Chapter 23: Supposed To Be (Multiple)
Gus looked down at her phone with confusion, how was she calling herself from her desk in New York? "Broussard?" she answered, sounding unsure of herself.
"Dawlin' your partner just ain't right, I know he don't have no axe in his attic," the voice drawled in that strange mix of Cajun and Bronx found only one place on the planet.
"Nicky Piroleaux?" Gus asked, knowing it had to be him even though most of their correspondence had been by email.
"He went all Spiderman when we were chasing down Casey last night. Practically jumped off a building to link the guy up, not that I blame him that Casey is crazier than an outhouse rat!"
"Wait, Shane Casey, what and why are you calling me?" Gus asked, her heart lurching.
"You see, the thing is, I kind of wasn't where I was supposed to be last night which is how I saw Casey in the first place."
"Where exactly were you?" Gus said, rubbing her temples, it was too early in the day for this.
"Some joint called the Old Cash Bar."
"Piroleaux, cops don't drink on the clock there like they do here, what kind of mess are you leaving for me?" Gus dropped her head from her hands to her desk.
"I wasn't drinking, I've kind of being seeing the bartender."
"Seeing the bartender, you know you have to come back here in a couple of weeks, right?" Gus snorted.
Chanda had perked up as soon as she said the New Orleans detective's name and was now hovering. Gus looped her in by writing 'IMBECILE' on a sticky note, held it up .
"Yeah, yeah, I know, it is going to be pretty hard to give up that swank place of yours, though I may not kept it very clean."
"Let me guess, your mama still cleans your place and does your laundry?" Gus snarled. "Back to Casey, where were you supposed to be?"
"Just on duty, and I called your boy Flack as soon as I saw him."
"I am glad to hear that but if they arrested him, what is the big deal about where you were last night?" Gus looked at her empty coffee mug with disdain, though Chanda was astute enough to grab it and walk toward the pot.
"Because Casey killed the guard holding him at the DA's and escaped again and Flack and your crazy Uncle both look like they wanted to nail my ass to the wall."
Gus choked on the coffee Chanda had just given her, "escaped again? Jesus Christ, Piroleaux, a serial killer is on the loose again after being arrested, again, by a member of my team, AGAIN, and you didn't think to lead with that?!"
"I just was worried what they might be thinking about me-"
"Shut your greenhorn mouth, Nicky Piroleaux, and put my partner on the damn phone now!" she roared. She heard Piroleaux trying to get Flack's attention, the sounds of a precinct in chaos clear in the background.
"This is the schmuck they send up here to stand in for you, sunshine?" Flack said as soon as he realized who was on the other end of the receiver being held out to him.
"Hey, I didn't pick him. I am guessing things are crazy, huh?" Gus said, realizing she hadn't talked to him since their last intense conversation and the subsequent one she barely remembered. She was also flooded with how much she missed him.
Flack gave her a small laugh, "you could say that, every person in the city who sees a white male with medium length brown hair is calling in to the tip line. I am about to go and try to run down Casey's old cellmate. Danny and Lindsay sure know when to head out-of-town to the beach."
Gus recalled the very excited letter she received from Lindsay after their time off was approved. "Ah yes, the first annual Messer family vacation. Mac still let them leave even with all this going on?"
A smile spread across as Flack's face hearing her voice amid the noise of the precinct, "yeah, think your uncle is getting soft in his increasing age. Wish I had been smart enough to come and see you this week."
Gus let out a small snort, "don't let him hear you say that and I keep telling you, anytime, blue eyes!"
"Aren't you back in like two weeks?" Flack protested.
"What you stop counting? Supposed to be 16 days," Gus said, chewing on her lip.
"I know, smart ass, still counting and what do you mean supposed to be?" Flack said, his stomach clenching.
"Just saying I am working on some things and it might not be done in 16 days." Gus felt suddenly sheepish.
"Work faster, because I am ready to ship this kid back to you in a box. Without holes." Flack glared at Piroleaux who had the audacity to look confused.
"Oh, he needs to come back, that snot nosed trouble maker, this is personal anyway," Gus admitted.
Flack cleared his throat, "don't you have some, uh, personal things, to work on here?"
"Yeah, I do do. This is before your time, stuff, Don. Nothing is decided. Now would you just go catch freaking Shane Casey so we can all sleep better at night," she sighed, feeling torn.
