Page 16 of Shadow of Doubt
“Yes. Is there something wrong with that?”
“No, but you don’t seem like an FBI agent to me. Not that I’ve ever met one or know what they really are like. I guess I’m going on what I see on television.”
“Well, I’m an IT guy through and through and just happened to apply to the FBI to use my skills with them. So I guess I’m more of a nerd than anything.” He laughed, but it was a nervous laugh.
“I’m a card carrying nerd, too, so we should get along just fine.” She smiled at him.
Their gazes connected and held. Something warm traveled between them, reminding her of a ray of sunshine breaking free and lighting up her world on one of the many gloomy, rainy days in Oregon, and compelling her to move closer to him.
She sat on her hands and didn’t act. Not at all. She didn’t want to get connected with a guy. Correction—she would love to start a relationship with a guy, but it was impossible now.Not without losing her focus, which had to be pinned on staying alive.
From her purse on the floor, her phone pealed in Nick’s ringtone, and she jumped again.
Stop it. Calm down.If she didn’t, Colin would soon figure out that something was up.
“Hey, Nick,” she answered. “I’m in the car with Colin, and we’re just arriving at the compound. Can I call you back?”
“Yes, but see that you do as soon as you can. It’s about our mutual friend, and it’s urgent.”
Dev was teaching a class, and Colin stood back as his mother and Brooklyn sat together on the leather couch, getting to know each other. His mom was exhausted, but she didn’t let it get to her and was still the warm and open person she usually was. Thankfully. She didn’t want a caregiver, and he didn’t want her to blow Brooklyn off before getting to know her. She said a helper made her feel even more powerless than normal and that the disease was winning. But she was practical too, and more than anything, she didn’t like disrupting his and Dev’s lives. So if they hired someone, that solved a problem for her.
Brooklyn was equally receptive to the conversation, though she kept glancing at her phone. She hadn’t returned the call from Nick, and she clearly wanted to. She’d been jumpy since Colin had met her and remained the same in the cabin, jerking at the slightest sound. Behavior that meant she was troubled or worried about something.
Was it the reason Nick called her in the car? Was it something Colin needed to know about? Should he ask?
Probably. But if he did, would it risk losing Brooklyn before she even got started?
Something to put aside now as his mom’s shoulders were drooping, and she yawned. He crossed over to her and held out his hand. “Enough talking for now. Let’s get you back to bed.”
She looked at Brooklyn. “But I can’t leave her alone when she just got here.”
“It’s fine.” Brooklyn gave a genuinely warm smile. “I’ll get some lunch ready so when you wake up, you can eat. Anything you’re craving, Mrs. Graham?”
“If we’re going to spend so much time together, you better call me Sandra…Sandy.”
His mom offered her megawatt smile that always cheered him up as a child. “Tomato soup and grilled cheese sounds really good if it’s not too much trouble.”
“We have what you need to make it in the kitchen,” Colin said.
“Then no trouble at all.” Brooklyn returned his mother’s smile with a wide one that could cheer up a child too. “Get some rest, and we can talk more over lunch.”
His mother patted Brooklyn’s knee. “You are a sweet thing for sure.”
Colin helped his mom to her feet and handed her the cane she’d been using to take pressure off her knees. He walked with her to the bedroom. Her alarm, labeled “pain meds,” sounded from her electronic communication device. He silenced it, then while she climbed into bed, he got out two acetaminophen tablets and handed them to her with a glass of water from her nightstand.
“I have to go back to work, but Brooklyn will be here,” he said. “I’ll update her on your meds before I go and make sure she knows when you’re supposed to take things.”
“I have alarms set for the rest of the day.” She swallowed the pills. “I do think she’s going to work out. Seems like a real special woman.”
“I agree, but it might be short-lived.”
“Oh?”
He explained about Brooklyn’s real career in IT, but he didn’t mention that she might be keeping secrets from them. The last thing he wanted was for his mom to have something else to worry about. But he also didn’t want her to get attached to Brooklyn only to have her leave in a few weeks for another job.
“Glub you, Mom,” he said, kissing her forehead and using the phrase that had stuck since he was a toddler and couldn’t say love.
She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand. “Glub you, too, and thank you for being such an awesome son.”
