Angel Chapter 6

The conversation of the other women turned to gossip about mutual acquaintances, a thing Angel almost always eschewed. She decided to seek out the company of the constable, who was sitting slightly apart from the rest of the group.

"Do you mind if I join you," she asked, holding her white wine spritzer in her hand. She had been sipping at the same plastic tumbler since her arrival; Angel wasn't much of a drinker.

"Not at all, Miss Jones. I'd enjoy your company." The friendly man moved over, and Angel sat on the chair next to him.

"I see you're drinking coffee," she commented. "I would have expected you to have a pint of ale in your hand."

"That's what I would have, Miss Jones, but I'm still on duty, until everybody has left. My employer would look very harshly on me if I was to be drinking anything stronger than coffee."

"Your employer? Don't you work for the bank?"

"Not directly. I work for Acme Security, and they assigned me here."

A bit surprised at hearing that, Angel thought about it. Technically, she and the constable were not coworkers. She was even more surprised when he imparted further information to her.

"And, after this evening, I won't be working for anybody."

"Really? You mean you're retiring from Acme too, besides from the constabulary?"

"That I am. Officially, I will be retiring on the first of the year, but I'm going to use up the last of my vacation time, so I won't be back here after tonight. Tomorrow, I'll drive down to see my mum, and spend the rest of the year with her and some other family."

Angel was rather disappointed to hear that. She would certainly miss his handsome, friendly face. At the same time, it meant her policy of remaining romantically uninvolved with her coworkers no longer applied in his case. Not only were they not employed by the same people, the constable would no longer even be working in the same building after that evening.