Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Could I persuade you to have dinner with me?" Joseph asked quietly.
Lucy looked up and quickly glanced around the conference room. Everyone else was already gone. Thanks a lot, guys. Her mind grumbled. "I, uh, I better not."
Joseph tilted his head. "Come on, everyone else is gone. There's no sense in us eating alone."
"I can't, Joseph. Not right now. Maybe after this case is over."
"Fine." Joseph rapped the table with his knuckles and turned to walk away.
As he neared the door the tall agent turned back around. "Tell me, Miss Dotson," Pain showed in his black eyes. "What have I done to cause you to dislike me so much?"
Lucy rolled her lips together to stem the tears. "I don't dislike you, Joseph. I'm just not ready."
"Ready for what?" He lifted his shoulders and let them fall back down. "I just want to share a meal with you and enjoy your company for a short time before we have to dive back into this case."
Joseph sighed and shook his head. "See ya later, Lucy."
He disappeared out the door. Lucy laid her head down on the table and let the tears fall down her cheeks.
"Myles?" Anne reached across the table and touched his hand. "Are you alright?"
He looked up and gave her a slight smile. "I don't really know."
"Is it the case you're working on?" Anne held up her hand before he could speak. "I know, you can't tell me without having to kill me. I don't want details."
She took a sip of her ice water. "But is that what's bothering you?"
"Partly."
"What's the other part?"
Myles hesitated, searching his mind for the right words. To his dismay he couldn't find any.
"What do you think of God?" He finally blurted out.
Anne raised an eyebrow. "God?" She leaned back in her chair. "Wow. That was not what I was expecting." She shrugged. "I can't say I've ever given the subject any thought. Why?"
Myles sighed. "Apparently Stanley," he paused and swallowed back tears at the mention of his friend. "had some sort of conversion experience in Afghanistan before his kidnapping. He called it being born-again." Myles' voice showed his confusion. "He left me a Bible with some verses marked and a book about the evidences for Jesus Christ."
Myles shook his head. "It's actually pretty intriguing."
Anne studied the face of her older brother. She was so grateful for the chance to get to know this man. "I'm afraid I can't help you, Myles. But when you find your answers, I'd like to hear them."
Bobby and Tara sat across from each other at the small table in his kitchen, picking at their Chinese take-out. Neither of them had an appetite.
"I'm sorry, Bobby." Tara spoke quietly.
He looked up from playing with his fried rice and frowned. "For what?"
"About Quinton."
Bobby looked away. "Not your fault, Beautiful."
"How are you really doing?"
"I'm fine." Bobby's tone was harsher than he intended.
Tara sighed.
He looked back at her and his heart smote him at her crestfallen expression. He hadn't meant to snap. "Ah, Tara. I'm sorry." Bobby reached across the table and took her small hand into his large one. His thumb rubbed circles on the back of her hand.
"How are you holding up? We've been so busy at work that we haven't had much time to talk. I know it may seem like the rest of us have forgotten Stanley, but we haven't. We never will."
"I know. The busyness has been good. Keeps me from thinking too much. But…" Tara's voice trailed off and she shrugged. "I'm doing fine."
"No, Tara. What were you going to say? But what?"
She was silent.
"Tara. Come on."
She raised her head to look at him. Her hazel eyes filled with tears and pain. "It hurts, Bobby."
The tears broke free and slid down her face plopping onto Bobby's table. "I miss Stanley with every breath I take. But then I forget. And it doesn't hurt. It's just like he's on assignment somewhere. But then it all comes back and hurts even more. And I feel like a horrible person for forgetting." Tara's tears were falling faster now and her body began to jerk with the force of the sobs.
Bobby's own eyes burned with tears. "Ah, Tara. Come here." He tugged her hand gently until she stood and circled the table. Bobby scooted his chair back and pulled Tara down to sit on his lap. She buried her face against his shoulder as the sobs tore out of her.
"Shh," Bobby wrapped his arms around her shaking body and gently rubbed her back. "It's going to be okay," he whispered. "Shh," Bobby closed his eyes, his heart breaking at the pain she was in.
When Tara's tears subsided Bobby gently nudged her head up until she was looking at him. He smiled tenderly and brushed the tears from her cheeks. "You're not a horrible person, Beautiful." He shook his head. "Far from it. Tara, denial is part of the grieving process. And since you and Stanley mostly had a long-distance relationship it might be even harder for everything to sink in. There may always be times when it doesn't seem like he's really gone. That's okay and perfectly normal."
"It is?" Tara's voice trembled.
Bobby nodded. He placed a feather-light kiss on her forehead and drew her against him again. "It's going to be okay, Tara."
"I missed you so much today." Jack said as he and Sue sat on the secluded park bench while Levi raced around enjoying his freedom.
"I missed you too." Sue leaned back just enough to read Jack's lips. "How's Bobby doing?"
Jack sighed and shook his head. "Not good."
Sue placed a soft hand on the side of his face. "I'm sorry."
Jack gave her a gentle smile and leaned forward for a kiss. "I love you," he whispered when he pulled back breathless.
Sue grinned. "I love you more."
Jack smirked at her. "Not possible." He leaned forward for another kiss. The kiss was broken when Sue burst into laughter. Jack's hands had snuck to her sides and were tickling her.
"Jack, stop! Please!" Sue choked out through her laughter, squirming and nearly falling off the bench before Jack had mercy on her. Struggling to catch her breath, she slapped him on the arm. "That was mean."
"You deserved it. Besides," Jack shrugged. "I wanted to hear you laugh."
Sue rolled her eyes. "Well, you could have told a joke or something. You didn't have to torture me."
Jack pursed his lips in thought. "Nah. Torture is much better."
Much too soon Sue shifted in Jack's arms and tilted her head to see his mouth. "Shouldn't we be getting back to work?" Jack looked at his watch and nodded. He kept his arms tight around her.
Sue squirmed. "Jack!"
He sighed and gazed down at her. His deep brown eyes shone with love. "Yes, we should get back to work, but I don't want to. I want to sit here and hold you forever."
Sue smiled dreamily. "I would love to be held forever by you, but we need to go to work."
"You're right." Jack let go of her and let her sit up.
Before she could call Levi he captured both her hands in his and waited for her to focus on his lips. Then he spoke the words she had read so often from him recently. "Let's pray first."
