His reply comes instantly. “Your security will go with you.”
“Okay,” I reply, then tuck the phone into my coat pocket.
Dad’s house sits above the river on the Georgetown bluff, close enough that the Potomac is never out of sight. My father has always loved being near water.
I pull the hood of my parka over my head as I reach the gate. The squad of bulky men in black is waiting. A few of them walk out ahead of me. They aren’t surrounding me, but they stay close.
When I reach Georgetown Waterfront Park, all of them have scattered, leaving only two behind me.
The park is lit by warm streetlamps along the promenade. Only a few people are here. I walk toward the iron benches facing the river. I sit down on a lone bench.
The cold bites at my face. I tuck my cheeks into the thick collar of my coat and press my hands deep into my pockets.
The Potomac lies flat and dark before me, lights stretching thin across the water. I tilt my head up to the sky. It isn’t dark so much as pale, a low gray ceiling that catches the streetlights and holds them there.
I sit there in silence for a long time, lost in thoughts thick with uncertainty. The sight of the calm river helps slow my mind.
A tap on my shoulder makes me turn. It’s Victor, one of my bodyguards.
“It’s about to snow, miss.”
“I’d love to see it,” I say with a small smile.
He nods and walks back. I look around, on my side of the park, a few people sit on benches, well away from me.
Three benches away, a couple sits—the girl on the guy’s lap, their faces hidden where their hoodies merge. They’re kissing.
Two benches beyond them, a man sits alone. I pause for a moment, then slowly move my head back to see the man clearly. I can’t make out his face from this distance, but the silhouette is familiar enough to stop my heart.
The couple stands, blocking my view, then walks away. Now there’s no one between us. I rise slowly on shaky legs and take small steps toward him.
The closer I get to him, the harder it becomes to breathe. When only one bench remains between us, he turns his head.
Our eyes lock, and everything inside me goes still. I don’t even dare breathe, for fear of waking from this dream.
This has to be a dream, one of those hundreds I’ve let myself over the past three weeks.
He gets up from the bench and stands before me. He looks exactly as I remember, except for the haunted look in his eyes, the weariness etched into his face.
Neither of us moves. We just stand there, watching each other. The snow has started to fall. I can feel it around me, though I can’t see it. I see nothing but the man my eyes have been starved to behold, even for a few minutes.
“We should leave.” Travis’s voice cuts through.
I turn to look at him.
“It’s going to be a heavy snowfall. Sir has called for you to come back,” he adds.
I nod, then turn my gaze forward, and my heart drops.
He’s gone.
Was I hallucinating?
Was he ever even here?
I look around, but I don’t see him. The increasing intensity of the snowfall blurs my vision.
To avoid raising questions in my bodyguards’ minds, I compose myself andbegin walking out of the park.
