“Thanks, but no,” he said. “Mel arranged a Lyft.”
Thank God. Saying goodbye was going to be hard enough. Impossible to do it at the airport, with taxis and other drivers honking and cops waving the cars along.
Nico slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Moments later, when she heard the shower thundering into the tub, she stood up and pulled on her clothes. She needed the armor of clothing to say goodbye to him.
By the time he opened the bathroom door, letting fragrant steam drift into the room, she was sitting on the bed they’d never used. Her eyes were dry. She refused to fall apart in front of him. She’d known the deal going in. He couldn’t stay. She couldn’t leave.
She watched as he packed his belongings in his duffel bag, including the hard case holding his guns and ammunition. Checked his wallet to make sure he had his driver’s license, his FOID and his concealed carry permit.
Then he looked over at Julia. Swallowed. “I hope you know how much I’m going to miss you,” he said.
“At least as much as I’m going to miss you,” she replied.
He took a step toward her and she leapt into his arms. Twined her own arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his.
Their kiss was desperate. Sorrowful. Full of regret and joy. He had to leave, but they’d found each other. Out of the pain of her brother’s betrayal, they’d found something precious.
Finally she tore her mouth away from his. Cupped his face in her hands. “I love you, Nico. I’ll never forget you. I hope you have a wonderful life.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but she pressed her hand against his lips. “Don’t say a word. We’ve had a perfect ten days together, and we had all the other days before you stopped Jeff. I’m going to miss you for a very long time.” Forever. “Go do your job, a job you’re so good at. I know you’ll keep your next principal as safe as you kept me.”
He took her hand away from his mouth and pressed a kiss into her palm. “I’ll never forget you, Jules.”
She gave him what she hoped was a smile. “You’d better not!”
“Don’t worry, bae. You’re unforgettable.”
He kissed her one more time, then picked up his duffel, opened the door and walked out of her life.
She moved to the window and watched until he emerged onto the sidewalk in front of the hotel. A blue SUV pulled up to the curb, and Nico stepped out of the hotel and opened the rear door. He turned his head and looked up, waved his hand once, then slid into the car. Julia watched it until it disappeared from sight.
To distract herself from the loss of Nico, Julia spend the rest of the morning thinking about her life. About what needed to change. Because something did. Nico had shown her there was more to life than cooking.
When she walked into Madeline’s that afternoon, Delila was already there. Julia touched her shoulder. “Hey, Del, do you have a moment?”
“Sure, Jules.” She put down the knife she’d been using and turned to face her boss. “What’s up?”
Julia took a deep breath. “The guy who tried to kill me? He was my brother. The one everyone thought had died in the explosion that killed my parents.”
Delia sucked in a breath. “What the hell?”
“It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you sometime when I’m feeling a little distance from it. But being stalked, almost killed, was a wake-up call for me. I need more balance in my life. So I’m going to try to take every Tuesday off from now on. You’ll be in charge, and I know you’ll handle it because you’re a very good chef and you’re also a very good boss. I’ll give you a raise, of course, but it won’t be as much as I’d like to give you right now. Madeline’s is still in a hole from all the money that Carole, Ruth and Andra stole. I’ll eventually get my parents’ money that Jeff stole, but it’s gonna take a while. Once I have it, I’ll do right by you.”
Delia studied her for a long moment, then smiled. “Thanks, Jules. I’m glad you’re taking more time off. We all need balance in our lives.” She smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Is Nico part of that balance?”
Julia clenched her jaw to keep the tears from leaking out. “No, he’s not,” she said, swallowing. “He was my bodyguard. I hired him after stuff started happening, and he left because he has another job. He’s based in Montana.”
She saw the sympathy in Delia’s eyes. Realized she hadn’t been very good at hiding the connection between her and Nico. “Please don’t say anything, Del. I knew going in it couldn’t be permanent.”
“Anything I can do to help, all you have to do is ask,” Delia said, touching her hand.
Julia nodded. “Thanks, Del.”
Julia made it through that day, and the next, and the one after that, even though she was empty inside. Adrift from everything and everyone. She needed to call Zoe and bring her up to speed on Jeff’s plea deal, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
The following Tuesday, her first day off, she sat on her newly rebuilt back porch and stared at the replacement gas grill the insurance money had bought. She should learn how to use it. Make meals with it on Mondays and Tuesdays.
What was she going to do with two whole days off every week? Loneliness was eating her alive. Instead of sitting around mourning Nico’s departure, she needed to fill this emptiness with something. Maybe she’d volunteer somewhere. A homeless shelter. A soup kitchen. Someplace she was helping people.
That might help her stop thinking about Nico.
Maybe she’d adopt a dog.
How could she be lonely with a dog in the house?
She stared at her hands, her eyes watering. Instead of the idea distracting her, all she could think about was that Nico would love having a dog.