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The same familiar voice.
“Agent Juno, Akron,” she said. “You all know good and well that I’m not in Los Angeles right now.”
“I do,” he said. “The FBI has requested your presence at their San Francisco office.”
“Oh,” Annie said. “Can they do that?”
“Can they do what?” Helen asked. Annie looked at her, a finger to her lips.
“It appears that they have,” he said.
“What time?”
“First thing in the morning,” the voice said. “Eight o’clock.”
“So why on earth are they paging me now?”
“Oh. Well. That was my idea. I figured the more notice you had, the better. Was I incorrect?”
“No,” Anne said. “Thank you. Tell them…tell them I accept. May I have the address, please?”
“You may,” he said, sounding relieved.
When she hung up, she said “FBI” before she could think about it. “Uh, I’m not sure how best to play this.”
“We’ll get up early. We’ll explain that I have to get home to my children,” Helen said. “I’m happy to shoulder the blame here.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know you’re in a difficult situation, even if you talk about it like it isn’t.” Helen smiled at her. “Let me help you.”
“You’ll have to come with me. It might take all day,” Annie warned.
“One more day with you?” Helen asked, stepping closer. “I can handle that.”
Annie reached out and hooked her pointer finger around Helen’s pinky, then Helen leaned in and pressed her lips to Annie’s.
A voice in the back of her head told Annie that Helen would pull away again in the morning, that Helen would have regrets, but Annie ignored the voice and melted into the kiss.
* * *
The alarm went off at six. Annie got into the shower while Helen packed her bag. Then they switched. Annie put on a pair of jeans and a pink and cream striped sweater, the only change of clothes she had brought. They’d planned to go home later that day anyway.
It was her mistake, one she wouldn’t make again. There were no vacations from this job. She needed to always be prepared.
Helen came into the room wrapped in a towel, and Annie stared at her freckled shoulders, her dark hair dripping at the ends, her baby-pink toes and perfect calves and…
“Stop,” Helen said, tucking her wet hair behind her ear. “You’re looking at me like you’re about to jump me.”
“Sorry,” Annie mumbled, stuffing her dirty clothes into her bag and then struggling to close the zipper.
When she looked up again, Helen was smiling.
Lori was already up, sitting at the island with Kimberly at her breast. She looked up from the newspaper when Annie and Helen came in. “I didn’t expect to see anyone so early,” Lori said. “Everyone else is still asleep.”
“Actually,” Annie said, “we have to go.”
“What? We were going to do brunch!”
