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“Jose Cuervo?”
“I’ll stick with the beer.”
Cassie grabbed a bottle for Harris and a glass of wine for herself. It had been her first day back to work since she found out about David, and it had been long and miserable. Her head was pounding in rhythm with her heartbeat. If the wine didn’t relieve the tension in her body, maybe it would put her to sleep.
Harris took the bottle and slammed half of it back. She wiped her mouth and sat in the recliner opposite Cassie on the couch. “Thanks.”
Cassie eyed the other woman and contemplated her decision to ask Harris to watch the house for her this week while she went on a work trip. Agitation had replaced Harris’ normally calm demeanor. She would sit back in the chair for a few seconds, then lean forward again. She’d shift to one side, put her ankle up on the opposite knee, then drop her foot and do the same thing with the other one. The beer was gone before Cassie
had taken her second sip of wine.
Harris held the bottle up. “Mind if I grab another?”
“Go for it.”
Cassie waited until she returned, but Harris didn’t seem any calmer. It’d probably take something stronger than beer to do that. “How’ve you been?”
“You know.” Harris shrugged. She didn’t bother finishing the sentence, and Cassie didn’t need her to. The detective pointed at Apollo and Bear, who were curled up together on the couch, inches from Cassie. “These two seem to get along.”
“Yeah.” Cassie couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face. Only one good thing had come out of all of this, and that was having Bear by her side. “When I brought Bear home, they sniffed each other for a solid minute before he took off to explore the house. Next thing I know, they’re curled up like this in the middle of my bed. Bear’s still walking on eggshells. Probably afraid I’ll ship him off to another house soon. But Apollo is obsessed with him.”
“That’s cute.” Harris looked like she meant it. “I think David would be happy he’s with you.”
The smile slid off Cassie’s face at the mention of David’s name. “Yeah. I wish I didn’t have to leave so soon. I’m afraid Bear will think I’ve abandoned him again. I really appreciate you staying here for a few days. Sending him somewhere else would make him more anxious.”
“It’s not a problem, I told you that.” Harris tilted her bottle back and downed a third of it this time. At least she seemed to be slowing down. “But are you sure you have to leave? You can’t get out of it?”
“I didn’t ask.” When Harris pinched her eyebrows together, Cassie rushed on. “I just took off a bunch of time visiting with my sister, and then going to Charlotte to see my parents. It didn’t feel right to get out of this trip, too.”
“I’m sure they’d understand. Did you tell them what happened?”
“No. Nobody knows.” She refused to feel guilty about that. “I’m not ready to talk to them about it.”
Harris looked away, but she stayed silent. Whatever she was feeling, she kept it locked down. “Where are you going again? New Orleans?”
Cassie bobbed her head up and down, grateful for the change in subject. “We’re lending a couple pieces to the NOMA, and my boss wants me to oversee the installation and build a better relationship with the staff.”
“The NOMA?”
“New Orleans Museum of Art.” Cassie smirked. Harris seemed so far removed from her world at the museum. “It’s one of about a dozen museums around the country to take part in a program to increase collaboration in the hope that it sparks community interest and visitation.”
“You sound like you studied the brochure.”
“They told me there would be a test.” Their usual banter was flat. Neither of them put their heart into it. “Look, I’m sorry if it seems like I’m running out on you—”
“No, no.” Harris set her bottle down, then rubbed her hands down her face and sighed into her palms. When she looked up, Cassie could see the pain and confusion in her eyes for the first time. “I’m not trying to get in between you and your job. I just—I don’t really have anyone, okay? I can’t talk to Lisa, I’m not about to talk to the Chief, and no one else knew David like you did.”
There was a lingering question in the air that Harris seemed too afraid to posit. Cassie couldn’t be mad at Harris for wanting to know, but that didn’t make it any easier. “I don’t have answers for you.”
The pain on Harris’ face aged her twenty years. She looked so tired. “It’s not fair to ask you.”
“You wouldn’t be the first.” Cassie had resigned herself to the fact a long time ago. “And you won’t be the last.”
“Have you seen him?” Harris had to choke out the words. “Talked to him?”
“No.”
The detective stood up and peeked through Cassie’s window. Bear lifted his head and watched her, then settled back down. Apollo kept snoring. When Harris faced Cassie again, the mask she’d been wearing for the last few days had returned. “I don’t know what I was hoping for.”
