Page 58 of Blood Money

“Sure there is, honey.” Cassie smiled. “Anyone can see it. All you have to do is be patient with him until you can both put this terrible mess behind you. He’s a man of principle to a fault, I have to admit. You probably know by now he has major trust issues.”

“Don’t we all.” Alex leaned her forearms on the table, wanting desperately to lay her head down and wake up when this was all over. “I made a mistake, and I don’t think Gray will ever forgive me. But I swear to you I wasn’t using him.”

“I know that.” Again Cassie smiled and gently touched Alex’s arm. “Somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of his brain and his heart, Gray knows it, too. He’ll come around. He’s tough, stubborn, and he’s a man, so he’s got that working against him. Trust me, I went through that with Mike. Men need more time than women to come to their senses. It takes longer for them to get their brains and their hearts in sync. I swear it’s a flaw attached to the Y chromosome.”

Alex wanted to smile at Cassie’s encouragement but couldn’t.

“Also,” Cassie added, “Gray’s been through some things that he still needs to deal with.”

Alex swallowed a sip of coffee. Part of her wanted to know everything there was to know about the enigmatic Gray Yates, but part of her was afraid to hear that he still loved someone he lost in Afghanistan. “What sort of things?” she finally got the courage to ask.

Cassie sat back in her chair. “It’s Gray’s story to tell, not mine. I’m just giving you friendly notice that my seemingly in-control brother has baggage, same as everyone else.”

As much as she wanted to pry for more information, she had to admire Cassie’s discretion. In another lifetime, perhaps she and Gray’s sister could have been good friends.

“Thank you for your support where Gray is concerned.” Alex picked up a spoon and absently stirred her coffee. “But I don’t think we can ever get back to being on that wonderful precipice. You know, when you meet someone and you know there’s a connection and it’s only a matter of time before you fall—” She stopped, not wanting to admit her feelings to Gray’s sister. Or to herself.

“In love?” Cassie supplied.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Alex sighed. “I’ve enjoyed working for the NYPD, but my days there are numbered. I’ll miss the squad room, the detectives, and everyone else at One PP.”

“Sometimes change is good. I’m living proof of that. One day I was an NYPD detective…” Cassie snapped her fingers. “…the next, I’m a chef. Life often forces us to consider something else that we should have contemplated long ago. Like interior decorating.”

Alex widened her eyes. “How did you—?”

“Know?” Cassie laughed. “I still have my informants. Dom, for starters. Last Christmas he sent me photos of the commissioner’s office after you decorated it on a super-tight budget. It was amazingly beautiful, and I heard the big guy loved it.”

Alex smiled, fondly remembering all the holiday decorations she’d created from items purchased at second-hand stores and yard sales. Best of all, the commissioner had appreciated her efforts.

“You really do love to decorate, don’t you?” Cassie said, more than asked.

“It’s my new passion,” Alex admitted. “But it’s hard to make a living at it, and right now Nicky’s medical needs, along with paying rent and utilities, take priority. A steady income is a must.”

“Hmm.” Cassie tapped her fingers on the table. “What with my new restaurant and the baby coming, I haven’t had time to finish decorating the downstairs, let alone decorate the baby’s room, and Mike is dying for a man cave in the basement. Would you consider taking me on as your first client?”

“Not a chance.” Alex shook her head. “I couldn’t take a dime from you. But I’d love to do it en gratis.”

“Deal.” Cassie held out her hand for Alex to shake. “Your first job will be to make up business cards for yourself that I can hand out to my friends in the Hopewell Springs area, along with some socialites I know in Manhattan. That’s the thing about being a New York City detective. You accumulate a lot of worthwhile connections in ten years.”

Alex laughed, her first sincere laugh in days. “I’ll do that. Thank you.”

She and Cassie shook hands then headed upstairs so that Alex could say good-bye to Nicky. Laughter greeted them at the top of the stairs. She’d expected a teary good-bye, but the tears were all hers. Nicky was on the floor, rolling, trying to teach Raven to do the same. Raven wasn’t having any of it and kept licking Nicky’s face.

While Alex and Cassie watched Nicky play with the dog, they discussed his medical condition in more detail and exchanged cell phone numbers. By the time Alex said good-bye to Nicky, she was more comfortable leaving him in Cassie and Mike’s care than she ever thought possible.

Gray was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. “We need to leave. Busy day tomorrow.”

So it was. Friday. The day of the meet.

First Cassie hugged her brother, then enveloped Alex in an equally warm embrace.

“I know you love him,” Cassie whispered. “I had the same look when I fell in love with Mike.” She pulled away. “Be safe, you two.”

Gray touched his hand to the small of Alex’s back, ushering her out the door. While he held the car’s passenger door open, she turned to look one last time at Cassie and Mike’s house. She didn’t know which was worse, the lump in her throat or the ache in her heart.

Alex silently prayed that within a few days she would be returning for her son, but if something went wrong and that day never happened, at least Nicky would be in good hands and taken care of.

Chapter Fourteen