Page 19 of Dancing in the Dark

Anyone on the outside would swear we’ve been doing this her whole life.

“I love it when we cuddle like this.” She buries her face against the hollow of my neck and turns to melted goo, fingering the ends of my hair and exhaling a relaxed sigh. “Cato’s hugs are nice, too. And Daddy’s hugs are especially nice, cos he’s my daddy.”

I bet his hugs have the power to heal broken hearts.

“But your hugs are super good, too, Fifi.”

“I was going to say the same thing about you.” As a bad, off-key rendition of Happy Birthday breaks out around us, I simply find an empty stool and perch on the edge, drawing the world’s sweetest girl onto my lap and breathing her in the way she so enjoys breathing me in. “You seem tired. You don’t often hug like this until it’s almost bedtime. Are you okay?”

“I woke up really early this morning.” She lays her head on my shoulder and plays with the plain gold necklace I plucked from my jewelry box before coming out tonight. It’s pretty, but it’s nothing special. It’s elegant, but it holds no particular sentimental value.

Or at least, it didn’t.

Until now.

“I wrote a poem for you, Fifi. Do you want to hear it?”

“A poem?” I swoon. “For me?”

“Mmhm. I like the way you hug me, it feels like sunshine at the sea.” Grinning, she pulls back and searches my eyes. “I love the way you’re my friend, I never ever ever want it to end.”

8

FLETCH

I don’t always get to drop Mia off at school myself, since work is unpredictable, dead bodies rarely drop at convenient times, and being best friends with a guy whose last name is Malone means the brass is always up our asses. Fortunately, Penny picks up the slack I can’t, Cato volunteers more often than any nineteen-year-old kid probably should, and when I’m desperate, Minka and Aubree have been known to drop everything and come to my rescue.

Today, however, I have an errand to run, and no active, open cases keeping me away. Add in that Mia’s school isn’t so far from City Hall, and I get to start my week with a new poem conjured inside a five-year-old’s mind, a hug and a reverent thank you from my baby girl, like me dropping her off personally is some grand favor I’ve granted her, and an excuse to drop by Sera’s building on a workday.

I suppose the universe will decide whether I get to see her or not.

I dig my hands into my pockets and make my way up the tall steps of City Hall, moving through the front doors and entering into an atrium-like space with a giant water feature on one side and a tall receptionist desk on the other.

“This is City Hall. Do you mind holding for a moment?” The woman on the other side of the desk places her call on hold, then, as our eyes meet, she accepts another and asks me to wait with nothing more than a lifted finger. “This is City Hall. Would you mind holding for a moment? Thank you.” Pressing a button on the side of her hands-free earpiece, she straightens her spine and looks me up and down. “Detective Fletcher, right?”

“Right. I’m here to collect an envelope. It should have my name on it. I was told it was waiting for me here in reception.”

“Yes. It is.” She digs through a stack of paperwork, dividing the pile expertly and revealing an envelope the size of a standard sheet of paper. Snatching it up and extending it my way, she flashes a bright smile. “Here you go. Is that everything?”

“Uh…” I look toward the bank of elevators on the other side of the large space—no Sera—then to the stairs, though I know she works on the eleventh floor, which means she probably doesn’t use them all that often.

No Sera.

Disappointment settles heavily in my chest. “That’s all. Thanks.”

“No problem.” She taps her earpiece and returns to her work. “Thank you so much for your patience. How can I help you today?”

Turning with a sigh, I head back the way I came, though I walk slower on the way out than I did on the way in. I glance over my shoulder and stare at the closed elevator doors. No Sera. I study every person loitering within the lobby, in case she was here all along and I simply didn’t notice her. Impossible. Conceding defeat to the universe, I push through the doors and emerge into the sunlight outside. Taking out my phone, I navigate the stairs and my inbox at the same time.

Me:

I’ve got the envelope.

“Charlie?”

I risk my neck and my life, wrenching my head up, then down again, since I’m still on the high side of the stairs and her voice is coming from below. Sera watches me, wrapped in a plain black, body-hugging, knee-length dress perfectly accentuating her curves, but without taking away from how ridiculously fucking beautiful her face is.

How electric her eyes are.