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from her. Diana understood the feeling exactly.
    Later, as Diana drifted off to sleep, all she could think was,
Definitely a keeper.
    ***
     
    The next day, Jessie took Diana across town for lunch, another pleasant excursion. “Not so crowded now,” Jessie explained. “The claiming races for the horses are over. And the Derby’s over so the horse crowd has left.”
    “Yeah,” Diana said with distaste. “All the traffic is switched to car racing. You wouldn’t believe the traffic up to Indianapolis.” She shook her head. “It’s so nice and quiet, peaceful here.” She sat back in the seat and watched Jessie drive. “What’s wrong?”
    Jessie looked at her and raised her eyebrows. “What makes you ask?”
    “You look sad.”
    “Mother’s Day weekend. My mother died three years ago. That’s why I can’t stay the weekend. I promised I’d be with the family.”
    “I’m sorry about your mother. Had she been sick?”
    Jessie shrugged as she pulled into the parking lot. “Cancer. It happens.” She changed the subject. “Now this might look like a little hole in the wall but they have the best food.”
    Diana shook her head. “You’re going to spoil me.”
    “Keep showing you a good time, you’ll keep coming back.” She gave Diana a mischievous look as she opened the door for her. She licked her lips and wiggled her eyebrows, which made Diana laugh. Jessie was so open, so enjoyable. And she had family loyalty.
    Yeah, Diana thought, I’ll probably be coming back.

Chapter Three
     
    After getting her sister to bed, Jessie wandered out to sit on the back deck. The neighborhood was quiet; Nicki was ready for the next day. She could take a breather. She sat down on the top step, leaned against the support post and stretched out her long legs.
    “Strange to have you home on a Friday night.”
    She jumped; she hadn’t seen her dad in the lounge chair in the corner. “Oh, Dad. Didn’t see you there.”
    “That’s bad, could be dangerous.” He paused. “Got something on your mind?”
    “Yeah, guess so.” She pulled some chive out of the flower pot, Nicki’s school project. She didn’t say anything more.
    “Want to talk?”
    Jessie didn’t turn around to face him. She and her dad were close but some things, well, he was her dad. “You want to deal with it?”
    “Work problems? Someone hassling you?”
    Jessie shook her head. “No, no more than usual.”
    She had two advantages in the department, three maybe. She was family, police family. Her father and her grandfather were Lexington cops. Okay, she was a dyke, but for the old-timers who had watched her grow up, she was still Matt’s daughter. They gave her a rougher time over her age than being a dyke. For another segment of the department, okay, she was a dyke, but she was “our dyke” and while they might razz her, it wasn’t bad. The new ones coming in, well, there were a few bigots but for the most part her being a dyke was like her having dark hair. Immaterial. And she was a good cop. She worked hard. She went the extra mile. She did the extra duty as much as she could with her time available. She earned everything she got.
    “Mother’s Day bother you?”
    Jessie shook her head. “No, well, not like last year. They tell me it gets better. I just think I’ll always miss her. And certainly Nicki misses her mama.” They both fell silent then for a few minutes.
    “I guess that leaves your love life.”
    Jessie gave a chuckle. Love life. Such as it was. More like her sex life.
    “No denial there, must be it. Guess that means you don’t want to talk to your old man about it.” His voice was quiet, a reassuring presence in the darkness.
    “I met someone.” Images of Diana came up, not just Diana in bed, Diana on the dance floor, Diana sitting across the table from her, Diana listening to her, her head slightly bent like she did when she was intent. Diana touching her. “How’d you know Mom was the one?”
    There was a big