Page 87 of The Woman By the Lake

“Maybe we can have a chat?—”

He cut her off. “Don’t make me do it.”

“Do what?”

“Ask you what your grandfather would say about you alone in that cabin.”

Silence.

He gave her some time.

Then he stopped doing that.

“Nadia?”

“I’ll get a dog,” she said softly.

“You pissed at me?”

“It wasn’t low, though I want to think it was. You’re right. My dedulya would not be happy, nor would he think it’s smart, me at that cabin with only you close, and not that close. Especially with all that’s happening. Mom would be pretty ticked too.”

“You got security at your place in Chicago?”

“I live in a high rise, and yes, it has very good security because Dedulya bought it for me.”

“Right.”

“So I guess I’m getting a puppy,” she mumbled.

“Honey, this is no puppy.”

“It’ll be a puppy to me.”

He’d give her that.

“Letting you go. No girlie placemats,” he warned.

“As if,” she replied.

He was grinning at his windshield again.

“Later,” he said.

“Bye, Riggs,” she replied.

He disconnected and drove the rest of the way to the hospital.

NINETEEN

Winning

Riggs

Harry was outside Bubbles’s door when Riggs got there.

“Yo, brother,” Riggs greeted, and they clasped hands and bumped forearms.

All forgiven, because if you had a brain in your head, you didn’t hold onto a beef with a good friend if it started with the best of intentions.

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