"I'll sleep better at night when you are back in New York, sunshine, but I see your point. I'll call you later, take care of yourself." He was gone in a flash, sucked back into the hubbub of the precinct.
Gus tried to focus on her work, but it was difficult knowing a psychopath was yet again free. Crazier and angrier this time. She also couldn't help but worry about Danny, knowing that Casey was fixated on him. Perhaps it was best they had left town.
Gus didn't even hear Chanda calling her name until the other woman tapped her on the shoulder.
Gus jumped, scattering her papers. "Sugar, how have you not shot yourself?" Chanda chided, "there is some brass here to see you."
Gus looked up to see Commander Malleville hovering in the doorway. She looked at him quizzically, hastily sorting her papers before going to see what he wanted.
"Sir?" she asked, walking over to him.
"Let's take a walk, Broussard," he said, holding the trailer door open.
Gus raised an eyebrow at him, the justice complex wasn't in a strolling area of town.
"We'll be fine, even if we are less armed than the neighbors," he said with a smile.
Something about his smile made Gus uncomfortable, but she wanted to help Stella keep her options open.
Gus remained silent, having to dredge up all her tricks from being a therapist to not interrogate Malleville as to why they were romping around the least picturesque part of Mid-City.
Malleville kept giving her sidelong glances as though he was waiting on the younger woman to ask him what they were doing, but she remained silently stubborn. Finally Malleville cleared his throat, "ain't much of a talker, are you?"
Gus stopped short, crossing her arms over her chest, "I am when I know what I am supposed to be talking about, sir. Thought maybe you just enjoyed strolling in 90 degree humidity."
Malleville have another one of his serpentine smiles, "fair enough, detective. I wanted to apologize for the other day, bringing up your father. Colston reminded me how young you were when...it happened."
There was something very hollow in his tone that made Gus uneasy. "Almost 13, that's considered adult in some cultures," Gus retorted.
"Still, I apologize. I meant what I said though, he was a good detective, too good for the NOPD."
Gus just nodded, unsure how to respond, unsure if this was an opening she should take.
Malleville continued, "I have a theory on why people become cops, Broussard."
"Usually either to protect and serve or a license to kill," Gus grumbled, sweat dripping down her back in the bright sun.
"Well yes, but actually I wish thinking more along the lines of legacy cops and the paths they choose. Like cold cases," he said looking at her pointedly.
Gus narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn't really choose cold cases, sir, I have been assigned them and I just have a knack for them. I am a homicide detective first, preferably of the recently dead."
Malleville put his palms up, "if you say so, Broussard. I was just thinking, you have spent six months in a trailer and a basement doing more than anyone else had done in nearly five years and I think that must mean something."
"That I actually have work ethic?" Gus shot back.
"Yes, or maybe you are searching for answers," he said, his eyebrows raised.
Gus felt her eyes go wide. Crap, he knew she had stolen evidence. Now she was going to get fired and possible arrested. She couldn't go to prison in Louisiana, she would never see Don again. She forced herself to keep calm, wait to see what he was getting at so she could deny if necessary.
Malleville studied her before finally saying, "I'll just come out with it, I have a proposition about you. You stay on for another six months and I will dedicate whatever you need to closing your parents' case."
Gus was taken aback, saying before she could even think, "how much do you know about their case, is it even solvable?"
"Is that a yes?" Malleville pressed, his face unreadable, patently not answering her question.
Gus felt her skin crawl, she did not trust this man. She had a sinking feeling that she was being blackmailed, that Malleville knew more than he was letting on. That gleam in his eyes told her his power lust meant he would do anything to get his clearance rates up.
She took a deep breath, "it's an I'll think about it, sir. Now if you don't mind, I am melting and have work to get back to." Gus rushed away, leaving Malleville behind.
Chapter 24: Family Getaway (Danny-Multi)
"That man is crazy! Six more months? I don't want to be here six more days. I want to be back in New York, working on things with Don. I wish I hadn't found that damn mess in the basement!" Gus growled at herself back in the trailer.
Chanda knew to give her a wide berth, assuming Gus' walk with the brass hadn't gone well.
Gus continued to grumble, barking, "Broussard," into her ringing phone while her computer chimed with an urgent video chat request from Adam. She accepted the chat, setting her phone down as Adam's face appeared on the screen.
"A serial killer is on the loose and you want to video chat, Adam, seriously?" she said, before recalling she had also answered her cell phone.
