Jimmy looked at James; the words James had just said truly conveyed a sense of candidness and trust.
As for Jimmy's future choices, he indeed didn't need to consider the county police's situation in principle, since it was about his own future path, irrelevant to others.
But as the chief, James was well aware of Jimmy's significance, whether considering his practical deterrent effect as a policeman or the personnel adjustments after his departure. Jimmy staying would be the most advantageous choice for the county police.
However, James directly put the county police's issues aside, not pressuring Jimmy, leaving him to choose his own future path. This was somewhat detrimental to the department's interests.
If one didn't know that Jimmy had no special relationship with James, they might really think that Jimmy was James' illegitimate son. James was too good to Jimmy, almost excessively so.
