“I’m considering that close-protection detail,” she said, stopping at a red light, wipers going.
“That involves months of travel at a time.”
“Yeah.” The light turned green, and she moved forward. “But it might be good to get out of town now and then.”
He was quiet a moment. When he spoke again, the shift in his tone was clear. “It’ll mean putting the wedding plans and house hunting on hold.”
“Just for a while, maybe. At least it’s work, Maddocks, until something better comes up.”
Silence.
“You there?” she said.
“Yeah, listen, Ange, there hasgotto be something else. There’s no rush, is there? We can go ahead with our plans, move in together. I have a job. I can—”
“You can what?Supportme?”
“Of course.”
Frustration burned hot into her chest. It was her worst nightmare in a way, going from complete independence to tying the knot and depending fully on a partner. It undercut everything she’d been striving for her whole adult life. “I need to work, Maddocks,” she said.
“You don’t.”
“Yes. I do.” She turned down her street near the Gorge. “For so many reasons. On so many levels.”
“Just ... listen, just don’t rush into anything, okay? Just ... look awhile longer. And talk to me before you make any big decisions. You’re a damn fine investigator—somethingwillcome up. We’ll find a way to make this work. Together.”
“Yeah.”
“What about a late dinner or a drink after?”
“I’m beat. Rain check?”
Another silence. She pulled up at her underground parking garage gate and scanned her access card. The gate began to rise.
“We’re spending even less time together now that we’re engaged,” he said. “I’ve hardly seen you since the fishing trip.”
Now that we’re engaged.
Guilt pinged through Angie. She’d been avoiding him, that much was true. On the few occasions they had gotten together over the past three and a half weeks, things had felt progressively strained. Angie believed Maddocks had also been consciously limiting spending time with her. It was as though both of them feared that the more time they spent together at this juncture in their lives, the more strain they’d put on what was looking like an increasingly fragile relationship. Neither wanted to push things to the point of destruction, so avoidance was safer.
“Yeah, well, you’ve been really busy with the Harris Park case and the new unit.” Which was true. “And I really haven’t got much to report on the job front.” Which was making her feel increasingly worthless and frustrated.
“A partnership isn’t supposed to be about reporting, Ange.”
She inhaled deeply and drove into the garage. “I know. I know.”
“How about tomorrow afternoon, Saturday—you busy?”
“I ... I’ve got an appointment.”
“On Saturday?”
“Yeah, some woman wanting to talk about possible PI work.”
“She’s hiring?”
“Sorta.” Angie cleared her throat and reversed into her parking bay. Technically, it wasn’t a lie. But if she told Maddocks some woman wanted her to work independently on a cold case, he’d remind her that as attractive as working an investigation might sound right now, there was one major problem. She couldn’t do it legally. Not if she wanted her full license. Not if she wanted to open her own firm someday.