"Crap!" she swore, picking up her phone, Flack's name on the display. "Don, both of you, what is going on?"
Adam shifted slightly and Gus realized the wall behind him looked familiar. "Adam, why are you in Danny and Lindsay's apartment?"
"Gus, take a breath" Flack ordered, "we found Casey's cellmate, dead and dressed in Danny's academy t-shirt."
"I knew that bastard fixated on Danny!" Gus replied.
"Wait, you knew he was going to go after Danny?" Adam asked while sheepishly rifling through the Messer's apartment.
"I said fixated. What do you mean go after, they aren't even in town?" Gus protested, trying to keep up, grateful for Adam putting them all on video conference, even if seeing Don's face on her screen was overwhelming.
"Think careful, sunshine, did Lindsay say anything to you about where they were going?"
"All we know for sure is they are headed toward Long Island," Adam said, exasperated.
Gus started rifling through her papers, both men staring expectantly at her. "Just a second," she disappeared for a moment, scrounging in her bag, items appearing on their screens as she laid them on the desk.
"Was that her gun?" Flack started in worried.
"A-ha!" she exclaimed, coming back up with a stack full of letters, sorting through them. Adam and Flack tried to wait patiently as Flack explained what little progress they had made.
Flack continued, "nothing on their credit cards, Danny is like me that way, he would rather pay cash than pay bills."
"This is why you are never allowed to tease me again about my credit card bills, blue eyes," Gus shot back before realizing that Adam was looking uncomfortable.
"Here we go…", she pulled out the latest letter from Lindsay, reading bit aloud. "Excited, renting a convertible, bought a new bikini…ignore that bit, boys… and Lucy cute dresses…" she paused, scanning, "she says, 'looking forward to a scenic drive along the coast and staying in the most amazing inn in the Hamptons, hope to get to some lighthouses.' That's all I got."
"Damn it!" Flack swore, cursing further when Adam mentioned Danny had left his cell phone behind.
"Yeah, but Lindsay will have hers, she'll want to text photos of Lucy out right away," Gus countered.
"Except that scenic drive makes coverage really spotty," Adam pointed out. They all grumbled in frustration, "I have more bad news, we found Casey's prints on their laundry machines and his cell mate's prints on the phone junction."
"Great, so Shane Casey knows a hell of a lot more about where Danny and Lindsay are than we do!" Flack's frustration was clear in his tone and on his face. Adam and Gus easily shared the feeling.
"I'm going to get back to searching, though Lindsay is going to freak when she sees what we did to the place," Adam gulped.
"Not if it keeps them safe, sugar, take care!" Gus said, clicking off, surprised when Flack didn't as well.
"Sorry I wasn't much more help, Don," Gus said quietly. She looked at him leaning over his computer, trying to memorize every line and pore, wishing she could reach through the screen.
"It's fine, just following a lead," he was looking back at her just as intently. "I miss you," he said softly, not wanting everyone in the pit to hear him.
"You too. Just stay safe and keep me updated," she said, knowing he had to get back to work.
"I will, I promise," he paused, "you know you gotta start actually wearing your gun when you get back up here, right?"
"Yes, Don," she replied with a smile that nearly broke his composure.
"16 days, sunshine," Flack said, before clicking off.
Gus was on pins and needles the rest of the day, unable to concentrate on working, her heartbeat racing after seeing Flack's face…
Billy was about ready to slip a Valium into her after dinner cocktail. "Good Lord, woman, you are working my nerves!"
"Billy, there is a serial killer after my friends, I may be stealing my uncle's second in command, some snake is trying to bribe me to stay and just seeing Don's face today made my clothes combust!" Gus snapped," so yes, I am a little pent-up, so could you please just make me another drink?"
"Fine, but if you need to work off this nervous energy, you can polish the silver and that is not a euphemism," Billy said, making his way to the bar.
It was nearly dawn before Gus heard from Flack again. She bolted up in bed as her phone started buzzing, not really asleep. "What is it, are they okay?" she asked.
"Shaken up, but okay. Good tip on the lighthouse. Casey tracked them to one and cornered Danny," Don explained.
And?" Gus demanded when it didn't continue.
"We got there in time."
"Casey is in custody?" Gus inquired, wondering why Flack was being so quiet, other than coming down off the adrenaline rush.
"No, Danny and him scuffled, he took a header off the lighthouse. Casey is dead, deservedly so, crazy bastard."
