Chapter Four

She pulled into Phoenix three days later. She called him once she passed the city limit sign to get directions to the Arizona State Medical Examiners Office. He met her in the lobby.

"Jordan, love," he said, as she came through the door.

"Nige…" was all she managed to get out before he caught her up in a tight hug. She looked like hell…she appeared as if she hadn't slept in days nor had eaten in as many, either.

"Let me see you, lass," he finally said, needing to take a closer look at her. "What's the matter Jordan? You didn't tell me anything over the phone the other night."

"Is there somewhere we can talk, Nige? Somewhere private?"

"Sure there is. Let me call upstairs and tell them I'm taking an early lunch." Nigelcalled his office from his cell phone while escorting her out of the doors to the building and into a nearby coffee shop. Sitting down with her in the furthermost back booth, he gave their order to the waitress and asked that they not be disturbed. The waitress dropped off their coffee cups, plus a full pot, and left them alone.

"Tell me Jordan. Tell me what's wrong. What brings you to Phoenix? Does Macy know you're here? What about Woody?" She would never know the hell he went through the days following her phone call. He heard her voice quivering over the connection…that time, and all the times he had called her back to make sure she was okay and heading in his direction. She had asked him not to let anyone know she was coming. He hadn't.

She swallowed hard, to try to get the lump out of her throat. It didn't work. So hesitantly, she began, deciding to tell everything as quickly as she could and get it out in the open. "Woody filed for divorce. I resigned my job. Here I am."

Stunned, Nigel asked the only thing that came to his mind. "What?"

"Woody filed for divorce. It's a long story. What it boils down to is this…you and Bug left the morgue about the same time…and I've caught it ever since. We've got new ME's but they're young and green. I've been working more hours than you even want to imagine. Meanwhile, Dad decides to remarry and takes an extended honeymoon, so I'm left dealing with the bar and Garret going ballistic on me. I didn't have a lot of time for my husband…I haven't had for months." She lowered her head to try to control the tears she felt coming to her eyes. "So, meanwhile, Woody gets a new partner….a young, pretty, female partner…Needless to say…" she choked then, putting her fist over her mouth to try to control the quivering of her chin and lips.

She didn't have to say anymore. She had painted Nigel a very descript, vivid picture. "Oh, love. I am sorry. So sorry." And he was. The Jordan and Woody love story had been a long saga he had personally witnessed. When those two had finally said "I do" it gave hope to every romantic cynic in Boston. Even him. "So you resigned your job at the Massachusetts morgue and ran away, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"Does Garret know you're here?"

"No. I just typed my resignation and left it on his desk."

"And Woodrow has no clue, either?"

"No."

"Max?"

"No."

Nigel sighed. "You at least need to call your father and let him know you're all right, Jordan."

"I am. I just wanted to get where I was going before I did."

"So you want to land in Phoenix for a while?"

"I was hoping to….I need a friend right now, and you've always been one of my best friends."

"You'll like Phoenix, Jordan. It's a great city…more relaxed than Boston. It's beautiful here….the desert…I can't really describe it well. It's something you have to witness for yourself."

"I'm looking forward to seeing it all, Nige."

"We have a ME out on extended maternity leave and have been looking for a fill-in for her. I can see if my chief will hire you…I don't think it will be a problem. Of course, the job will only be temporary, at least to begin with – Shanna is only going to be gone about six months. She had twins…and there were some complications. But if Dr. Daniels likes you, it could become a permanent position."

Jordan swallowed the rest of her coffee. Even if it was only six months, it would give her time to get her bearings. "Sounds great."

"I'll ask him as soon as we get back to my office."

"Nige…one more thing."

"What love?"

"Can I stay with you…just for a couple of weeks until I can find a place?"

Nigel regarded her for a second. "Sure. Ronnie and I would love to have you."

Jordan was startled. Before she could stop herself, it came out of her mouth… "Ronnie?"

Nigel chuckled at her stunned face and raised eyebrows. "Veronica Ann Evans. Ronnie for short. I met her about three months after I got here. We dated for a while and moved in together a couple of months ago. She's an artist and is co-owner of a gallery here. She's tiny and feisty, and my soul mate. In every sense of the word. You'll see as soon as you meet her."

Jordan smiled. She was glad for her friend. Even if things hadn't worked out for her as far as relationships go, she was glad that it had for Nigel. He had waited a long time to find the right one. He deserved the happiness that this relationship was obviously bringing him. "I'm so happy for you, Nige." She reached out and squeezed his hand.

"Yeah. Thanks. I'm happy for me, too. I love her even more than I did you…back then. And I didn't think that was possible."

Back then. The words still stung just a bit. It had been the best-kept secret in the morgue, and as far as Jordan could conclude, she and Nigel were the only ones that knew they had once been lovers. It had been happened right after she returned to Boston from LA and met him. The affair had been brief, but intense. In the end, they broke it off, deciding that it was too difficult to maintain their relationship because of working so closely together. They had decided to remain friends. A decision Jordan had never regretted, but she had often wondered what her life would have been like if she and Nigel would have stayed together…she had thought about it more frequently in the past few weeks.

She had broken one of her cardinal rules by having the affair with Nigel: Don't get romantically involved with a co-worker. When it was over between the two of them, she had put herself back together privately. But Nigel must have been aware on some level that she was still struggling being without him at night, while still seeing him during the day. He had been more than compassionate to her…helping her withdraw from the finality of the failed relationship a little at the time. In the end, it had all worked out for the best, or so he had thought.

Nigel had been the one to pick up the sensitive chemistry that was brewing between Jordan and Woody years before either of them took the first step toward the other. He had tried to nurture that relationship for them, encouraging Jordan to follow her heart… "I don't think you'll get hurt this time, love," he had told her, gently running his fingers through her hair. "Woody's different from the other detectives and from most of the men in Boston. He's got those solid, Midwestern values that you often ridicule but need so desperately in your life. Give it a try. For me?" he had asked her.

And she had. For him and for herself…she had broken her cardinal rule one more time: she got romantically involved with a co-worker. Woody. And she had lost her heart one more time. If she swore if she ever got the pieces of her broken heart put back together, she'd be damned if she'd ever break that rule again.