CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR

Geoff was in the kitchen making scrambled eggs when Catherine stumbled in sleepily to take her place at the table. He set a plate in front of her, and poured her a cup of coffee, then sat down in his spot and began to eat.

He peered at him blearily over the rim of her cup, " Good morning," she offered.

He glanced up, his fork half way to his mouth and smiled at her, " Good morning."

She picked up her fork and poked at her breakfast disinterestedly, her mind on the events of last night.

" Thanks for last night,' she ventured casually.

" yeah," he smiled, "It was a nice party."

" Not the party you dope, for talking Vincent into coming up to the house,' she eyed him speculatively.

He almost dropped his fork in surprise, " How'd you know I…" he started, then clamped his lips shut on the utensil when she grinned.

" I didn't until just now," she chuckled, " but I figured someone must have had words with him in order for him to screw up the courage to approach me…it couldn't have been anyone but you. Thank you.'

He shook his head ruefully, " The hazards of living with a detective, they always ferret out the truth."

" It was a decent thing you did, all things considered," she assured him sincerely.

" Well, it went against my better judgment," he shrugged, " but it was your decision, and his…not mine."

She reached across the table and squeezed his forearm affectionately, " You're a good and honorable man Geoff McCarthy," she smiled warmly at him.

" yeah well," he grinned self consciously, " Don't let that get around, it'll ruin my street rep."

He set his fork down and held her eyes seriously, " So?…how'd it go then?' he asked.

She shrugged and tilted her head to the side, " About as well as it could have I guess," she replied, " I'm still pretty pissed off at him, and he's got a long row to hoe to make recompense… however he's my child's father, and I do love him." She smiled sadly, " But I'm not ready to give him full access quite yet, to say I have confidence issues would be putting it mildly. I want to trust him, but it's not going to happen overnight."

Geoff nodded and was silent for a few moments, then he looked up at her, " I've sort of been thinking about all this myself, and I have an idea. Would you like to hear it?'

She gazed at him in mild surprise, but nodded.

" Well…here's what I think," Geoff said slowly, working his way into it, " The only way you're going to know if you can reestablish any kind of connection, is if you see each other frequently enough to rebuild what you've lost. We have this big house, and an extra room….'

Catherine's eyebrows climbed up her forehead in consternation, " Are you suggesting he live here?"

Geoff grinned self deprecatingly, " Yeah…look I know it sounds crazy considering, but hear me out ok?"

She gave a bemused nod.

" He should be here for the rest of your pregnancy, if not for his benefit, then for yours. Carl and I are going to be pretty busy for the next couple of months, and I'd feel better knowing there was someone here with you. He can earn his keep by doing some of the work around the house that I don't have time for, it'll get him out of New York and from under the Muirfield radar. Because sure as God made little green apples, they're going to come looking for him again at some point. And I can keep my eye on him." he stopped talking and looked at her apprehensively.

Catherine shook her head, her eyes blurring a bit with tears, " You know Geoff…" she sighed, " You really are about the most selfless man I have ever known, and you're the best friend I could ever imagine. Are you sure that you can deal with…. I mean, there's a good chance that eventually we're going to…oh hell, you know what I'm saying."

He chuckled gently and patted her hand, " I'll let you in on a little secret kiddo," he said softly, " I had no doubt in my mind that things were going to work out this way. You and Vincent? There's something of destiny in your relationship. Despite all the rocks and debris that have gotten in your way, you keep swinging back around. Honestly, I don't think either of you is capable of truly living without the other. You might exist, but you'd never be really alive."

A single tear escaped Catherine's eye and slid down her cheek, she brushed it away impatiently, " When did you get so damn smart," she asked gruffly.

" Must be from hanging out with you,' he grinned back. " So…what do you think of my idea?'

" I think that before long I'll go along," she grinned maliciously, " But for the time being I'm going to make him work for it. He says he wants to see me? Well, we'll see how much. A few weeks of making trips up here on command, being my Sherpa and personal pickles and ice cream fetcher, ought to test his resolve."

Geoff threw back his head and roared a laugh, " Poor Vincent, he's in for a rough ride.'

" It's no more than he deserves," she replied tartly.

Geoff nodded soberly, " That he does, kiddo. That he does."

So began Vincent Keller's penance. He sent her a text that same day with his new number, and she waited two days to call him, then said he could come up on Monday with her after she finished her appointment with Evan. He agreed readily, then sheepishly asked where she wanted to meet. Grinning to herself, she told him that he might as well come to the appointment with her, if he was going to be involved, then he was going to be involved. She knew what sort of reception Evan and JT would give him, and she didn't really mind making him squirm. If he could handle everything she was going to throw at him in the next few weeks, they might have a chance to mend their relationship. If not…well… she finally felt empowered, and if he didn't have the chops, this time it wouldn't break her heart.

She hung up the phone, and had a pretty good laugh at his expense.