“Snap.” Mattie shivered as she gestured at their matching foil blankets.
“How... Why...” Words stuck in Nell’s parched throat.
Mattie slumped onto the bench next to her. “Some bastard stole my car.”
Nell clutched at the foil blanket, needing its touch to ground her. “Thank god,” she whispered.
“That someone stole my car?”
“Yes. Because it means you’re not,” she pointed at the water, “in there.”
Mattie edged towards the gap in the metal railings and peered down. “My car!”
Nell saw the precise moment it dawned on Mattie that Nell had feared she was dead. Her features paled and fell slack. “You thought I was driving when it… That I was downthere.”
“Yes.”
Mattie blinked rapidly. “Oh, sweetheart.”
Nell held Mattie’s stricken gaze. Blood, and warmth, and hope flooded her again. For long moments, she was unaware of anything except this woman. Nothing else mattered. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Just cold, and wet, and fed up. And a few other emotions I need to express but not in a public car park surrounded by your work colleagues.” Mattie gestured at their matching thermal blankets. “We must look a right pair.”
“I don’t care.” Nell’s voice still trembled. “We should get you checked out. Hypothermia is a medical emergency that–”
“I don’t have hypothermia. I just got a bit nippy, that’s all.” Mattie pulled her hand out from under the foil blanket and grasped Nell’s. “See? Warm now.” She brought their conjoined hands to her chest. “So is my heart.”
“It is,” Nell whispered.
Someone coughed and Mattie dropped Nell’s hand like it was a piece of burning wood. “Sorry. I forgot where we were for a moment and you work with these people and–”
“Are they watching us?” Nell interrupted.
Mattie flicked her eyes around surreptitiously without needing to turn her head. She groaned. “Some are, yes.”
“Good.” And with that, Nell let her heart off its leash. She cupped both hands around Mattie’s face, pulled her closer, and kissed her on the lips. It was tender and chaste and set her world aglow. “I love you.” She spoke rather than whispered the words. The whole world could hear, for all she cared.
Mattie’s eyes shone brightly. “And I love you.”
Nell’s lips dropped open in wonder. “You do?”
Mattie nodded, a bashful smile creasing her beautiful face.
Nell rested her forehead against Mattie’s. “Let’s go home.”
“Yes,” said Mattie.
The plan was immediately foiled by DC Oliver and his professional requirement to deal with red tape. She rolled hereyes at his discreet cough to get her attention. He couldn’t quite meet her eye. Ah, so he’d seen her kiss Mattie. So had others. That would get the gossip mill churning.About time.
Mattie was required to give a statement as to how and when her car got stolen. It was all Nell could do to keep a straight face when Mattie admitted to peeing in public.
“You’re not going to report me for that, are you?” Mattie asked.
Oliver’s eyes widened as he looked at Nell for guidance. Clearly, he saw her tiny shake of the head because he said, “I doubt that would be in the public interest in this case, ma’am.”
“Thank you,” said Mattie.
Nell snorted.
