Both children had light caramel-colored skin, a perfect blend of their parents’ skin tones. Cooper had lightly tanned skin, and his blond hair was cut short into a crew cut. The kids had loose dark brown curls, and their eyes were a light grey.
“That’s right,” Cooper said as he set Chloe down. “You did it all by yourself.”
“Good job,” Jude said as he handed the figure back to the little boy.
“Let’s head out onto the back deck,” Cooper said with a tilt of his head. “I’ve got to keep an eye on the steaks.”
Jude followed him through the kitchen, where Melanie was prepping some food. She handed Cooper a tray with steaks on it, then told the kids to put on their winter clothes if they wanted to play outside.
The back porch was screened in, so it was still chilly, but Cooper had no problem barbecuing even in the middle of winter.
Jude shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat, watching as steam billowed from the barbecue when Cooper opened the lid. He quickly slapped the steaks onto the grill and closed it.
The back door swung open, and the kids came barreling out. They headed down the steps, then followed a path in the snow to the play structure Jude had helped Cooper assemble the previous summer.
“So how’s work?” Cooper asked as he leaned against the railing of the porch.
Jude shifted his weight, his breath forming small clouds in the cold air. "Busy. Duncan's daughter is back."
Cooper's eyebrows shot up. "The one who was kidnapped?"
Jude and Cooper had connected several years earlier when they’d both volunteered to work security at a church Christmas event. Jude hadn’t been super involved at the church, but every once in a while, they had need of his particular set of skills. Usually at Christmas and Easter and once during the summer when they had large events open to the public.
He and Cooper had hit it off, and over time, he’d revealed bits and pieces of his life and his job, knowing he could trust the man. Cooper and Melanie had become close friends. The only ones Jude had allowed into his life.
"Yeah. Angela." Jude kept his voice neutral, but something in his tone must have caught Cooper's attention because his friend studied him more closely.
"That's got to be intense for everyone involved," Cooper said carefully. "How's she adjusting?"
"Better than expected, I think. It’s overwhelming for her, but she seems resilient." Jude watched Alex push Chloe on the swing, the chains creaking in the cold air. "She and her sister both."
"Sister?"
"The people who abducted her had adopted another girl too. Angela considers her a sister." Jude paused, then added, "Duncan's treating her like family too."
Cooper nodded thoughtfully. "That's good of him. Must be hard for all of them, figuring out how to be a family after all this time."
"It is." Jude watched the kids as they tossed snow at each other. "Duncan's asked me to handle her security."
"Makes sense. You're the best he's got." Cooper glanced at the grill, then back at Jude. "How's that going?"
The question seemed casual, but Jude knew Cooper well enough to recognize the underlying curiosity.
“Pretty well,” Jude said, not sure yet if he wanted to share the struggle he was having with his emotions. Cooper might be his best friend, but Jude still kept things pretty close to his chest.“It’s been awhile since I’ve been so involved in hands-on security training.”
“Are you out of shape?” Cooper asked. “Getting your butt kicked?”
Jude gave a huff of laughter. “No. I’m not out of shape, though Annie manages to drop me occasionally.”
“So you’ve had to get out from behind your desk,” Cooper said. “And you’re struggling?”
“Not struggling,” Jude told him. “It’s just that my days look different now.”
Cooper took a minute to flip the steaks. “Is it weird to have someone around who looks like Annie, but isn’t her?”
“Not really,” Jude said. “Though they are biologically identical, it’s not hard to tell them apart. Their hairstyles are different, and their personalities are not the same, which shows up in their mannerisms and such. None of us would ever mix them up.”
Jude gave Cooper some details about Jim and Craig. Duncan had contacted someone in the Serenity Point Police Department so that they were aware of what was going on. However, their main interactions with law enforcement had been with the FBI.
