He got up and came around the counter. “I don’t know, are you? We could be in denial together.”
She rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t help.”
He managed a diminished smile and tugged her into his arms. “That’s the denial part. Where you pretend it does help, and you ignore the disconnected feelings.”
She wound her arms around his waist and tucked her head against his shoulder. “Fine.”
“Thanks for inviting me in.”
She knew he meant more than just her apartment today. “You’re welcome. I wish we had a better idea how to find Luci.”
“If either of us is facing craziness across the city, or dead bodies, I’m glad we’re doing it together.”
“Me, too.” She looked up at him but didn’t leave the comfort of his arms. “Should I be worried that two deaths have occurred in close proximity to me?”
He didn’t bother to hide the wince. “It’s possible the detective will have questions. We can find out more tomorrow, since they’ll be working the scene for hours yet. But it’ll be routine checking boxes. Since you didn’t kill anyone, you don’t need to be worried.”
“The truth will out.”
“Shakespeare?”
She shrugged. “I saw it in theDominatusdatabase and it stuck, I guess.”
“Thanks for looking for anything about that group, the Reverence Sisters, in their database. You never know when you’re going to find information that will give you a lead.”
She squeezed his waist, then stepped out of his arms. “I’ll keep praying for Luci.” She divided the food into two big pasta bowls and placed them on the breakfast bar, then took the stool beside him. “Is it always like this?”
“What?”
“The things you see at work. Then you come home, and it’s supposed to feel normal while there’s all this…chaos and death swirling in your head.”
“Yes, it’s often like this. Not always.” He shrugged. “It’s the job.”
“So you just stuff it down and pretend you’re fine?”
Carlos laughed, looking a bit surprised. “Not really, because then you end up with a stomach ulcer or a drinking problem. It’s better to deal with it, but without dumping on the people you care about so they’re dragged down with you.”
“Okay, so what’s the solution?”
“Maybe the answer to that is the answer to you.”
She eyed him. “What do you mean?”
“You understand police work and investigation in a way most people don’t. At least the kind of person who does the job. Have you thought about becoming a counselor? Talking people through things like what you’ve experienced the past couple of days?”
She didn’t want to dismiss the idea out of hand. “Might be worth thinking about. It takes a certain kind of person to do a job like that.”
He nudged her with his shoulder. “This is good food.”
She smiled around a bite of her own, enjoying the moment despite all the problems swirling around them. But maybe that was the point? To share peace with someone you cared about, who cared about you, despite what was happening.
Thank You.
She’d needed the reminder that peace was found even in the middle of chaotic circumstances and so much uncertainty.
No matter what happened around them, amid all the death and mayhem, she knew where to go to find calm. The kind of peace He gave was the only kind that could actually settle a person facing anything like what had been thrown at her lately. It was a wonder she’d be able to sleep at all.
But God.
