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“As soon as the agents say it’s safe.”
“It’s taking forever,” Alden said.
“Yes, it is.” She was about to get out and ask Vernon to move things along when the door opened.
“All set, Sam,” he said, helping the excited kids down from the SUV.
Sam noted that the twins’ agents were also there and that they’d drawn the attention of everyone in the area as they went into the store, where the shell-shocked staff waited to greet them.
“M-Mrs. Cappuano,” one of the young women said. “It’s such an honor to welcome you.”
“Thank you for having us. Sorry for the disruption.”
“Are you serious? This is the greatest thrill of my life! And Aubrey and Alden, too!”
“The kids would love some ice cream,” Sam said. “What looks good to you, kiddos?”
Aubrey usually preferred anything with peanut butter, while Alden liked chocolate chip. She ended up with peanut butter crunch and Alden with chocolate chip cookie dough, both served in cups.
“What kind do you want, Sam?” Alden asked.
“I think I’ll have one scoop of Heath Bar crunch,” Sam said. “Do you mind if we eat it here?” she asked the woman after she had paid for the ice cream. A few other customers trickled in, which was a relief to Sam, even as they stared at her. She hadn’t wanted to shut down their business in pursuit of ice cream.
“Of course not.”
“Thank you.”
She joined the kids at a table and sat back to enjoy the moment. For once, no one was counting on her to hunt down murderers, and she could be “just a mom” for a few hours. It was ironic that the thing she’d most wanted was the part of her life that got the least amount of time. She wished she could change that, but while she commanded the MPD’s Homicide division, nothing much was likely to change. So she had to grab these moments with the kids when she could and be more mindful of taking breaks when she needed them.
After they finished their ice cream, they picked out some fudge to take home to Scotty and some chocolate-covered Oreos with images of the White House on them for Nick. They posed for a photo with the shop’s staff before heading back to the car.
“Thank you for the ice cream, Sam,” Aubrey said. “That was fun.”
“It was fun for me, too.”
“Why aren’t you at work?” Alden asked, his expression serious.
“I took a day off.”
“Oh. Why?”
“So I could spend more time with you.”
“Will we get to see Celia today?” Aubrey asked, seeming concerned.
“Absolutely.” Sam was thrilled to realize they loved Celia as much as she did. “She’ll be very happy to see you when we get home.”
“That’s good. We like her and Shelby, too. We see her and Noah after school every day.”
“Shelby’s not at the White House today, so you’ll see her tomorrow probably.” Sam hoped Shelby would bounce back quickly from the trauma, but worried it might take a while.
“Did she take a day off, too?” Alden asked.
“She did.”
“Today is weird,” he said.
Sam laughed. This had been the weirdest, best day she’d had in a long time, and it had been, she realized, just what she’d needed.
