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“Hi, it’s Faith.” Her voice, full of warmth and confusion, seemed to sink inside of him.
“Well, hello.” This was not the distraction he’d been hoping for. In fact, he’d been trying to forget her—the beautiful, selfless widow who was trying to start up a business while about to give birth to her third child.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you the other day. You disappeared right off the plane.”
She had been waiting at the airport to greet her twin, and coward that he was, he had used his badge to get through a different door so he could avoid her. “I had an emergency to get to. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. You’re a busy man who took the time to help us out. We are justsograteful.”
Her sincerity was too much. “How’s Grace doing?” He redirected their conversation.
“Oh,” Faith heaved a sigh, “not too well. She had planned to bring the boy, Mateo, back with her.”
“I know. I wish I could have done something.”
“It’s not your fault. She knows there are legal reasons, but that doesn’t make it any easier, especially since she’d have had that paperwork in a matter of days. Then Mateo would have been hers, and she could have brought him home. I don’t suppose there’s anything the FBI can do at this point?”
Given the hesitation in her voice, he could tell Faith felt bad even asking.
“That’s not within the realm of our influence, I’m afraid.”
“No, I didn’t think so.”
An awkward pause filled the phone lines.
“How are you doing?” Fitz winced inwardly, not really wanting to know. She had to be struggling, and she could use all the help she could get—even his.
“I’m hanging in there.”
He could hear a thread of desperation weaving through her optimistic words.
“My therapy horses arrive in ten days, and I’ll have my first clients shortly after that.”
“You’ll be busy.” How would she manage once her baby came?
“No doubt. Listen, I was, uh, I was wondering if you would come over for dinner this Friday. It’s to welcome Grace home and to thank you for arranging her rescue. From what she’s told me, she could very well be in a Venezuelan prison right now, or even dead.”
When Faith put it like that, it was hard to think of an excuse good enough. “Well, I probably need to check my calendar first. Could I get back to you?”Coward,his conscience jeered.
“Of course.” Another awkward pause ensued. “Fitz?”
The way she said his name made him feel like they were sitting next to each other.
“Yes, Faith.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Jerry.”
His breath caught.
“I just…I wanted to focus on Grace’s situation, not mine.”
“I understand.”
“It’s just painful to explain what happened and then to have to listen to people stammer through their condolences. I want things to be normal again, not sad all the time, you know?”
Oh, he knew. “Yes.” Hearing her practically beg for a reason to be happy, he decided to accept her invitation to dinner. “So, I just checked my calendar, and it looks clear on Friday. What time should I arrive?”
“Oh, great! How does six sound?”
