Page 81 of The Murder Between Us
Friday morning,he badged into the Des Moines office at 9:05 a.m., just after Noah’s morning briefing had begun. He bounced on his toes in the elevator, fiddled with the strap of his laptop bag. He had his rainbow lanyard around his neck, ID and badge out, and he entered through the back door of the office, behind the conference room.
Inside, the whole office was attending Noah’s morning meeting, sitting around the table with their mugs of coffee. Cole knocked and waited in the open doorway.
Noah turned. Saw him. Froze.
Noah, too, was wearing his rainbow lanyard, his badge tucked into his shirt pocket but the rainbow on full display.
Jacob was the first on his feet, beaming, hand out to shake Cole’s as he exclaimed, “What are you doing here, man?”
He shook Jacob’s hand and pulled out his transfer papers from his suit jacket. “I’ve got orders to report to the SAC in Des Moines.” He held out the papers to Noah.
Noah’s jaw dropped. He took the papers like he was in a dream, a marionette on strings. Jacob leaned over his shoulder, reading along with him.Dr. Cole Kennedy transferred to Des Moines Resident Agency on this day. Reporting relationship to SAC Bray, Omaha FO. Duties assigned by local SAC of RA Des Moines.
“Welcome to the team!” Jacob boomed. He came around Noah and pulled Cole into a bruising hug, more a wrestling maneuver than an act of affection. Cole tried to hug him back. It was like trying to hug an oak tree.
The rest of the office started to clap, welcoming him back as Noah stared. A slow smile formed on Noah’s face, growing larger and larger until Cole thought Noah was going to explode.
They hugged, and the clapping grew louder, mixed with small cheers and Jacob’s happy whooping. “I can’t believe you did this,” Noah whispered. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”
“I should have done it sooner. But I’m here now.” He pulled back, stepped away. He wanted to tell Noah everything, tell him all the hopes and dreams he’d built on the flight out. He was going to put his condo on the market. They could use that money to buy a new house for the three of them, get out of the cramped apartment. Sell Noah’s house for cash, quick—just get rid of it and all the horrible memories it contained. Start fresh in a new house with a back porch and a view of cornfields and the setting sun and an ocean of stars from horizon to horizon.
That was for later. Now, he was the newest agent in the Des Moines office, and it was time to do his job. He took a seat at the conference room table, the same one he’d sat in when he first arrived, across from Noah. This time, Noah was beaming at him.
Later, when they picked Katie up from school, she ran to Cole and leaped into his arms, asking what he was doing there, that she thought he wasn’t supposed to get in until way later. When Cole told her he was moving to Des Moines, that he’d transferred as of that morning and that he wasn’t ever leaving, she screamed, leaped into his arms again, and hugged him until he couldn’t breathe.
Noah wrapped his arms around them both and kissed Cole over the top of Katie’s head.
23
Three months later
Footsteps thundered up the stairs.“Da-ad! Have you seen my jacket? I need the team jacket for the game!”
“Where did you last see it?” Noah hollered after Katie.
“If I knew that…” Katie shouted. She sounded like she was in the loft. “I wouldn’t be asking!” A pause. Noah arched an eyebrow at Cole. Cole shook his head, smiling as he washed out the spaghetti sauce pan.
“Found it!” Katie shouted. “I got it, I got it!”
Honking sounded in the driveway. Footsteps again, this time thundering downstairs. Katie appeared, team jacket over one arm and cheer bag over the other, dressed in her winter cheer outfit, her hair in a French braid and tied off with ribbons. Cole had helped do her hair while Noah, in a change of pace, had helped her with her chemistry homework.
After school, they’d had just enough time to throw together dinner, help Katie with an hour of homework, and then get her ready for the semifinal championship football game that night. Winter was knocking on Des Moines’ door, and though there hadn’t been any snow yet, the temperatures were dipping into the low forties and flirting with the thirties.
Another honk from the driveway. Noah glared out the front door. “That isn’t Trevor, is it?”
“No, Dad. Trevor is an idiot. That’s Pria.” Katie threw an arm around Noah’s neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “See you at the game?”
“Of course, K-Bear.” Noah kissed her back and opened the door. Cold air blew into their house. “Hurry, hurry.”
“Okay, okay! See you guys later!” Katie jogged out to Pria’s car, throwing herself into the back seat as Noah shut the door and sighed.
Cole wiped his hands, laughing. For the first time in what felt like days, there was silence in the house. “I can hear myself think.”
“I can’t think.” Noah grinned. He pushed off the door and headed for Cole, who was leaning against the entrance to the kitchen. His arms wrapped round Cole’s waist, and his grin turned sexy, mischievous, as he leaned in for a kiss. “I don’t want to think, either.”
The door flew open. “Sorry! Sorry!” Katie shouted.
“Pom-poms,” Noah said, his lips moving against Cole’s. “Or her water bottle.”
