now.
She willed up the image of Rob, solid and blond, tanned in the summer, with the grayest eyes. An image she’d called up so many times to help her remember. But it only made things worse this time. She couldn’t quite see his face. She couldn’t quite make him out. She couldn’t claim that comfort the way she always had in the past.
She felt a real fear in her. A fear of forgetting. She scrambled to her feet and hurried back to the office. She went inside, crossed to the desk and found what she needed. A photo of Rob she kept on the desk, but it had been hidden behind stacks of papers and a box of labels. She pulled it out and stared at it, at his smile that crinkled his eyes as they narrowed in the brightness of the sun. Hair that refused to be tamed, worn a bit longer than fashion dictated, and the shirt, the Super Dude T-shirt. A moment frozen in time, a year before he was gone forever.
She hugged the picture to her, fighting the tears, and forced herself to put the picture back on the desk. She made herself pick up her purse, took a swipe at her eyes, then left the room. She could be friends with Quint. She could do that. Taylor spotted her and ran for her, falling into her open arms. “Time to go home, baby, just you and me.”
“Get candy?”
“Sure, we’ll get something on the way home,” she said.
Taylor bounced in her arms as she locked up and headed toward the back exit for the parking garage. She stepped out into the cavernous area, where there were only a few cars due to the holidays. Matt’s car was still there, a service truck off to one side, a midnight-blue SUV that was still so new it had dealer plates on it, and close to the door, her car, an old blue compact.
She turned, locked the security door, then headed for her car. She stopped, thinking she saw something moving near one of the thick pillars, but there was no one there. “Hello?” she called, her voice echoing in the garage. But there was no response.
She headed for her car, got Taylor in her car seat in the back, then slipped in behind the wheel. A friend. Yes, that would be good. She’d be running into Quint at LynTech from time to time, and better to be friends than to dread spotting him. Friends.
Chapter Seven
December 30
Quint turned from the rain that had been drenching the city all day and flipped off the lights in his office. He strode through the dimness of the reception area into the hallway. He wasn’t going down to the lobby tonight. He’d called down to Walt moments ago to let him know he was on his way out, but he’d take the executive elevator instead of the main elevators. He didn’t want to see Amy.
He went past the elevators and headed through Zane Holden’s private offices to the executive elevator. He’d come in at seven, but Amy had been here before him, her name written in precise script just above his in the check-in book.
It was then that he’d looked up and seen her, carrying Taylor. As if she’d known he was there, she’d turned, nodded slightly to him, and Taylor had spotted him. The little girl had smiled hugely and waved, bouncing in her mother’s arms, reminding him so much of Mike that it had almost hurt. A trusting child,sweet, happy. But Amy hadn’t turned again, just gone into the center with her daughter and closed the door.
What a fool he’d been to think they could be friends, that he wouldn’t have any reaction to seeing her, or that that reaction wouldn’t intensify with each encounter. He was old enough and smart enough to know that the best way to counteract that very thing was to avoid her. So he went down the back way, took the elevator directly to the parking garage and stepped out into the almost empty cement structure.
He headed for his car, pressed the security button on his key, heard the click of the locks, saw the interior lights come on, and was reaching for the door when he was stopped dead in his tracks. There was a cry, sudden and piercing, echoing in the
She willed up the image of Rob, solid and blond, tanned in the summer, with the grayest eyes. An image she’d called up so many times to help her remember. But it only made things worse this time. She couldn’t quite see his face. She couldn’t quite make him out. She couldn’t claim that comfort the way she always had in the past.
She felt a real fear in her. A fear of forgetting. She scrambled to her feet and hurried back to the office. She went inside, crossed to the desk and found what she needed. A photo of Rob she kept on the desk, but it had been hidden behind stacks of papers and a box of labels. She pulled it out and stared at it, at his smile that crinkled his eyes as they narrowed in the brightness of the sun. Hair that refused to be tamed, worn a bit longer than fashion dictated, and the shirt, the Super Dude T-shirt. A moment frozen in time, a year before he was gone forever.
She hugged the picture to her, fighting the tears, and forced herself to put the picture back on the desk. She made herself pick up her purse, took a swipe at her eyes, then left the room. She could be friends with Quint. She could do that. Taylor spotted her and ran for her, falling into her open arms. “Time to go home, baby, just you and me.”
“Get candy?”
“Sure, we’ll get something on the way home,” she said.
Taylor bounced in her arms as she locked up and headed toward the back exit for the parking garage. She stepped out into the cavernous area, where there were only a few cars due to the holidays. Matt’s car was still there, a service truck off to one side, a midnight-blue SUV that was still so new it had dealer plates on it, and close to the door, her car, an old blue compact.
She turned, locked the security door, then headed for her car. She stopped, thinking she saw something moving near one of the thick pillars, but there was no one there. “Hello?” she called, her voice echoing in the garage. But there was no response.
She headed for her car, got Taylor in her car seat in the back, then slipped in behind the wheel. A friend. Yes, that would be good. She’d be running into Quint at LynTech from time to time, and better to be friends than to dread spotting him. Friends.
Chapter Seven
December 30
Quint turned from the rain that had been drenching the city all day and flipped off the lights in his office. He strode through the dimness of the reception area into the hallway. He wasn’t going down to the lobby tonight. He’d called down to Walt moments ago to let him know he was on his way out, but he’d take the executive elevator instead of the main elevators. He didn’t want to see Amy.
He went past the elevators and headed through Zane Holden’s private offices to the executive elevator. He’d come in at seven, but Amy had been here before him, her name written in precise script just above his in the check-in book.
It was then that he’d looked up and seen her, carrying Taylor. As if she’d known he was there, she’d turned, nodded slightly to him, and Taylor had spotted him. The little girl had smiled hugely and waved, bouncing in her mother’s arms, reminding him so much of Mike that it had almost hurt. A trusting child,sweet, happy. But Amy hadn’t turned again, just gone into the center with her daughter and closed the door.
What a fool he’d been to think they could be friends, that he wouldn’t have any reaction to seeing her, or that that reaction wouldn’t intensify with each encounter. He was old enough and smart enough to know that the best way to counteract that very thing was to avoid her. So he went down the back way, took the elevator directly to the parking garage and stepped out into the almost empty cement structure.
He headed for his car, pressed the security button on his key, heard the click of the locks, saw the interior lights come on, and was reaching for the door when he was stopped dead in his tracks. There was a cry, sudden and piercing, echoing in the
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