“Nothing to be sorry about. You were just panting as if someone were trying to smother you.” He stood up. “I thought you should wake up and get back to the real world.”
Smothering. Yes, she vaguely remembered that sensation. Darkness closing in and something, someone, fighting to keep the smothering suffocation away from her. “I’m duly grateful.” She sat up in bed. “Not a pleasant dream.” She tilted her head. “You’re already dressed. Are you going in to the precinct this morning? I thought you had a plane to catch. That Miami court case.”
“Later today. Paperwork this morning.” He pulled her from bed. “Come on. Have coffee with me before I leave.”
“Gladly. I definitely don’t want to go back to sleep.” She grabbed her robe and followed him out of the bedroom. “And I have to work on Ryan’s reconstruction anyway. I made a lot of headway last night, and I might finish today.” She passed the worktable and dais where the little boy’s skull was placed, waiting for the final forensic sculpting. “It’s going well.”
“They all go well.” He handed her a cup of coffee. “They wouldn’t dare do anything else. You’re the best, aren’t you?”
“One of the best.” She took the coffee and went out on the porch. The early-morning sunlight was shimmering on the lake, and the air was cool and clear. “And they do not all go well. Sometimes things seem to get in the way. Why are you being so complimentary?”
“What can I say? I’m just a man.” He chuckled as he sat down in the swing and pulled her into his arms. “I’m encouraging you to have good thoughts while I’m gone so that I can look forward to one hell of a homecoming celebration.”
“You’re only going to be gone two days,” she said dryly. “I’ll hardly have time to miss you.”
“You really know how to hurt a guy.”
“I’ll miss you,” she whispered as she cuddled closer. Moments like this were precious. They had been together for so many years, and yet the love kept deepening with the passing of time. “Maybe. Who knows? I might have another nightmare.” She gave him a quick kiss. “You’re my hero.”
“It was that bad?”
She wished she hadn’t mentioned that dream even as a joke. Joe was always fighting to keep her safe, but who could fight against a nightmare? But it was a nightmare that was still with her. She couldn’t seem to shake it.
“It was … like a battle. I was being smothered, and someone was trying to stop it. But they couldn’t do it, and I wasn’t sure I could either.” She sat up from the swing. “But you came to the rescue, and everything turned out fine. So let’s forget it.” She finished her coffee and pulled him to his feet. “Now you get to work, and so will I. If you get back in time, maybe we’ll have lunch together before you have to go to the airport.”
“I’ll get back in time.” He ran down the steps. “I just wish I could be here when Jane arrives. I’ll be flying out when she’s flying in.”
Jane, their adopted daughter, would be sorry, too. She was an artist who had been temporarily living in London because her work had taken off at light speed in Europe, and she needed to be available for gallery shows. She had called Eve a month ago and said that enough was enough, and she was coming home to the people she loved. Joe seldom was called out of town, and Jane would be disappointed not to see both of them at the airport. “She’ll still be here when you get back.”
“But I know you were looking forward to family time. We haven’t been together in a long time.” He frowned. “It’s not as if we’re the typical normal family. I hate like hell to disappoint you.”
“You’re not disappointing me. You’re doing what you have to do. It’s your job. What family is normal except on the sitcoms?” She smiled as she shook her head. “And today they all define their own definition of normal. And what was normal about our families when we were growing up? You were a rich boy whose parents stuck you in snooty boarding schools. I was a slum kid with a mother who never even knew who my father was and was high on drugs all through my childhood. I’d say by comparison we’re doing pretty damn well. We all love each other and guard each other and give each other freedom. That’s awesome, Joe.”
He smiled back at her. “I guess it is. Thanks for reminding me.”
“You’re welcome. I just have to keep an eye on your penchant for trying to make everything perfect. Perfect can be boring.” She watched him open the car door. “Maybe we’ll have a barbecue the night you fly in.”