SIX

Cate swore under her breath as she walked slowly down the hall, her hands behind her neck, fiddling with the clasp and hook on the thin silver chain.  She stopped in the entry to the kitchen, snarling quietly as she tried to fasten the necklace under her heavy mane of hair.

Jon looked up from his newspaper at the noise.  An amused smirk twisted his mouth as he watched Cate struggle with her jewelry for a moment, then he calmly folded the paper and laid it on the table beside his coffee mug.  “Need a little help there?”

“No, I almost got it...”  Cate’s answer came from somewhere beneath the cascade of auburn hair that obscured her face, her chin tucked to her chest while her hands fumbled at the back of her neck.  “Dammit!”

Chortling quietly at her obstinance, Jon pushed back his chair and stood.  He strolled over to his wife and stepped behind her, his hands covering hers and stilling their movement.  “Let me, Baby.”

Cate puffed out a frustrated breath, stirring the long strands of mahogany covering her face.  She felt Jon’s fingers push hers aside, taking the ends of the necklace from her grip.  She let her hands slide down to her sides as she stood still, waiting for him to hook the clasp.

“There.  All done.”  Jon’s hands settled on Cate’s shoulders and he pressed a kiss against the back of her bowed head before stepping away.  When she tossed her hair back and turned to face him he gave her a mock-stern look.  “You don’t have to do everything by yourself, you know.”

“I know.  Thanks.”

“It’s perfect on you.”

Cate smiled gently as her fingers traced over the inscribed words on the pendant Jon had given her last night.  “I’ve decided it’s my new good luck charm.”

“We don’t need luck, Baby.  We’ve got each other.”

Cate snorted a little laugh at his cheesy lyrical sentiment.  “And that’s a lot?  For love?  Shall we give it a shot?”  She couldn’t resist sarcastically parroting the rest of the verse.

“Har-Dee-Har-Har.”  Jon couldn’t help grinning at her reply.  “You know what I mean.”

Cate mimicked his goofy laugh, then moved toward the counter.  She spied her travel mug next to the coffee pot, the paper tab of a tea bag hanging over its side.  “Is that fresh?”

“Yep.  I just poured it when I heard you banging around in the office.”  Jon nodded toward the toaster next to the coffee pot.  “There’s an English muffin there for you, too.  Just push down the thingie.”

Cate followed his nod with her gaze, then pressed the black plastic bar to lower the bread into the slots.  “Thanks, Babe.”  She pried the lid off her travel mug and picked up the string, pulling the tea bag from the hot brownish liquid.  “So, earlier you were saying something about changing our plans for this weekend?”

Jon nodded and picked up his coffee mug from the table, then wandered over to where she stood.  He leaned back against the island, facing Cate as she prepared her tea.  “Yeah.  Well, not really changing anything for this weekend – just tomorrow.  And tonight.”

Cate looked up from her tea, surprised.  “Tonight?”  Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall what plans she had made with Jon, but had obviously forgotten.  “Uh… were we supposed to go somewhere tonight?”  Inwardly she cringed in anticipation of the disappointed look she was about to receive from her husband.

Jon frowned slightly at Cate’s reaction.  He had caught her off-guard again, a trick that had become more frequent in recent weeks.  Again he felt a little stab of worry for his wife.  It wasn’t like her to be so forgetful.    

“No, we didn’t have any big plans for tonight.  We just talked about maybe going out for dinner.”  Jon’s expression gentled as he saw her little sigh of relief.  “But that’s what I wanted to ask you about.  If you’d mind if I skipped out on you tonight?”

Cate shook her head slightly as she pulled the bag from her tea and dropped it on a saucer before reaching for the honey dipper.  “No, I guess I don’t mind… Why?”

“I thought maybe I’d head down to Nashville a little early.  Stay overnight tonight, be ready for an early start tomorrow.”

“Nashville?”  Cate was momentarily puzzled, then she remembered.  “Oh!  That’s right… you’re writing with Billy tomorrow.”  She breathed another silent sigh of relief that her memory hadn’t completely failed her. 

Hoping to conceal her expression from Jon, Cate stirred her tea and took a sip.  She couldn’t hide her wince at its bitter taste.  He was right; this stuff really did taste like shit.

