The person at the other end of the line had asked her a question.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that,” Clarice said honestly. “Could you repeat the question?”
Veronica gave her usual careless wave as she left her coat on the hook and sauntered into her office like nothing had changed.
Clarice finished updating the record of sale and scheduling the inspector and cautiously followed Veronica through the open door.
She wanted to ask how Veronica was, whether she’d been hurt, what the raid in Anders Canyon had been like… “The bank approved the Young sale,” Clarice said instead, handing over the files she’d put together. “You’ve got a few emails that I flagged for you to answer. I can…draft replies if you want.”
Veronica took the folders across her desk and placed them neatly before her. Too neatly? “Thank you, Clarice. I was thinking we’d close the office for two weeks around Christmas this year. This isn’t the busiest house shopping season, and you’ve earned some time off. Especially now that you have a boyfriend to spend it with!”
Clarice blushed.Boyfriend!She had aboyfriend!A magical, shapeshifting boyfriend who had embroiled her in danger and adventure. “Thank you,” she squeaked. “Oh my gosh, I have to get him something for Christmas! I did my shopping weeks ago because I have to mail most of my gifts. And I’ll need something for Gil! Do you have any idea what five-year-old boys like?”
Veronica smiled indulgently. “Probably toys? Maybe a sled?”
“I’ll have to ask Bruno. I wouldn’t want to get him something he already has.” It was almost as thrilling to have Gil to shop for as it was to have aboyfriend. “Do you think he likes to color? Is he too old for stuffed animals?”
“I have some calls to return,” Veronica said pointedly, and Clarice recognized that she was babbling.
“Of course.” She paused at the door on her way out. “Veronica, are you…”
But when she turned back, Veronica was gone.
Clarice glanced around, as if there was some way that Veronica could be hiding somewhere in the office. She even looked to see if the woman had slipped down underneath her desk for some bizarre reason, but the room was utterly empty.
Veronica’s phone still lay on her desk, and she never went anywhere without it. Clarice wondered again what had happened at the raid.
Veronica was nowhere to be found. Clarice wandered back out into the office and frowned at the coat hanging on the rack next to hers. Should she…report it to someone? The police? Juliette? How long were you supposed to wait before you called someone in as missing. Probably more than a few minutes.
The phone rang, and Clarice went to answer it in a daze, taking dutiful notes and moving things around on the master calendar. When she was done with the call, she nervously went back to Veronica’s office and was startled to find the woman sitting at her desk, typing away at the keyboard.
“Veronica?”
“I’m just finishing with these emails,” she said casually. “Could you call the insurance company about the Frenchdoors on the bluffs place? We’ll need an inspector out there to see if the plumbing froze up at all, and we should see if anyone can drain that pool at this late stage. I’ll make the call to the contractor that was supposed to do it. You’re entirely too nice, but listen in and learn how to put the fear of God in them so it doesn’t happen again. That’s a skill you should cultivate. Also, do you remember what I taught you about makeup? The bags under your eyes, honey! Did you sleep at all this weekend?”
“I had a lot going on,” Clarice pointed out. “Are you…okay?”
Veronica gave her a camera-ready smile and a company laugh. “It was quite a weekend,” she said flippantly. “I’m not all here yet.”
Clarice knew a brushoff when she heard one. “Well, if you ever need to talk about it…”
“We’ll do lunch sometime,” Veronica said airily. “I’ve got calls to make now!”
Clarice went back to her desk in a daze. Had she imagined Veronica’s disappearance? Was there some other, perfectly logical explanation? Minds could play funny tricks. Probably, she couldn’tteleport.
Bruno’s texts were a pleasant distraction as they made dinner plans.My place, spaghetti, maybe Gil will go to bed early.
Gil didn’t, but when the boy’s last calls for attention finally stopped, Bruno and Clarice exchanged eager knowing looks and closed the distance between them on the couch. “I missed you,” Bruno said, kissing her.
“It was one night apart,” Clarice pointed out, kissing him back.
“It was eternity,” Bruno said.
“Eternity was waiting for Gil to go to sleep,” Clarice countered.
“He sleeps very deeply,” Bruno promised, taking herhand and drawing her to her feet. “You don’t have to be quiet.”
“What if it’s more fun if I do?” Clarice suggested playfully. She worried at once that she’d taken it too far, but Bruno’s eyes glittered happily at her.
