“Sure. I’ll be there,” I conceded.
“Thanks, Angel. That means a lot to me.”
We talked for a while about odds and sods and before long visiting hours were over. I got up and hugged Peter goodbye. The guards kept an eagle eye on us.
“Look after yourself,” I said before I left the hall.
“You too, Angel. Keep out of trouble.”
“I’ll try,” I winked.
I didn’t know how people survived prison. It was such an oppressive space. I exhaled spontaneously and lifted my face to meet the sun as soon as I was outside the building. Hopefully, the rays would sheer away the feeling of despair that seeped into my bones whenever I sat there talking to Peter.
I checked my cell phone for messages once I was inside my car. Josie asked if I’d like to join her for dinner. I called her back.
“Hey, Angel. You wanna grab a bite? I’m dying for a good steak.”
“Hi. Sounds great. Where shall we go?”
“Arrows?”
“Perfect. Meet you there at 7 pm?”
“Okay.”
Steak was a good idea. I needed to sink my teeth into something substantial. I used the time that Max was away in Russia to catch up on as much paperwork as possible. As far as I could tell, there weren’t any glaring legal issues afoot. Max ran a pretty tight ship.
I checked my watch. I had about an hour to kill before meeting Josie for dinner, so I drove over to Mom and Dad’s for a quick catch-up. They were in the kitchen when I got there.
“Hi, you two.”
“Angel. What a lovely surprise,” Mom said and hugged me.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Dad chimed in. “Would you like a glass of wine?”
Mom was busy cooking while Dad was tinkering with one of his model airplanes.
“Wow. How aren’t you high on the glue fumes, Dad?”
“Who said he isn’t?” Mom answered. “I think we both are,” she grinned and took a sip of her wine.
“How was your first week at your new job, Hon?” Mom asked.
“Good, thanks. My boss was away for most of it.”
“Really?” Dad asked. “Where’d he disappear to?”
“Russia.”
“How nice. Moscow is so beautiful this time of the year. Their summers are great,” Dad said.
“Remember that beautiful chalet we stayed in, Ian?” Mom purred. “We should go back there for a visit.”
“As long as we don’t drink that much vodka again. I think I had my fill for a lifetime,” Dad groaned.
My father was a retired pilot, and Mom a flight attendant. They saw the world together until I came along. Mom stayed at home with me while Dad crisscrossed the globe. Occasionally, Dad would surprise Mom with a trip to somewhere she hadn’t been before while I stayed with Mom’s sister.
“Yes, we’re all convinced we’re bulletproof before we hit our forties,” Mom laughed. “Would you like to stay for dinner, my love?”