl. Jimmy, your taste has improved a lot lately."

Jimmy dramatically put on a woebegone look at once and said, "Lexi, don't you disclose my story. You made me look like a playboy. You should take responsibility if I am still single after 30."

Lexi responded immediately, "No problem. I have a granddaughter…"

Jimmy coughed. "If I remember correctly, your granddaughter is in primary school, isn't she?"

"Going to junior high next year. Can't you wait for a few more years?"

Kate was amused. Both the old lady and the young man were jokesters. But thinking of herself involved in their joke, she felt her face slightly burning.

All the dishes were served soon. The food was authentic and thus really hot. Thanks to the juice, they could ease the spicy feeling from time to time. At the time, Lexi had just finished her work in the kitchen, so she sat down to have a rest and chat with them.

Lexi said Kate looked like the star Taylor Swift. Then they talked about girls in Los Angeles. Jimmy said one of his and his colleagues' biggest hobbies was counting beauties on the streets. Their conversation started to proceed in an active atmosphere, and Kate felt at home.

Lexi said, "Jimmy is a picky eater."

Jimmy showed his complacency. "I am a gastronome. I'm not bragging, but anywhere with a yummy smell of food in this city cannot escape my nose."

Kate drank her juice and then said laughingly, "You have a s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e nose."

He reacted. "Are you saying I'm a dog?"

Jimmy found that Kate's lips were red and a little bit swollen because of the hot food, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes got misty. She was more enchanting than usual. Jimmy fell into a trance momentarily, and soon he understood why that bastard would have evil thoughts about her.

One meal could make one know much about the other. Kate started to see Jimmy in a new light. He was totally different from how she had felt about him previously. The man was quite generous, seeming to forget the fact that it was her treat, and took out his wallet. But she managed to pay the bill before him.

Once they got in the car, Jimmy seemed to become another person. He returned to his old self.

He didn't start the car at once but stared forward and kept quiet for a while. Then he suddenly asked, "Why were you unwilling to accuse them that day?"

Kate answered truthfully, "Even though we had the evidence to accuse him, they could have taken revenge on John. He often goes to places like that with Sarah. We cannot afford to offend him."

"You know him?"

Kate was confused. "Who?"

"Edward."

Kate was shocked. How could he see through it?

"My eyes are made for a detective, and I've been a policeman for almost four years," Jimmy said peacefully.

Seeing Kate shift instantly to high alert, he explained, "It's nothing that you know him. This is not a crime. I just want to warn you that this man is not simple. He was in the gang before. He did all kinds of bad things. But later, he wormed his way into a large corporation somehow. He goes by the name of the head of public security corps, but he's actually a hired thug."

Kate didn't say a word. She was thinking more than a hired thug.

Jimmy didn't probe more about the issue. He leaned back to the seat lazily and stared forward with a serious expression.

Then he changed the topic. "Maybe we're connected to some extent. I remembered the case three years ago. You said you just came to LA, and I was a green hand who just graduated from college at that time. I was young, vigorous, and full of a sense of justice. I flew into a rage when I came across things like that."

"You came to thank me, especially the other day. I wasn't feeling right about it. It's the duties of the police to protect the honest people and bring the bad guys to justice. However, nowadays, this seems to be something rare. If you do nothing, nobody will consider it abnormal; but if you do one thing that you're supposed to do, you'll be deeply remembered and appreciated."

He paused for a little while and continued, "But I always remember what you said at that time. You told me that you would never sell your body and dignity even if you would starve to death."

Kate's heart trembled. She forgot what she had said in a moment of desperation when she was in her stupid teen years. But he remembered it, until now. She suddenly felt warm in her heart and became speechless.

As both of them were deep in the same memory but in different thoughts, Jimmy's mobile phone rang. He answered the phone and replied briefly. After hanging up, he looked at Kate and spoke to her in a slightly sorry tone, "Sorry, I have a new task now."

Kate replied hurriedly, "Just go. I'll get back on my own." Then she reached out her hand to push the door.

Jimmy said to her, sincerely, "It's not easy for a girl to lead a life far away from home. Just feel free to call me if you come across any trouble. We're friends."

"Thank you," said Kate. She got out of the car. Before she closed the door, she added, "You're a good man."

Jimmy smiled, turned the steering wheel to back the car up, and set off.

Kate saw the Pajero disappear into the traffic stream. She was recalling the word in her mind and pondering over it. The man, who helped her twice out of the only three times they had met, regarded her as a friend. "Friend" was really a warm word.