Ice went straight through my heart.
She blew out a long breath and shoved her hands through her hair. “I’ve been working on a case for Rafael for six months.”
She’d been…wait. What? “I’m gonna need more than that, Nyx.”
“First, I have to say I’m sorry.” She leaned forward. “I promised I wouldn’t work this week, but I convinced myself that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I should have just asked Rafael if it was okay for me to tell you about his case instead of just keeping it under the usual NDA like my other cases.”
When I first moved to New York, one of the things Nyx and I had talked about was the fact that there would be parts of our work that we wouldn’t be able to share for privacy reasons. I could have sources who would need protection if I was working on a documentary, and all the work at Club Privé was confidential.
Nyx had understood all of that, especially the latter, since she’d both worked at the club and was a member. I thought I’d understood when she said she’d never be able to give me details about her cases. Until now, I hadn’t realized it could cause any problems.
“I can’t tell you specifics,” she continued, “not without Rafael’s permission, but I can tell you a little. He has me finding someone for him, and a lead showed up down here. I told him to stay in New York while I looked into it, but he didn’t listen.”
It fit. The phone call when we first got in. Why it hadn’t sounded like she’d been talking to an employee. Meeting Rafael at the hotel. Her not telling me about any of it.
“I’ll call him and ask if I can put him on speaker so he can tell you–”
“No.” I reached out and put my hand on her knee. “I believe you.”
“I shouldn’t have been working,” she said, putting her hand on mine. “Not when I promised I wouldn’t. And I really shouldn’t have lied to you about it. I was so wrong.”
I turned my hand and threaded my fingers between hers. “I should have asked if there were any cases that you still needed to stay up-to-date on. Things that couldn’t wait, instead of assuming you could just hand everything over before we left.”
“I could’ve told you there was something time-sensitive and specific to this location.” She rubbed her forehead with her free hand and sighed. “I thought we had this communication shit down.”
I laughed, then lifted her hand and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “I hate to tell you, but I’m pretty sure this won’t be the last time either of us will have to apologize for doing something stupid.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “We’re both apologizing?”
“Yes.” I squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t just talk to you. Both before we came and once we got here.”
“But we’re good now?”
When I saw my own insecurities about losing her reflected back at me, relief rushed through me. Her hiding work stuff came out of the same place as my avoidance. Fear of losing what we had. Now that we knew it, we could recognize it and deal with it.
“Yes, firebird. We’re good now.” I leaned forward and lightly kissed her lips before resting my forehead on hers. “We’re going to be just fine.”
Nine
Nyx
“Aunt Nyx!” Fifteen-year-old Rose hit me with enough force to knock me back a couple steps. “I missed you!”
I laughed as I hugged her back. “You do remember that we just went out to lunch a week ago, right? And I’ve talked to you every day since.”
She rolled her eyes, her resemblance to her mother as she did so almost scary. Her jet-black curls were wild, light brown eyes sparkling. She’d probably topped out her height at a couple inches over five feet tall, and with her curves, she looked older than her actual age. She was already beautiful, but when she finished maturing, she was going to be gorgeous.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t miss you,” she said with a grin.
“You look better,” Kaimi said as she came in for a hug. “A vacation was just what the doctor ordered then?”
“You’re the one who suggested the vacation,” I reminded her.
“I’m just that good.”
“And humble too,” Sitara said drily as she put her arm around Kaimi’s waist. “Good to see you, Nyx.”
“You too.” I grabbed two bags out of the rental car’s trunk. “No problems on your flight?”
“Nope,” Kaimi said. “Getting our luggage and rental was a bit of a nightmare, but nothing that we hadn’t expected with it being just two days before Christmas.”
“It was snowing when we left,” Rose said as she followed me into the new, family-size cabin the Huxleys had added a few months ago. “I’m hoping the airport closes flights coming in so we can stay longer, but Mom says it’s supposed to clear up by Tuesday when our flight leaves.”
“You don’t want to spend the rest of Christmas break at home with your friends?” I asked as I set Kaimi’s bags down in the master bedroom.
“I get to see them all the time.” Rose waved her hand. “I’ve never been to Savannah before. There’s so much to see and do.”
“Just ask her, Rose,” Kaimi said as she came into the room.
Rose flushed but immediately raised her hands in a prayer position. “Can I see the horses? And maybe go on a ride before we go home?”
“I think that could be arranged.” I stroked her soft hair. “Let’s get your stuff to your room, and then we can go see the horses.” I looked at Kaimi. “You and Sitara want to come too?”
“See the horses, yes,” Kaimi said. “Ride them? Hell no.”
By the time we were ready to go outside, another car was pulling around the bend to park in front of another guest cabin. I didn’t recognize the vehicle, but as far as I knew, only one other person was staying here through the holidays.
I smiled at the pretty, slender woman who got out of the driver’s seat. Perenelle Girling was four years older than me but had the sort of features that would always make her seem ageless. She’d cut her light brown hair into a pixie style I immediately liked, but it was the way her face glowed that caught my attention.
She’d told me that she’d recently started dating a new teacher at the school where she worked, and if this was any indication, romance agreed with her. We’d told her that she could bring her boyfriend, but she’d said he had some family things he couldn’t miss. We’d have to wait to meet him.
“Love the new hair,” I said as I accepted her hug. “A few of us are going to the stable to see the horses. Want us to wait for you?”
“That’s all right. I’ll meet ya’ll there after I get my stuff settled in.”
“Hey.” Bradyn reached for his cousin. “You see your mom yet?”
Perenelle made a face. “I love her, don’t get me wrong, but I swear her and Aunt Jaylin…since the two of them moved in together, they’ve been nothin’ but trouble.”
Bradyn laughed. “Ashley says the same thing. Did you hear about the two of them havin’ to call Warren for a ride home from The Cotton Exchange because they’d had too much to drink?”