Page 4 of Her Last Secret

"Tradition," Rachel replied, trying to stay in the conversation and not seem distant.

“That’s a BS answer.”

“Paige!” Rachel said, biting back a smile. Jack had to hide his own with the back of his hand.

“What? Well, it is!”

“Fine, then. A flower girl represents innocence and purity, leading the way for a new beginning." She had no idea if this was true or not but it seemed like the sort of thing Paige would want to hear.

"What about the rings?” Paige quizzed. “What's that all about?"

"Rings are a circle," Jack chimed in. "They symbolize eternity, no beginning or end. Just like my love for your mom."

“And me?”

“Eh, I guess you’re okay,” Jack said.

Rachel's heart swelled, a bittersweet ache accompanying the surge of affection. Here was a man who had embraced both her and Paige, offering stability they had scarcely dared to dream of after Peter’s death. Yet, even as she leaned into the comfort of his words, her anger thrummed.

"And a honeymoon?" Paige wrinkled her nose in thought. "That's a funny word. What’s that all about."

Rachel and Jack shared a glance filled with knowledge and a bit of mischief. “You can take this one,” Jack said, nodding to Rachel.

"It's a time for us to celebrate our marriage, just the two of us, somewhere special. It’s a chance to relax after all the busyness of planning the wedding," Rachel explained, her fork pausing midway to her mouth as she considered how much of her life had been anything but relaxed since Grandma Tate's murder.

"Somewhere like Disney World?" Paige asked, hopeful.

"Maybe somewhere a little quieter," Jack chuckled, reaching across to ruffle Paige’s hair fondly.

Rachel forced a laugh, grateful for the distraction of her daughter's questions, even as the unanswered questions and unresolved vengeance cast long shadows over the brightly lit dinner table. It, plus the clink of cutlery and the low hum of conversation, provided a soothing backdrop to Rachel's thoughts, which drifted despite her best efforts to anchor them in the present. Her senses were alert to every detail — the warm glow from the sconces on the walls, the earthy aroma of the herb-crusted salmon that lay half-eaten on her plate, the weight of Jack's reassuring gaze from across the table.

"Will there be dancing at the wedding?" Paige's inquisitive voice cut through the brief silence. Nearing the age of ten, the inquisitiveness of a three-year-old had resurfaced. It seemed to have come right around the time Grandma Tate had died. She was always wanting to know the “why” to everything, always seeking reasons and explanations.

"Absolutely," Jack confirmed, his grin almost as wide as Paige's. "Your mom and I will have our first dance, and then everyone else can join in."

It was then that Jack's phone buzzed sharply on the table, an intrusive vibration that immediately tightened the muscles in Rachel's neck. Jack glanced at the caller ID, and frowned.

“Work,” he said. He turned his head away from them with a muted apology, and answered the call, his voice dropping to a hushed tone.

Rachel tried to focus on Paige's chatter, but her ears strained to catch snippets of Jack's conversation. Key phrases stood out - 'crime scene,' 'time and place,' 'ASAP.' At one point, he looked curiously at Rachel, a smile teasing the corner of his mouth as he said, "Yeah, I'll ask for sure." He then ended the call and turned back to them, his expression apologetic yet edged with the unmistakable intensity of duty calling.

"Something's come up at work," he said, his words clipped. "Director Anderson needs me to check out a murder scene.” He stopped for a moment, cringing at using the term in front of Paige. “Looks like something straightforward, but..."

"You have to go now?” Paige asked.

“Yeah, seems that way. And…Director Anderson thinks it might be simple enough for your mom to tag along. What do you think of that?”

“Awesome,” Paige said. She then looked to Rachel, a smile on her face. “You’ve missed it, right?”

“I have. Has it been that obvious?”

Both Jack and Paige answered in unison. “Yes!”

Rachel chuckled, the idea of heading out onto a case, even if it was a simple one, lifting her spirits more than she cared to admit.

"Paige, honey, would you mind if Janell comes over to watch you?" Rachel asked.

Janell was a neighborhood girl who had babysat Paige in the weeks following Grandma Tate's death whenever Rachel and Jack could not be there. So far, Paige seemed absolutely obsessed with her. Under the circumstances, with Alice Denbrough still at large, Rachel would have never dreamed of leaving Paige with a regular sitter. But the fact that there were still agents assigned to keep watch over the house, parked inconspicuously on the corner, made it much more manageable.

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