Page 100 of Fiona and the Fixer

“Do you love him?”

“I’m black and white, Dottie. He’s shades of gray.” I put bad guys away. He helped bad guys get away.

“Do you love him?” She asked, making it seem so simple. A yes or a no.

“I don’t know what love is.”

She smiled, but a little wistfully. “It’s feeling like crap when you’re not with him.”

I frowned. “That doesn’t sound fun. I don’t want to keep feeling like crap.”

“Then you need to go to him.”

“He’ll yell at me.” He liked to do that. “He’s so bossy.”

“I’m sure you’ll yell at him, too.”

I did like to do that, especially when he deserved it.

“You’re pretty bossy yourself. But after you work it out…” She winked.

I felt my cheeks heat at her insinuation of makeup sex. “Dottie!”

“How about this? If one person in a relationship is black and white and the other is shades of gray, imagine howmuch you can do together? Work together instead of apart.”

“I work for the FBI,” I reminded. It wasn’t like I could pick a boyfriend to be my partner.

“Do you want to?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you were single minded about joining the FBI for a specific reason. Your father. You accomplished what you set out to do, but is it what youreallywant to do?”

“I hate my job,” I announced, which came as a surprise as much to me as to Dottie.

The thought of going back, of finding out Trotter hadn’t transferred or that Neidermeyer somehow kept his job made the chips turn to sawdust in my mouth.

“Then get a new one.” She said it as if it was so simple.

“Doing what? Law enforcement’s all I know.”

She shrugged, then winked. “I have an in at the Coal Springs police department.”

“Move here?” My eyes widened.

“I’d love it if you stuck around.”

“Really?”Really?

“Of course. You’re an amazing pumpkin painter.”

48

DAX

Dottie textedwhile I paced in Jack and Hannah’s living room eating my bear claw. Said that Fiona was at her house, and they were day-drinking.

I took that to mean two things. One, Fiona was safe. Two, she wanted me to come get her and make things right.

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