Jon bit back a chuckle at Cate’s reaction to her beverage, but didn’t comment.  “Yeah.  I was planning to fly down tomorrow morning and red-eye it back tomorrow night, remember?  But I figure if we can get an early start I can be on a plane home by dinnertime tomorrow night.  Then I can help you pack for the weekend, and I’ll be fresh for our appointment with Dr. Seuss on Friday.”

“Umm… okay.” Cate turned back to the counter and dumped another large dollop of honey into her tea.  She nodded as she stirred.  “I have a ton of stuff to catch up on tonight, anyway.  If you’re not going to be here I’ll stay late at work.”

Jon frowned again.  “Baby, don’t do that.”  He knew there was no reason for Cate to spend the evening alone at her office.  He saw her open her mouth to argue and cut her off. 

“I know, I know… you have shit to do.  So bring it home and work on it here.  I won’t be here to bug you; you’ll have the house to yourself.  You won’t have to hide any of that Secret Squirrel shit you carry around in that big-ass bag of yours.”  Jon lightened his edict with a tease, but his tone made it clear he was serious.

“Well if you’re not going to be here, why do you care where I work?”

“Because.”  Jon set his coffee mug on the island and stepped forward, reaching for her.  He looped his fingers under her belt and pulled Cate toward him, giving her a serious look.  “I worry about you.  I hate the thought of you being in that building late at night, all alone.”

Cate couldn’t help but give Jon a little smile in response to his confession.  “Jon, the Command Center is right down the hall.  I’m hardly alone.  And everybody there has guns, me included.  It’s probably the safest building in Manhattan.”

Jon shrugged and gave Cate a pleading look.  “Promise me, Baby.  You won’t stay late at the Field Office?”

Cate gazed back into Jon’s blue eyes for a long moment, then sighed.  “Oh, alright.  I’ll come home at… well, before it gets too late.”

“Just to humor your Old Man, huh?”

Cate snorted.  “Yeah.  Just to humor you.”  She shook her head and smiled in spite of herself. 

“Good.”  Jon dipped his head to brush a gentle kiss across Cate’s mouth.   Her lips tasted faintly of bitter herbs and honey.

Cate sighed again and slid her arms around Jon’s waist, melting against him.  She would keep her promise and come home to the empty apartment.  She just hoped she would be able to keep her mind well-enough occupied with her case to keep the dark thoughts at bay. 

A loud metallic “pop” interrupted their embrace as Cate’s breakfast finished toasting.  She gently disengaged herself from Jon’s arms and turned to pull her English muffin from the toaster. 

“So…” Cate steered the conversation away from her impending solitary evening.  “What’s the plan for Friday again?”

Jon settled back into his lean as he watched Cate spread butter across her toasted bread.  As always, his eyes lingered on the black grip protruding from her waist at the small of her back.  He had never quite gotten used to the sight of Cate’s gun. 

“Uh… Well, I told Steph we’d be there in time to take her and her roommate out for dinner.  And then there’s the Pep Rally and the bonfire.”

“And the boys?”

“Dorothea will bring them up Saturday morning.  Jake has a chorus concert Friday night.”  Jon reached for his coffee.  “I hate to miss it, but Stephie is so excited about us coming for her first college Homecoming weekend.”

Cate smiled at the tenderness in Jon’s voice as he talked about his daughter.  She brushed her hands together, then turned to face him.  His wistful expression made her heart squeeze.  “Yeah, she told me all about it when I talked to her last week.  It will be a lot of fun.”

Jon nodded.  “Sounds like the school’s pulling out all the stops.  Holy shit, the schedule is nonstop, the whole weekend.”

Cate chuckled, realizing this wasn’t just Stephanie’s first college Homecoming celebration, it was her father’s as well.  “Oh, yeah.  Homecoming’s a Big Deal.  Biggest football game of the year, bragging rights for the Greek houses that win all the Spirit Week competitions, the Pep Rally…  It’s gonna be quite a spectacle.”  She took a bite of her muffin and chewed carefully before continuing.  “The boys will love it too.”

