“Does everyone see through my PI tough-girl persona?”
“I don’t know about everyone. But I do. And I like what I see.”
His words caught her off guard, making her feel warm inside. She had to clear her throat before she could speak, and the laugh she managed was a shade too high to be real.
“I… uh… thanks.” She closed her eyes, mortified.
Smooth, Gaby. Real smooth.
Pushing forward before he could hear the wobble in her voice, she hadn’t quite hidden, she added, “Emily already volunteered to be my moral support, but I appreciate the offer.”
Silence stretched between them. Then he said, “We should have that talk soon.”
“I haven’t forgotten.” How could she? When she wasn’t thinking about Natalie, she was thinking about the woman who’d betrayed him, and all the ways she wanted to make her pay, and she didn’t know the full story. “I’ve just needed to focus on things here.”
“Of course. That’s a given.” Another pause. “What time does her flight leave?”
“At nine. Which makes it an early morning with security and all.”
“Right. I should let you go and get some sleep.”
His voice was steady, but Gaby heard the effort it took to keep it that way.
“Good night, Rhys.”
“Night, love. Wish your sister safe travels for me.”
Later, lying in bed with too many thoughts crowding her mind, she remembered the night he’d held her—one of the few good memories from that time. She could only hope it would be repeated, once he finally said whatever it was he needed to say.
***
Natalie buried her face in Gaby’s shoulder, just as she had when they were kids. “I’ll text when I land. And we can FaceTime whenever we want,” she promised.
Gaby smiled through her tears, knowing that to her sister,whenevermeant any hour, day, or night, even a sleepless 4 a.m. But she didn’t mind one bit.
“Take care of yourself,” she said, her voice thick. “And tell Aunt May to expect company after the first snowfall.”
“I’m holding you to it,” Natalie said, still clinging.
The TSA agent cleared his throat.
Natalie pulled back with a shaky breath then squared her shoulders. “Love you, Gaby.”
“Love you, too, honey. Always,” she replied.
She wiped away tears, watching her sister wheel her carry-on between the ropes. Natalie glanced back twice before the line swallowed her up.
As they walked back to the car, Gaby still sniffling and dabbing at her eyes, Emily slipped her arm through hers.
“I’m afraid those aren’t your last tears,” her friend said gently. “You’ve been through a lot. But I don’t think you’ll truly breathe easy until you settle things with Rhys.”
Gaby sighed. “That’s next on my list.”
“It’s on his too,” she said, beeping the door locks on her SUV. “Alec says being patient is killing him. You can’t let him die without getting answers.”
“You mean without getting you the answers,” Gaby said, laughing through her tears. Since finding the book, Emily’s curiosity had matched her own. Maybe even surpassed it.
“I expect you to share. Girl code requires it,” was her unapologetic reply when they were inside the vehicle with the doors shut.
