With a Twist (Last Call #4)(75)

I ignore the notification that tells me I have a message on Facebook, knowing in my gut it's from David. But I'm not interested in what he has to say. I'll read it at some point, and maybe I'll need to respond, but maybe I'll decide I don't want to. Regardless, he's not a priority to think about.

I quickly check my work email. Two new cases are awaiting me …  both involving bank fraud. We'll have to bring in consultants from our White-Collar division. Nothing that causes me concern but certainly doesn't cause excitement. An email from Dale Lambert though has my heart beating a tad faster when I see that his subject line says, "BRIU Application".

Clicking on the email, I try to read it slowly, but my eyes keep flying forward over the words. I see "received my update," "impressed," and "another interview". Taking a deep breath, I read the email more slowly, and it's good news. The BRIU is interested in another interview with me, in light of my efforts and success with the Simon Keyes bust. 

Sitting back into the couch cushions, I just stare at my computer a moment. I feel happy …  proud of myself. Finally, I'm one step closer to achieving my goal. And yet, I don't feel exhilarated. No full-blown elation. I would have thought this moment would at least bring a fist pump or a strange shake-your-booty-type dance.

Shrugging my shoulders, I log out of the secure server and flip over to Google, which was my main reason for coming out here. I couldn't sleep …  my mind on absolute overdrive fretting over the next time I could see Wyatt again. I know it seems a little obsessive, but I'm already missing him and I haven't even left yet.

I know Wyatt will gladly come and visit me in Pittsburgh. I'm sure he will at some point. But while the weather is still spectacular, I thought maybe I could find a place that was halfway in between our two homes, where we could spend time outdoors. Some place romantic …  special.

Annapolis, Maryland came to mind. It's special to me because my dad graduated from the Naval Academy there.

I've been there twice. The first time was after I graduated from UVA. I took a trip there by myself …  seeking a connection to my dad, who was still inspiring me from the grave to be an FBI agent. I went after my college graduation because it was the first big milestone I had accomplished on my own, and I wanted him to be proud of me. It seemed fitting to go tour his Alma Mater, a place I know was special to him because he wrapped me in a Navy blanket. My dad had served six years with the U.S. Navy after he graduated, and then he became an FBI agent.

The second time I visited was after my first BRIU interview at Quantico. I took an extra day and went to Annapolis. I didn't walk the Academy's campus on this trip, but rather stayed in a hotel down on the waterfront, completely charmed by the cobblestone streets and eclectic shops. I sat at an outdoor cafe and sipped at a latte while I thought of how my dad made it into the BRIU just three years after he became an agent. I was convinced at that time, more than ever, that I was following correctly in my dad's footsteps.

Now, I'm not so sure, since the prospect of another interview is causing only some mildly happy feelings, and I'm much more concerned with finding a nice place for Wyatt and me to meet.

Yes …  Annapolis is the perfect place for us to get together, and I'll have to verify with him in the morning when he can get away so I can get it planned.

I know we can make this work.





Chapter 23





Wyatt





I pull up to my sister's house in downtown Edenton, North Carolina and parallel park on the street. Aubrey married a small-town attorney by the name of Chester Plum …  I kid you not …  and they live in a gorgeous, pre-Civil war home just a hundred yards off the Albemarle Sound, and a little over an hour away from Nags Head.

It was mandated that I attend Sunday dinner at her house, and since Andrea and I couldn't get together this weekend because she had to work, I decided not to rock the boat and spend some time with my family.

I've seen my parents a few times since returning to Nags Head after the slave bust went down. They only live about two miles from me so it's easy to get over to visit them. Not so easy to get over to Edenton to see Aubrey though but today's trip was warranted. My parents and my other two sisters, Lacy and Jillian, are going to be there along with Lacy and Jillian's husbands and an entire boatload of kids.

My sisters didn't waste any time getting married. All three of them are older than I am and were fine only to aspire to be a good wife and mother. While Lacy went to college, her arts degree has gathered dust since that time, and now they spend their days shuffling kids to soccer practice and making nice, southern homes.