“Thanks.”
“Just hang in there, kiddo,” he said.
And that’s when I felt myself breaking down. “I will,” I managed to get out before I hung up. I’d been bottling everything up inside, but hadn’t realized it. Hearing my husband’s voice had triggered something in me, and it all came rushing out in a sudden avalanche of tears.
I was standing in front of a modern piece, a collection of paper butterflies and flowers hovering overhead. An older woman walked up to me and handed me a tissue. “It affects me the same way, dear. You have the soul of a poet seeing its beauty as strongly as you do.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her why I was really crying. “Doesn’t everyone?”
“You’d be surprised.”
I walked back out to my car and sat there until I got myself composed again. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been there when my phone rang.
“Where are you?” It was Jenny.
“I’m at the art museum. Why?”
“Well, get over to my place. I’ve got a pitcher of sangria waiting with your name on it.”
“You know I’m not much of a drinker,” I said.
“Trust me, now is as good a time to start as any.”
“I thought you had work to do.”
She laughed. “I put most of it off on some of the associates at the firm. Rank does have its privileges. Now, are you coming, or do I have to drink this all by myself?”
“I’m on my way,” I said.
AS I WAS DRIVING TO JENNY’S PLACE, MY PHONE STARTED quacking, and I’ve never been so happy to hear that sound in my life.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“Don’t worry about a thing,” he said. “I’ll be in Raleigh by seven.”
“Tonight?”
He laughed. “Yes, tonight. I got lucky. I found a flight and weaseled my way onto standby. They just told me I got a seat, so I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“I’m so glad,” I said, letting the remaining tension flow out of me. I was a brave, independent woman who wasn’t afraid to fight her own battles, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t love having my husband by my side, especially when things got dicey. I knew he felt the same way about me. It wasn’t weakness on either of our parts, but we both knew that we were stronger together than we were apart. Our marriage was a partnership, and that was the way we both liked it.
“You can’t be any happier than I am about it,” he said.
“What time should we pick you up at the airport?”
“Don’t bother,” he said. “I’m going to rent a car and drive to Jenny’s.”
“Nonsense. We’ll be happy to come get you.”
He said solemnly, “Savannah, there are some things I need to do on my own. I can’t drag you back to the police station while I’m there asking questions, now can I?”
“Do you know anybody on the force here?”
“I’ve got a few connections,” he admitted. “In fact, there’s one—hang on, they just called my flight. I’ll call you when I land. Love you.”
“Safe flight,” I said, but he was already gone. Suddenly I felt a world better knowing that Zach was going to be on the case. If anyone could get me out of this jam, it was my husband.
By the time I got to Jenny’s, I was actually beginning to feel a little better. I started to knock on her door when I saw an odd little man staring at me from the porch next door.
“Hello,” he said with a wave.
“Hi,” I replied.
I knocked, and Jenny answered, dressed in slacks and a casual blouse. “Who’s your friend?” I asked as I gestured toward him.
“That’s Charlie. He’s harmless. He likes to keep an eye out on my place since he works from home.”
“He’s a little odd, isn’t he,” I said, but Jenny just laughed.
“He’s fine.” To show she meant it, she waved next door and called out, “Hey, Charlie.”
“Hi, Jenn . . . y.”
“Very good,” she answered with a smile. “You’re getting better. You caught yourself from using my whole name just in time.”
“I’m trying, but it’s tough.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get there.”
He nodded. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“The best,” she said.
When Jenny led me inside, I saw that she already had a glass of sangria waiting for me.
“Have a drink,” she said before I could take off my coat.
“I’d better not,” I said. “Do you have any orange juice?”
“You’re not serious, are you? Come on, you need a stress reliever.”
“You’re right, I do, and I just talked to him. He’s on his way.”
Jenny pushed the glass aside. “Maybe you’re right. We don’t need any alcohol in our systems if we’re going to drive to the airport to pick him up. How would that look if we got stopped?”
“Not good,” I admitted. “But he’s renting a car, so that’s not really a factor. I just think I need to keep my wits about me right now, do you know what I mean?”
“Sure I do, but I insist you take one sip. I’ve been dying to toast my partnership with you. We can do it with these, or we can crack open a bottle of champagne. It’s your choice.”
“Let’s save that for when I’m out from under this mess,” I said.
“Then in the meantime, this will do nicely,” Jenny said as she raised her own glass.
“To you,” I said, picking up the fruity but potent concoction and raising it toward her. “Congratulations.”
We clinked glasses, and then I took a sip. It was a sweet and icy drink, and the first time I’d had one in college no one had told me that it packed an alcoholic punch. After three drinks, I had slept for twelve straight hours and woke up with the worst headache of my life.
I finished my sip, and then put the glass back down. “I know you were just expecting to house one Stone, so we’ll find a hotel in Raleigh.” I knew that my Uncle Barton owned the Royal Hostelry in Raleigh, and I had a standing reservation there, along with all of the other hotels he owned, whenever I wanted it. I’d told Jenny a little about my long lost uncle, but I’d purposefully left out the fact that he was rich beyond my ability to describe it.
“Nonsense. I’ve got plenty of room. Besides, it will be good to see that big bear of a husband of yours again, even if it is under such rotten circumstances.”
“I know he’ll be happy to see you, too,” I said. I looked around her place, a beautiful home in one of the nicer sections of Raleigh. “You’ve really done well for yourself, haven’t you?”
“It beats the place we had on High Street, doesn’t it?”
“Your kitchen alone is bigger than our entire apartment,” I said. “But we still managed to have fun, didn’t we?”
“We did at that. I love my life now, except for the present cloud hanging over it, but we had some good times back then, didn’t we?”
“The best.”
As we moved into the living room, I admired the elegant Queen Anne style of her furniture. “My, my, my. Your style has certainly improved over time.”
“Don’t kid yourself. I’ve always had elegant taste. It’s just that I’ve only recently begun to be able to afford it. I’m not sure how long I’m staying in this house, though.”
“What’s the matter? Do you need something bigger to impress your partners?”
“Just the opposite. I don’t have to care nearly as much now. I’m thinking about getting a condo downtown. Think how nice it would be to walk to the office and the courthouse. My idea of heaven is not having to drive to
