Luke sat alone, watching a re-run of Friends, his extended legs resting on the coffee table in front of him when he heard the front lock open. The beeps that echoed next told him it was Kate, and she was putting her gun away for the night.
The time on the TV read 10:38 p.m. He turned to face the hallway, hoping she’d join him on the couch for a few minutes but instead saw her silhouette sneak up the stairs.
“Katie, come in here!”
She backtracked then peeked her head into the living room.
“Hey, babe,” she said.
“You made it home before midnight!” he said, earnestly pleased. But even he recognized the sarcasm that tinted his tone.
“I’m sorry. You know I want to spend more time with you. These past few days have been really bad. I feel awful. I mean… this case… I’m the lead. I’ve got to find the damn killer.”
He tapped the couch next to him. “Come here for a sec.”
“I should really take a shower. I reek.”
“I don’t mind. You know I love you au naturel. Sweat, stress, and everything else that makes your hair frizz.”
She cocked her head, then smiled and walked into the room to join him on the couch. “I warned you.”
“What are we going to do to get you a balanced life?” Luke asked rhetorically.
“You knew what you were getting yourself into when we started dating.”
“I know, and I love you. And I love that you love your job.”
She turned to look at him. “Why do I sense you want to add a ‘but’ to that statement?”
His brows went up. The instinct is strong with this one, he thought, refraining from laughing. He didn’t dare share his geeky inner monologue with her, not knowing if she’d get the reference. Instead, he settled for a safe answer. “You know me so well.”
“So what is it?”
“I’d like you to spend more time with me. With my mom. At home with us.”
“There’s a killer on the loose.”
“I know. But you’re my girlfriend, you live with me, yet I don’t get to share more than an hour or two each day with you. Is that normal, you think?”
“Some people have it worse than us. What about long-distance relationships? Some people only see each other once a month!”
“I’m not one of those people. I need to see my girlfriend more than once a month. More than seven hours per week.”
“I’ll try my best. I want to spend time with you, too. But I also need to catch that killer.”
“Didn’t you tell me Fuller gave you hell for spending too many hours at work?”
“Yeah, but—”
“There’s no but. Even your supervisor agrees with me. Share the load with the other detectives, even if you’re the lead. Or else this job will drive you crazy.”
“Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure. I sent you an email about June 24th. At 7:00 p.m. Mark your calendar. I’m doing something special just for you.”
“What is it? You’re not taking me to watch a play or something like that, are you?”
“Katie, I know you hate crowds as much as I do. I’m doing something special for you here, in the comfort of our home.”
She straightened her back, her eyes glistening with anticipation. “Really? What for?”
He kissed her forehead as he realized June 24th didn’t mean anything to her. Even though it had meant the world to him: the day she’d reappeared in his life after decades of being away.