CHAPTER THREE
Laura retreated to the large open-plan kitchen for a moment of peace, finding Christopher Fallow already setting up the coffee machine for a fresh cup.
“They’re having a lot of fun,” she said, smiling as she leaned on the marble countertop of the island, waiting for him to finish his preparations.
There was a whirring noise and Chris turned, smiling back at her. He was dressed in a white linen shirt today, the sleeves rolled up over tanned arms, setting off his dark hair and straight, white teeth. She thought, and not for the first time, that he was a handsome man when he smiled. He didn’t look anything like his brother. That thought chilled her for a moment, making her remember who Chris was – who he was related to. A monster. “Maybe too much fun,” he said with a chuckle. “One day I swear they’re going to refuse to separate and we’re going to have to start co-parenting.”
Laura shook her head at the joke, returning the chuckle. “Remember when you were a kid, and you could make a new best friend in two weeks flat? What happened to that?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Chris said. He turned to grab the pot as the coffee machine went silent, pouring out two cups. “I think I get a pretty good first impression when it comes to some people. Enough to know I definitely want them around.” He placed one of the cups in front of her, black – just the way she liked it – and met her eyes for just a moment. There was a look in them that sent a thrill along her spine, just for a moment.
What was all that about?
“It’s nice for them to bond like this,” Laura said. She gestured towards where the girls were playing in Chris’ living room, visible from where they stood – and definitely audible. They were concocting some kind of complex storyline involving Lacey’s toy cats and Amy’s toy ponies, and how their two societies lived together in some strange world. “They’ve both been through enough to need it. Amy more so, but still.”
Chris sipped his coffee, shooting her a look that said he was testing the waters, unsure of how she would respond. “You said you were divorced?”
“Yeah.” Laura took a breath, looking down into her coffee. The coffee couldn’t look back and judge her. “It’s been a tough few years. I was… I’m an alcoholic.”
It hurt to say it out loud, almost physically so. Still. After all this time. But then, Laura’s recovery hadn’t been that long, realistically. She’d been going to the meetings since Marcus handed her the divorce papers, but they hadn’t always stuck. She’d fallen off the wagon more than enough times in the years since.
She truly believed the only reason this latest time had been going so well was because she’d known the custody hearing was coming up. Getting her daughter back was powerful motivation, and it had worked. But in the back of her mind, Laura knew that temptation was always going to be there.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Chris said, then made a funny noise in his throat and corrected himself. “Sorry, that sounded like someone died. What I mean is, I’m sorry to hear you’ve had a tough time. I know people don’t just become alcoholics by choice. You must have been through some things.”
“Not enough to justify it,” Laura said. She took a sip of her coffee to distract herself, to dilute the emotions that came with this topic a little. “Anyway, things went bad between us. Lacey was caught in the crossfire. Until recently, I hadn’t even seen her for a long time.”
“What changed?” Chris asked. He was looking at her with a kind of open curiosity, an expression that said he just wanted to know more. Not judging her. That made her feel better.
“We had a custody hearing,” Laura said. “I get Lacey on weekends, now. It’s been a long road to get here.”
Chris shifted, turning to face her fully rather than leaning on the counter beside her. “You only get her for weekends? And you’re spending them with us?”
Laura looked at him, surprised to see that he actually looked dismayed. “She likes Amy,” she said. “And, anyway, I… I don’t know. I feel kind of responsible for her, too. In a strange way, I…” She stopped, cutting herself off. Some things felt too raw to say. Besides, she didn’t know how Chris would take it.
“You feel kind of like a mom to her, too?” Chris said, softly.
Laura darted a glance at him, before looking back at Amy again. He didn’t seem upset. “Is that crass to say? She only lost her actual Mom so recently, and I know you were family…”
“No,” Chris said, shaking his head and leaning on the counter again. There was emotion underpinning his voice, but he didn’t seem upset with her. More upset with the situation in general, the tragedy that Amy had to go through. Having her own father beat her mother to death, only to turn on her next. If Laura hadn’t shown up… she was still having bad dreams in which she didn’t get there in time. “No, it’s kind of reassuring, actually. I’m doing my best, but I know I’m only her uncle. The more people she has looking out for her, the better. And I’m glad you were there. If it wasn’t for you sticking your neck out time and time again… I don’t know what would have happened to her.”
Laura nodded. She took a larger mouthful of her coffee, needing the bitter taste to ground her a little. “I don’t like to think about it,” she admitted. “She’s doing better now. Has she… I mean, with the nighttime situation…?” She kept her words vague, to save both Chris’s blushes and Amy’s in case the girls overheard. When Chris had reached out to her for help with Amy’s bedwetting, his concern had been endearing. And it had been flattering, too, to be the person that he asked.
Chris nodded, giving her a grateful smile. “Your advice was great,” he said. “We’ve had a whole week of dry nights now. I think she might be really settling in at last.”
“Just in time for the upheaval of going back to school,” Laura commented wryly.