"You're sure?" Gus pressed, still not feeling at ease.
"Gus, he fell from a 110 foot lighthouse onto jagged rocks and was swept out to sea. He is dead, this isn't a Stephen King novel," Flack teased.
"Everyone is fine, you promise?" she implored.
Her tone made Flack's heart catch in his throat. "I promise, sunshine, I can't lie to you. What's going on?" he asked, fighting through exhaustion.
Gus sighed, "It's been a long day, longer for y'all. I just want everyone I love safe, happy and at peace."
Her breath caught in her throat. She wanted peace so much. Malleville's offer nagged at the back of her mind, if she could just put her parents' to rest, maybe she could finally fine peace.
"Everyone will have all that, I swear. Danny and Lindsay just need a few days to relax. Stop your worrying and get some sleep."
She just heaved a sigh in response.
"It was nice seeing your face today," he said, changing the subject, "I was starting to think I forgot what you looked like. Luckily, you're still gorgeous."
This brought a smile to her lips. "Thanks, you aren't half-bad yourself," she paused, "it was nice, but a little bit hard, seeing you but not being able to touch you," she softly admitted.
Flack smiled bittersweetly, knowing exactly what she meant. "Yeah, well, how about we both get some sleep so I can put another X on the calendar and we'll be one day closer to seeing each other in person?"
He reigned in mentioning anything about touching each other, wanting a hope and prayer of actually getting to sleep.
Gus swallowed, her heart taking over. "I love you, more than anything, you have to know that, Don."
Her declaration caught him off guard, should he be worrying? "I know, Gus, if I haven't figured out anything else out, at least I know we love each other. Get some sleep now though, it's stupid late."
"I'll try," Gus said, before hanging up and falling into a fitful sleep.
BB,
You gotta learn to chill. The whole team had our backs, we handled it, just like we always do. Hey, did you know you can reach a limit on text and voice mails even on our work phones? Yeah, well you can, thanks for that. Stop freaking out about not warning me about Casey. I know you got my, Linds' and Lucy's best interests at heart, always. I'm really starting to wish we had come to see you for vacation instead. We coulda fed Casey to a gator or something. Maybe I should send Lindsay down there to see you before you come back, she deserves a real vacation. You were right when you said I had to stop treating her like glass and let her be my rock, I just want to be the same for her, ya know? If she does come to see you, promise me my wife won't end up on one of them internet videos though, alright? I am guessing you and Flack have had a few good talks, he got his snark back and started wearing jackets again. Good times. Let me know if he doesn't straighten up for you, I'll take him for a couple of rounds. And then he'll probably kick my ass since I am turning more and more into a science guy, but whatever, you can always count on me to stick up for you, not that you need it. Christ, I should stop before I paint myself into a corner and you end up kicking my ass.
Gotta Go, Lindsay is giving me that look,
Danny
"What are you doing?" Lindsay asked from the doorway. She had finally gotten Lucy down for a nap when she found her husband on his laptop. She knew they couldn't stay on Long Island after the Casey debacle the night before, but it was still their vacation.
Danny pushed his laptop aside, opening his arms to greet his wife, feeling better as she laid on his chest. "I was just emailing Broussard, she musta left a hundred messages between both of us. I think she feels guilty for not being here, not being able to profile that nut wad in the first place."
"She couldn't have known, but it is sweet. Sometimes I think Gus cares too much."
"You're one to talk, Montana."
"Shut it, cowboy. Which reminds me, I'm glad we have each other, and I know we have been through some stuff, but I am so happy I married you. I take back everything I said about the apartment, I don't think we should ever leave it again."
"Sounds good to me, that is what delivery is for," he said, turning to kiss her.
Gus read the email, a giant sigh of relief exploding from her chest.
"Good news, I take it?" Chanda asked from her own desk.
"As good as a psychopath falling to his death and your friends being safe is, I suppose."
"Sounds like good news to me," she paused, "you got quite the krewe up there don't you?"
Gus gave her a smile, "I guess I do."
"Then why were you muttering about staying longer?" Chanda pressed.
"I just still have a few thing to put to rest here, and I'm still trying to get rid of a curse…" she trailed off.
"You know a got some kin folk up river that I could take you out to see," Chanda replied, a twinkle in her eye.
Gus chuckled, "I may take you up on that if I can't lie my parents' to rest." Chanda's eyes grew wide and Gus realized how it sounded. "Lord, Chanda, no, they are already dead, they were murdered right before I turned 13, unsolved."
