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***
“Dinner was delicious, Sebastian.” I place my linen napkin on the table next to my empty plate.
There are always two things I can count on when I come to Tilly and Sebastian’s home for dinner. Good food is never in shortage and there are plenty of hugs.
Sebastian got a big one when we stepped in the door after taking a taxi from Manhattan to Queens. After we dropped off the police car, Sebastian grabbed an umbrella from his office and we set out toward the subway stop that is nearest police headquarters.
He spotted a taxi and since the rain had picked up again, he told me the ride was his treat. It didn’t take long until the driver was parked in front of the house in Queens where Tilly, Sebastian and their dog, Lunar, live.
Lunar lunged at us when Sebastian unlocked the door. Tilly ran to her husband, launching herself in his arms and diving her fingers into his black hair.
After they kissed and whispered something to each other, she pulled me into a tight embrace.
It was the first time I felt truly comfortable in hours.
“I’m going to take Lunar for a walk.” Sebastian pushes back from the table. “If you need anything, I’ll have my phone with me.”
He leans down to kiss Tilly softly on the lips.
I stare at her face as she watches him walk to the front door before he pushes it open after grabbing Lunar’s leash and the umbrella he brought home from his office.
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sp; The slam of the door behind him breaks the spell she’s under. She turns to look at me.
“I love him a little more each day,” she confesses. “He’s worried about you, Kate. I am too.”
I know that it’s because of the text messages I sent her earlier.
I told her that my ex-fiancé had dropped a bombshell on me and I needed her.
I wasn’t surprised that she leapt into action after I told her that I was stuck in Greenwich Village with only my cell phone.
“What happened?” she asks, tilting her head.
She’s wearing one of Sebastian’s T-shirts and a pair of denim overalls. Her face is freshly washed. She looks like she’s twenty-years-old, even though she’s only a year younger than me.
I take a sip of the water I’ve been drinking throughout dinner.
“Is it too hard to talk about?” Her hand inches across the table to cover mine. “We can talk about work or watch a movie. I’m going to paint the extra bedroom this weekend. If you want we can start on that tonight.”
Active hands quiet a busy mind.
My mom would say that to me daily after Gage left. Tilly follows that advice when she has too much to think about.
“You finally decided on a color?” I ask with a smile.
Ever since Tilly and Sebastian bought this house and moved in, they’ve spent a lot of their free time working to make it their own.
It’s quaint and charming with a brick fireplace in the corner of the living room and a kitchen with white cabinets and gray granite countertops. It’s a mesh of both of their styles.
“Yellow.” She sighs. “We picked it together. We’re going to make it into a guest bedroom for when my folks come to visit.”
“I’ll come back on the weekend to help you paint,” I offer.
Her blue eyes scan my face. “I’m worried about you.”
I squeeze her hand before I slide mine onto my lap. “He has a daughter.”