“Yeah,” Chris sighed. “I wish I could stay here with her and just… I don’t know, homeschool her or something. But the case worker says she’ll be better able to adapt and recover the more she has normal socializing situations, and school is perfect for that. And the hospital needs me back.”
“You’re starting on shift again this week?”
Chris nodded. “Right back in cardiology. It’s going to be tough. I’ve already started to get used to having her around me all day.”
“You have childcare options for when she gets out of school?” Laura asked, finding her investigator mode flicking back on, like he’d pressed a switch. “Late shifts, weekends?”
“I’ve managed to negotiate no weekend shifts for the foreseeable,” Chris said. “But, yes, I have childcare. I found someone who can pick her up and take care of her in the afternoons before I get in, and there’s a daycare at the hospital in case she has to take time off. She spent some time with Amy earlier in the week, just to get to know each other. I think it’s going to work well.”
Laura felt an uneasy sensation in the pit of her stomach. What was that? Anxiety?
Jealousy?
She pushed it away, trying not to think about it.
“That’s good,” she nodded. At least he’d put most of her concerns to rest.
“You know,” Chris said, in a conversational tone. “I do hope that one day you’ll see me more as a friend, instead of coming over here as an agent.”
Laura looked at him sharply, feeling an almost visceral reaction to his unexpected comment. This one she understood fully: guilt. “I, um. I wasn’t…” she started, then trailed off. “I’m sorry. I am here as a friend, now. It’s just that I’m always going to be concerned she’s getting the care she needs. After what happened before, I feel like it’s… it’s my duty, not just something I care about.”
“I understand,” Chris said. To her relief, he was smiling. “I’m not trying to give you a hard time. Like I said, I’m glad she has you looking out for her. She needs as many people as she can get.”
“Right,” Laura said. “So, friends?”
Chris shot her a look that was utterly charming: a smile, a knowing little nod, a dimple in his cheek. “Actually,” he said. “Maybe this is a little forward, but I’d like to find out if there might be something more than that.”
“More?” Laura repeated, feeling a little stupid even as she said it. Way to go, Laura. A guy makes a subtle hint that he might like to maybe date you, and you just… parrot his words back to him like you don’t understand? Smooth. Really smooth.
“If you’re interested in trying,” Chris said. He glanced at where Lacey and Amy were playing, apparently making sure that they weren’t listening. “I’d like to take you out to dinner. Maybe some time this week? It would give me a chance to see how Amy does with her new nanny if I’m out of the house for a longer day, too.”
For a moment, she was still struck dumb. Chris Fallow. He wasn’t his brother, John, but he was close enough. Laura had only wanted to get to know him in the first place to keep an eye on him, to make sure that he wasn’t as abusive to Amy as John had been. To keep the little girl safe.
But she did seem safe, didn’t she? And Chris did seem like a good person.
And if he was fooling her just as well as the former Governor John Fallow had fooled the public, then at least getting closer to him would put her in a better position to find out.
Laura recovered her senses enough to tease him, just a little. “Is that the only reason?”
“No,” Chris said, his dimples showing again as he smiled, almost looking like he was about to blush. “No, I’ve enjoyed getting to know you a little these past few weeks. I’d just like to do that a little more. Maybe in a setting where we can focus on each other, and not the kids.”
“Alright,” Laura said, nodding and smiling. She had a funny feeling bubbling up inside of her, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. That excitement that came along with a new romance. It was like being a teenager again, feeling a little bashful, a little shy and awkward. Mostly, excited. “I’d like that, too. Maybe not on the weekend… Tuesday?”
“Good idea,” Chris said, he took a sip of his coffee and then set it down on the counter. “If it goes terribly, we’ll have the rest of the week to make up a really good excuse for why the girls can’t see each other on Sunday.”
Laura caught his joking smile and laughed. The tension dissipated, leaving only that excitement in its wake. She looked over at the girls, at how happy they were. It was a good moment.
It didn’t last.
Laura felt her cell phone buzzing in her pocket and pulled it out, looking at the caller ID. She frowned when she saw Rondelle’s name flashing up. What did he need to tell her, now? Had the transfer already gone through? Had Nate changed his mind?
Was he in danger?
“I have to get this,” she said, apologetically, before walking out rapidly into the hall to answer it. “Agent Frost.”
“Hi, Laura. I know we just spoke, but I need you to come in now.”
“What is it?” Laura asked, biting her lip. “Is Nate…?” She didn’t even know how to finish the sentence. Dead? Hurt? Going somewhere really far away? What?
“It’s not about Agent Lavoie,” Rondelle told her quickly. “It’s a case. It’s an emergency. We’ve got some murders happening in a small-town in California, and the local PD is extremely out of their depth. Two bodies already with the same MO, and it’s looking like this could spread. I need you there before it gets out of hand.”
Laura bit her lip. Behind her, she could hear the girls playing. “Does it have to be right now? I’m… I’m with my daughter.”
Rondelle sighed. “I am sorry, Laura. But this is urgent. We need you.”
“Right,” Laura sighed back, putting a hand over her eyes. “I’ll be there as soon as I can get her back to her dad’s place.”