“Yeah.  Don’t know how the Hell we’re gonna keep ‘em under control, but they’ll have a blast.”  Jon paused and gave Cate a little smirk.  “You sure you’re okay with bunking with the whole clan?  Things could get pretty wild.”

“I think I can handle it.”  Cate grinned and took another sip of her tea.  “You said it’s a big cabin, right? And everybody gets their own room?”

“Yeah, but the question is:  Can we lock them from the outside?”  Jon grinned with his tease, his eyes sparkling over the rim of his coffee mug as he took a noisy slurp.

Cate giggled and took another bite of her muffin.  “Nah.  As long as our bedroom locks from the inside we’re fine.  We’ll just barricade ourselves in there and refuse to come out if it gets too crazy.”

“Now that idea…” Jon set aside his coffee, then reached again for Cate.  “I like.”  He dropped his forehead against hers and gave her a sweet smile.  “We could just hide under the blankets, pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist…”

“That’s a nice little fantasy, Babe.” Cate chuckled softly.  “But there ain’t no way in Hell Romeo and Jake are gonna let us get away with that.”

“Probably not.  Little Shits.”  Jon sighed playfully.  “But I’ll figure out somehow to steal you away for a little Homecoming party of our own.”  He growled softly and nuzzled at Cate’s cheek, then leaned back and smiled down at her.

“I may hold you to that.”  Cate gave Jon a sweet smile, then glanced at the clock.  “Shit.  I gotta get a move on – I’m gonna be late.”  She tossed the remainder of her English muffin on the saucer next to her discarded tea bag and brushed the crumbs from her hands before turning toward the living room.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Jon protested, reaching for her arm.  “I won’t see you until tomorrow night.  Ain’t you gonna give me a proper goodbye?” 

Cate paused, then gave him a little smirk.  “You mean your morning workout wasn’t enough?”

“I don’t mean nookie, Cate.”  Jon gave Cate a long look, his blue eyes shining with affection.  “I’ll miss you, Baby.  Won’t you miss me?”

Cate’s eyes misted at his earnest question.  She turned to fully face Jon, her gaze not leaving his.  “Of course I will, Jon.”  Her voice softened with emotion as her smile turned wistful.  “But this is what we do, right?  You fly off to write songs and perform and do your foundation work, and I go wherever there’s crime to fight.” 

“Yeah,” Jon’s reply was whiskey-rough, the timbre that made Cate’s heart squeeze.  He stepped in close, sliding his arms around her waist.  “But the best part is coming home to you.”

Cate melted into Jon’s embrace as his mouth found hers.  She sighed against the kiss as Jon’s tongue stroked over hers, wordlessly reassuring her of his devotion.  After a long moment their lips parted and Jon and Cate stood silently together, wrapped in each others’ arms.

“Cate.”  Jon’s voice was soft in her ear.  “You’ll be alright.  Just remember.  Dream a little dream.” 

Cate squeezed her eyes shut as her heart swelled at Jon’s words, the ones inscribed on the charm that hung from her neck.  He didn’t have to say it, she could see it in his eyes, taste it in his kiss, feel it in his embrace.  Jon knew it was hard for her to be alone with her thoughts.  Though she had never told him, he just knew.

“I know,” Cate whispered huskily.  She hugged Jon tight, then pulled back.  Little tears glistened on her dark lashes as she smiled gratefully at her handsome husband.  “Have a good trip, okay?  Tell Billy hello.”

“I will.  I’ll call you from the plane, and tonight before bed.  ‘Kay?”

“Okay.”  Cate nodded and gently disengaged herself from Jon’s arms, then picked up her travel mug of tea and turned for the living room.  Before she rounded the corner toward the foyer, Cate paused and looked back at Jon.

“Jonny… I love you.”

Jon’s hand moved to cover his heart as a tender smile lit his face.  “Love you too, Baby.”

She turned and disappeared around the corner.  Jon stood silent, listening to Cate put on her coat and pick up her bag and keys.  He heard the door open and close, and she was gone.

He stood there for a moment longer, thinking about her.  Then with a wistful sigh Jon turned and headed for the bedroom, ready to start his day.