Page 16 of Miracles and Marriage
“Where did he live?” she asked.
“Richmond. I grew up there. I visited last August. I talked to him just a couple of days ago. Everything was fine.”
She knew he was hurting. And oddly enough she hurt for him.
“I’ll go with you,” she offered.
“Why?” he said, without moving.
“Because you don’t need to be alone at a time like this. Unless you’d prefer Emily or someone else to go with you? Suzette?”
“Her name is Suzanne and she’s the last person in the world to go anywhere with me. Emily has her own family. She’s only my secretary.”
And I’m only a senior analyst, but I want to go with you, she thought.
“Then I’m it. We’ll let Emily know so she can deal with things here. You need to pack and I will, too. Do you want me to drive?”
He wouldn’t fit comfortably in her car. But she wasn’t sure he should be driving in his current state of mind.
As if she’d said it aloud, he turned and looked at her.
“I’m perfectly capable of driving to Richmond. You’d really go?”
“Yes. I would.”
She didn’t want anyone to have to deal with loss of family alone.
“You helped me out when I needed it. It’s the least I can do for you.”
Cal was instantly back in control. He called up department heads and assigned duties. Paged Emily and had her return to the office as soon as she could. Once there, he told her where to find him in Richmond and hustled Zoe out.
“We’ll stop at your place first, then mine. It’ll take almost two hours to get to Richmond.”
She thought it took longer, but then she wasn’t used to driving a speed machine.
A quick stop at her apartment for Zoe to pack several outfits, including a black suit that would be suitable for a funeral, and she was back in his car in less than ten minutes.
“Impressive,” Cal murmured as he pulled back into traffic.
“What?”
“The speed you’re capable of. Most women take longer than that in deciding what lipstick to wear.”
“I’m not most women,” she said.
The sports car was a dream. She wished Cal would put the top down but it was far too cold. What a great ride it would be in the summer months, though. Would she ever get the chance?
His apartment was not far from her sister’s. She was surprised. Though when she thought about it, she couldn’t say why, except she always pictured Cal at work, or on an assignment, not lounging around an upscale apartment.
“I’ll be equally as fast,” he said, pulling into a parking slot beneath the building. “Want to come up?”
“Sure.”
He hadn’t accompanied her, but she was curious about his apartment.
The elevator whisked them up in seconds. When he opened the door, she was pleased at the warmth of the living space. The muted browns, creams and navy tones went perfectly together. The sofa looked comfortable enough to nap on, and large enough to hold several adults.
“I’ll be only a few moments,” he said, disappearing down the hall.
