Page 48 of The Fixer and the Fugitive

Celeste shook her head.

Esther began wringing her hands together. “Celeste, I’m so, so sorry. I’m not good at reading visual cues or picking up signals. I read your bio, and I assumed… I’m so sorry.”

“Esther, it’s really all right. I assumed he was, but I wasn’t certain. Clearly we weren’t a tender, loving family. Is…is my mother…?”

“Also gone,” Esther said softly.

Celeste sank to the ground, landing in a hard cold heap. Her parents were truly dead. She’d thought of them that way for a long time, but to hear it made official left her feeling off-kilter somehow. Now she was an orphan, not in the technical sense, but an actual orphan. “How did they die?”

Esther sat softly and gracefully beside her, tucking her dress around her legs. “Your father got hit in the head during a bar fight between prison stints six years ago. He never regained consciousness. Your mother had a stroke in her halfway house four years ago. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Celeste said. “I mean, it’s not. It never has been, but it is what it is. They were never my parents, not really. Only in the biological sense. I’m not certain I ever lived with them for more than a few weeks.”

“You lived with your mother for eight months when you were two. It didn’t end well,” Esther supplied.

“How did you possibly find that?” Celeste asked. She was certain the state’s records were not part of her bio.

“Our hacker is really good at finding hidden things. And at the time you were an anonymous person, part of my investigation. I like to dig deep. Sorry.”

“You really don’t have to apologize, Esther. You were doing your job, I get it. It’s kind of funny, though, that you know more about me than I do. I’m amused, not offended.”

“That makes you rare,” Esther said. “You’re incorrect, though. I only know the facts of your life, not any of the feelings. Those are what matter.”

Celeste thought it was the best summation of her life she’d ever heard. “Esther, can I keep you?”

Esther gave a little smile in reply. “I don’t think Leo would like that arrangement. He doesn’t care for long distance relationships, and we seem unable to function without the other anymore.”

“Does your family like Leo?” She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. The cold was seeping into her bones, but she was having such a good time talking to Esther she didn’t care.

“They love him,” Esther said, nodding. “My mom loves to say, ‘Oh, that Leo,’ with a little shake of her head because he’s charmed her so well. And my father has been teaching him about woodworking.” Her happy expression slipped a tiny amount.

“Is there a but in that sentence?” Celeste asked. In Leo, she recognized a kindred spirit. They hadn’t been close enough to spill their secrets to each other, but there was a sameness there, a hard outer shell that kept the world at bay. If he could find happiness, did that mean there was hope for her?

“I love my family very much. I know how blessed I am and I appreciate all they do for me,” Esther said.

“But…” Celeste prompted.

“But they are driving me cuckoo,” Esther exclaimed, pressing her fingers to her temples.

Celeste laughed. “Even the best families get on each other’s nerves sometimes, I imagine.” She had to imagine because she had no idea. But if someone hovered over her shoulder, always interfering, it would drive her crazy, too.

“I’m from an extremely conservative upbringing. Leo and I don’t live together. We won’t until after we’re married, and that’sfine. But my parents have ideas on when the wedding should be. It’s as if they have a list of hoops Leo has to jump through to prove himself. But he’s already proved himself to me, and we’re adults, Leo especially. He’s been so patient, but I think that’s because it’s all new. And, well, the truth is that Leo and I are together most hours of the day and evening at work. Our lives are extremely intertwined and have been for a long time. It’s tiresome to have to separate for a few hours to go to different apartments, not to mention the waste.”

She frowned a little, and Celeste thought it was probably as close as she came to being petulant. At first she didn’t say anything. Over the years, learning to use words as an economy had taught her how much other people needed to be heard. Sometimes people simply needed to vent, and that was okay. Not every problem had a ready solution. But as she sat there, wishing she could do something to help Esther, who was so lovely and kind and gentle, she got an idea. In the words of The Grinch, a “wonderful awful” idea.

“Esther, I know something about Montana you might not realize,” Celeste said, leaning forward to grip her arm.

“It’s the 41ststate? Nicknamed ‘The Treasure State,’ attained statehood in 1889, the state animal is the grizzly bear…”

Celeste interrupted her with a laugh. “Okay, scratch that. You know a million times more about Montana than I probably ever will. But the thing I know, it’s about you: Montana has no waiting period for marriage. You can get a license and get married that minute.”

Esther blinked at her, lashes fluttering. “I’m not really good with subtext and reading between the lines. Could you maybe spell out for me whatever you’re saying?”

“What if you got married while you’re here, a ceremony for you and Leo to make it official, then you could have another ceremony for your parents later.”

“Oh.” Esther sat up. “Could I do that?” She curled her fists and pressed them to her mouth. She seemed to be seeking Celeste’s permission, so she gave it.

“Well, you are an adult,” Celeste said, poking her. “And you said your parents approve of Leo. There’s some disagreement on the timeframe, that’s all. This is a compromise, a way for you to both have your way.”

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