Chanda's eyes grew wide."Is that why you like cold cases so much?"
"Maybe. Maleville told me if I extended my stay he would give me what I needed to close their case."
"No!" Chanda shouted.
"What do you mean, 'no'?" Gus shot back.
Chanda shook her head. "I mean, as much as I talk about this place getting to you, you have to let your parents rest in peace. You gotta go on living. In New York, with your family and that fine man, not floating around here like a ghost yourself. What if you can't solve their case?"
"How can I not even try, Chanda?"
Gus wrestled with this through the rest of that day and through the night, waking with a start, realizing she had two weeks left, unless she took Malleville up on his offer. Speaking of offers, she wondered what was happening with Stella? Gus wondered if the Casey mess might not have changed Stella's mind, reminding the woman how much she cared for her NYPD family, it certainly had clarified that fact for Gus.
Chapter 25: What Do You Need? (Multi)
Gus was in the middle of cooking breakfast when her phone started buzzing. She looked at the clock, wondering who was calling so early.
"Gus, it's Mac."
His words were clipped, but Gus just thought it was Mac being Mac. "Hey, Mac, I should have known it was you, the rest of the world is asleep. What's is going on in your neck of the woods?"
"Lindsay killed Shane Casey last night and she isn't doing very well." His tone remained stoney.
Gus was sure hadn't heard him correctly, thinking it was a horrible prank."Very funny, Uncle Mac, if you want me to call more often, just say so. Flack already told me that Shane Casey took a header off a lighthouse. Yes, we are talking, yes, I want to get back together with him. Yes, I am aware we work together and professionalism and integrity and blah blah blah. I love him, I'll transfer if I have to."
Mac sighed, "Gussie, I'm not joking. Lindsay shot Shane Casey last night in their apartment, he broke in and was threatening to kill Lucy. I need you to call Lindsay."
Gus almost dropped her phone into the egg yolks. "What?!"
"Just call her, please, she is refusing to talk to anyone. I don't want to have to send her for an eval at Elmhurst."
"She's probably in shock, Mac, she just shot a serial killer that she thought was dead in her home in the middle of the night because he was threatening her child!" Gus replied, her stomach filled with dread. "I'll call her and let you know what happens."
Lindsay refused to come to the phone. "I don't know what to do, Gus!" Danny exclaimed, "she won't get out of bed, will barely look and me and won't even hold Lucy!"
"Where are you?" Gus asked, figuring their apartment was still a crime scene.
"My mother's," Danny replied, "I didn't know where else to go, everyone is busy."
"Well first get her out of your mother's, I would refuse to get out of bed there too," Gus said, knowing how domineering the woman could be. "And don't bring her back to your place until it is fully put back together, assuming she doesn't want to move."
"Jesus, we can barely keep up with the rent controlled place we got," Danny moaned.
"One thing at a time, Messer, first focus on getting your wife some place she doesn't want to hide and make sure she eats something."
"Hold on, I think she actually wants to talk to you," Danny said, rustling in the background.
"Gus?" Lindsay said hollowly.
"Hey, sweetie, heard you had a rough night. What do you need?" Gus asked, her heart aching for her friend as she shot out a couple of emails, breakfast forgotten.
Three hours later, Danny ushered Lindsay into Gus' co-op, freshly scrubbed top to bottom by an emergency maid service. He knew they could have anyone on the team, but fitting three extra bodies in a NewYork apartment would not have helped. They need time alone as a family. Danny vaguely wondered how the New Orleans' detective had dealt with his early eviction, but was mostly relieved they were out of his mother's clutches.
"Don't let her break anything, Danny," Lindsay implored, her forehead wrinkling as Lucy toddled around Gus'. The last time she had been there, she had only been crawling.
Lindsay couldn't believe what a difference six months made. Or six seconds for that matter, which was the length of time it had taken her to load her weapon and kill a man in her home.
Danny pulled her in for a hug. "Don't worry babe, Gus said there was nothing she had that couldn't be replaced."
"I can't believe she kicked me out of her place, how would she feel if I did that? I still got two weeks left here," Nicky Piroleaux grumbled across the desk from Flack.
"Gus is too smart to stay in your hovel, Piroleaux, she's been staying with a friend. I don't know how you handle things in the swamp, but up here we take care of our own. Quit bitching and be glad you are on my sofa instead of the crash room," Flack snarled at the younger detective. Only for Gus would he put up with this.
