“Of course not,” Fiona replied, gathering up her yarn. “If you need me, I’m only a phone call away.”
Harley helped her gather her crochet supplies, making sure she didn’t leave a skein or needle behind and walked her to thedoor. “Thank you for the lovely wreaths and for being here when Liam and Hunter came over.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m glad to help out,” Fiona replied. “I could bring you dinner tonight if you like?”
“I have plenty of casseroles that have been dropped off by officers’ wives,” Harley said, opening the front door. “Would you like to take one for your dinner? I’m going to have to get freezable containers to store them in.”
“I can do that for you tomorrow and drop them off,” Fiona said.
“If you insist,” Harley said, wishing the kindly woman would just leave.
“I do. It’s the least I can do to help you in this time the way your gran did for me when I lost my own mother,” Fiona said.
“I understand,” Harley said, recalling her grandmother’s great generosity. “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow and hope this headache is gone by then.”
“So do I, honey,” Fiona said and waved before walking briskly down the front stoop.
Harley closed and locked the double doors, leaning against them just as her cellphone rang. She looked at the caller identification and couldn’t believe it. Scottie after all this time. She hit accept immediately and didn’t wait for his voice.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“As it can be,” he said. “How are you? Can I see you?”
“I-I’m not sure if we should yet,” she said. “I want to see you so badly. This has been torturing for me. In losing Reilly, I’ve lost part of myself and yet I’ve lost the other half of me not being with you.”
“I feel the same way, baby,” Scottie said, and she heard the anguish in his voice. “That’s why I think we should meet somewhere instead of talking on the phone. Catch the ‘L’ and I’ll meet you up at the stop closest to the Navy Pier.”
“Scottie,” she said about to tell him she had a migraine but realized it was gone. That finally hearing his voice again made her feel a hundred times better. The nausea was subsiding. Was it her meds finally working or was it him that was making her feel better?
“Yes?”
In a split second she made her decision. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She ended the call and went upstairs, to change out of the lounging clothes into jeans and a dark green hoody. She brushed her teeth, vigorously, not remembering the last time she’d done so. Then brushed her auburn hair until it’s golden highlights gleamed and braided it, appreciating the silky feel beneath her fingers.
Downstairs, she pulled the hood up over her head so no one could recognize her. Then she tucked her house keys, phone, and small wallet in the pockets of the hoody before putting on her jacket and gloves and slipped out the back stairs to make sure Fiona didn’t see her leave. Keeping to the alley between the Brownstones and the next street over, she walked to the corner where she caught a taxi to the nearest metro station.
Scottie was waiting for her when she got off the ‘L’ near the Navy Pier. “Aren’t you a sight for my weary eyes.” He pulled her to him in a tight squeeze.
“I don’t know about that,” she replied. “I had a migraine up until I got your call. I’m sure I’ve looked better.”
“No, you look wonderful,” he said. “Honey, I’ve missed you so much.”
He released her enough so he could cup her face with his hands and planted a hungry kiss at her mouth. It was a soul-crushing kiss that brought tears to her eyes, and she crumbled against him, gasping for breath as she bawled in his arms.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” he murmured, and stepped back, wiping away her tears as fast as they fell. “If I could take it all back Iwould. If I could change what happened … If I could bring Reilly back…”
She pushed away from him and realized people were staring at them since they were still on the ‘L’ platform, but it didn’t matter. Reilly’s death had pushed her beyond reason. The man she loved was responsible for it all because they’d kept their relationship a secret because he’d never told her the one thing that could have made it possible to have told her brother about them. She knew she was partly to blame because she’d never asked why, but she was asking now, and she wanted the answer.
Before she reconsidered she blurted, “Why didn’t you tell me why you and Reilly hated one another?”
Scottie staredat her for a moment, his mind spinning. They were supposed to be finding comfort in one another after the past few days and yet she was hitting him with this.
“Where’s this coming from? Why now? You knew for months we didn’t like one another, and it never was an issue.”
She nodded raking her front teeth over her bottom lip. “That was my mistake. I should have asked.” She punched him in the chest with her index finger so hard it hurt. “No, I should have demanded an explanation from you and Reilly. We should never have kept our relationship a secret. Now he’s dead.”
“Fuck. What does that matter now?” He ran his fingers through his hair and turned around in a circle. “Your asshole of a brother and I had a beef because he got my former partner thrown off the force. There, are you happy.”
She slapped him across the face hard.
