Page 146 of For the Birds

He kissed me then, long and soulful, a kiss that seemed to simultaneously last a hundred years and a few seconds. When he lifted his head, he smiled. “See you in two weeks.”

Then he walked back to his car and drove away. I watched him until he was out of sight.

I found Neely Kate in the kitchen making cookies. She glanced up when I walked in, and horror filled her eyes when she saw my face, quickly followed by tears, but I could see she was holding back. She paused. “Oh Rose. What did Merv do toyou?”

“I’ll be okay. Sorry I worried you to death. Did Witt gohome?”

“We figured we didn’t need him around anymore since you found Scooter and figured out Merv was behind it. I closed the office today . . . given everything.”

“It was the right call. I’m so sorry.”

She lifted her shoulder into a half-shrug. James had only been partially right. She wasn’t just worried. Her feelings werehurt.

“I want to tell you what happened last night and why I did what I did. No more secrets, remember?”

Her mouth parted. “Really?”

“Really.”

She put her last batch of cookies into the oven, then sat down at the table with me. I told her everything. My worry over Violet. The reason I called Jed to help me. The chaos that unfolded in the warehouse. My extreme reaction to being in a vision when Merv was killed.

Then I told her about James.

“I can’t believe he wants a relationship with me,” I said. “Less than a month ago, he told me he didn’t do girlfriends.”

“You think that’s what he’s wanting?” Neely Kate asked. “A girlfriend?”

“He said if I decided to try this, he was all in and committed. That sounds like a relationship.”

“What about what you want?” she askedme.

“I want to try it, but there’s a lot at risk. It’s not just me. I have two businesses and employees who are counting on me for a paycheck. You. Maeve and Anna. Bruce Wayne. What if Bruce Wayne inadvertently gets tied to James because of me? I also have to think about Violet and her family.” Mike had already expressed concerns about my choice of company.

“So what are you gonna tell him when your two weeks areup?”

“I honestly don’t know yet.” This was going to be a long two weeks.

“James said Witt told you about Jeanne.”

She glanced down at the table. “Yeah.”

“We should have calledJoe.”

Neely Kate lifted her gaze to mine. “She wouldn’t letus.”

“We should have done it anyway.”

“Some people don’t want help, Rose, no matter how much you want to helpthem.”

My phone rang, and I dug it out of my backpack, surprised to see Maeve’s number come onto the screen. Had she heard any of what happened last night? “Hey, Maeve.”

“Rose? Are you at your office or at a client’s house?” Her voice sounded shaky.

“I’m at home. What’s goin’ on? Are youokay?”

“I’m fine. It’s Violet. Mike just rushed her to Henryetta Hospital.”

My back stiffened. “What? What happened?”

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