Page 63 of Whispers of Redemption

“I’m not going to throw up,” Wade mumbled.

“Well, you might,” Hugo said simply. “If you keep holding in whatever is bothering you like this.”

Wade hesitated, unsure if he wanted to share. But then he sighed and slumped back against the seat. “It’s Cassie.”

“Ah,” Hugo said with a knowing nod. “Lemme guess, your first fight?”

“She dumped me.”

Hugo shot him a surprised look. “Didn’t see that one coming.”

“Me neither.” Wade looked down at his hands. “I was only trying to help, Hugo. But apparently, I’m too controlling, I’m too interested in following the rules, I don’t respect her, and bottom line, she regrets ever dating me.”

“Wow.” Hugo shook his head.

“What am I supposed to do, Hugo? I can’t stop thinking about it, about her. How can I make this right?”

“First, tell me what led up to the fight.”

And Wade did.

Hugo listened attentively without interrupting.

“And you remember, I did encourage Ani to report that couple to her caseworker,” Wade concluded. “But she refused. And it just seemed like the situation was only getting worse. I was just trying to help. Besides, like I told Cassie, that couple isn’t following proper foster parent protocols when it comes to disciplining their kids.”

Hugo compressed his lips, and Wade swore he was trying not to smile.

“Well,” Hugo said after a moment, “I have to say, Cassie is not totally off base in what she said to you.”

“What do you mean?” Wade was startled and a little hurt. He was sure Hugo would have understood and supported him in this.

Hugo twisted in his seat to face Wade. “Partner, you’re a great cop. A solid investigator. And I know that you have a good heart. But the truth is, you really can be a bit too ‘by the book’ at times.”

“Our job is to enforce the law, Hugo,” Wade said drily.

“Hey, I get it! I’m a cop, too, man. But the tight control you always try to maintain over everything you do with your endless lists and rules, well, bro, it’s just not healthy. Sometimes it’s good to relax and let things go. And you definitely should have talked it over with Cassie and Ani before you did what you did.”

They sat in silence for several moments while Wade soaked in his words.

Hugo didn’t pull any punches. And if he was completely honest with himself, Wade could recognize the truth in his words. He sighed deeply and looked at Hugo. “Okay, so I screwed up big time. Now, what can I do to fix it?”

“For starters, you need to apologize.”

“And then?”

“And then, my friend,” Hugo said, starting the engine, “you need to tell Cassie how much you love her.”

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