Gus had spent the past couple of days ruminating over Malleville's offer and Chanda's scolding but still hadn't made a decision. Neither had Stella, which wasn't helping. Gus didn't want to stay longer without someone by her side.
At least the basement had finally been cleared out, mold abatement crews finally doing their jobs and the new lab and storage rooms being built out on a high floor at the medical complex. Which allowed her time for what she had been planning for the past three days.
"You sure about this, Broussard, because I would hate to see your credit card bills this month!" Danny asked again.
"Yes, I am sure, y'all are family. Now are you sure you have your end taken care of?"
"Yep, everyone is on board. Flack, Sheldon and Adam are going to come over and help pack everything. Lindsay is driving Stella to the airport, or so she thinks. Though I don't know how I feel about springing this on her after all that went down."
"This way she can't back out of it, she won't take a break for herself, you know that. She'll have a good time, free of serial killers and psychopaths and be back on Monday."
"I just can't believe you thought you had to lie to me to get me here!" Lindsay exclaimed as Gus met them at the airport.
"We didn't lie, we just didn't want you to feel pressured, Linds, this is about relaxing!" Stella said, rubbing Lindsay on the back.
"You guys," Lindsay said, gratefully, her eyes filling with tears.
"Oh don't cry, or you'll get me going," Gus drawled, pulling her friend in for another hug. "Now I feel odd saying this, but I have to rush you so you can go relax."
"What?" Lindsay asked as they made their way to the car, "and is it always this hot?"
"Yeah, is it?" Stella asked, shooting Gus a look.
"Not always. Now Lindsay, we have to get you the the spa day Billy is treating you to," Gus said, opening doors for her friends.
"What about you two?" Lindsay asked, feeling overwhelmed.
"Don't worry about us, we'll get up to something!" Gus said, knowing full well that she had to get Stella over to city hall for an interview with the new mayor.
Gus arrived back at city hall a couple of hours later. Stella's face was a complete mask, making Gus wonder. She didn't push as she pointed them toward the spa to meet Lindsay.
Stella stared out the window, unsure of how to process everything. "I got the job," she said finally.
"Of course you did, Stel," Gus replied.
"They want my answer before I leave and if I take it they want me here asap for the lab build out," Stella revealed.
"How do you feel about all of this?" Gus asked, not wanting to sway Stella with any opinion of her own.
"I'm not sure. Just when I make my mind up that I need a change, things happen and it seems like the universe wants me tethered to New York."
"Stella, I have a hard time picturing you tethered anywhere!" Gus retorted, "now don't think on it too hard and try to relax!" she said, leading her into the relaxing sanctuary.
The three days passed quickly. Days full of them eating and drinking too much, catching up on gossip, laughing and teasing, sightseeing and shopping; they only thing they didn't do much of was sleep.
"It isn't always like this, right?" Lindsay asked, Stella expectantly awaiting Gus' answer.
"No, y'all, just like it isn't always Mardi Gras, except for nitwit tourists on Bourbon, I just wanted to laisser les bons temps rouler with my friends."
While waiting on Stella to come downstairs before driving them to the airport, Gus studied Lindsay as she drank her coffee. "How are you really doing, Linds?" she asked.
Lindsay shrugged, "fine, I hate that people keep asking me that."
Gus took a deep breath, "I would never tell you how you should be feeling, but remember I have at least some idea of what you are going through and I know what it means to zombie out. I worry you might be doing that and you know how that ended up for me."
"Don't worry, Gus, I'm not planning on running away from home. I can't wait to get back to see my husband and my baby."
Gus knew her friend meant no ill will, but she couldn't help but feel the sting in the words. If she hadn't run, would she and Don be in a similar place now?
Her face must have changed because Lindsay clapped her hand over her mouth, "Gus, I didn't mean it like that, I was joking. You didn't run this time, he needed space. You'll be back in a week and it'll be great between you two, just wait. Though I am not wearing an ugly bridesmaid dress."
"What about an ugly bridesmaid dress?" Stella said, coming down the stairs, suitcase in hand.
"Nothing," Gus and Lindsay said in unison, dissolving into laughter.
It was only as Stella gave Gus a final hug that she had any clue what her friend was thinking.
"I'm taking it," Stella whispered, before saying loudly, "thanks, Gus, and see you soon."