By the end of February, the business plan Brodie and Ethan had written up a year earlier was now well underway. Their initial idea included finding new office space large enough to hold their accounting and clerical staff as well as offices for the partners in the company. They both thought it would be the hardest part of the expansion when, in fact, it became the easiest. With the office next to Brodie’s vacant, in less than a week, she had signed the lease, and a day later, Ethan and his crew showed up and got to work. Walls came down, and walls went up until finally, they had a conference room, an administrative area, his and her bathrooms, four more private offices, and a break room complete with a fridge large enough to hold as many casseroles as Stevie could carry.

Much to Stevie’s surprise, he was given a promotion that Ethan and Brodie knew was well deserved. Although it meant he had to leave his post at the reception area behind him, the face of the company did not disappear behind drywall and studs. Instead, the outer walls of all the offices were now glass, and the Chief Financial Officer, in all his rainbow glory, could be seen by whoever walked into the offices of Spaces by Shaw.

A hiring melee followed with Stevie reviewing every application before they ever found their way to Brodie’s desk until, eventually, they had an accounting clerk, a junior architect, and a new receptionist. It had been two hectic months filled with long hours, mountains of paperwork, endless interviews, not to mention visiting clients and jobsites, and as Brodie hoped it would, being busy helped.

Brodie leaned back, moving her head this way and that to work out the stiffness that had settled after spending the past few hours putting the finishing touches on another design. She let out a long breath as she got to her feet, and removing the splint she was still forced to wear, Brodie tossed it aside and walked from her bedroom. She snagged her coat from the back of a dining room chair, and tugging it on, she went into the kitchen to grab a bottle of lager from the fridge before she headed to the roof.

The air was crisp, and breathing it in, Brodie went over and sat on a bench, swinging one leg over the other as she took a few swallows of her beer. She let a rather large belch escape a few seconds later, and snorting out a laugh, she took another swig of her drink and looked up. The night sky was speckled by a thousand tiny lights, and Brodie marveled at the sight. Like her hand, the healing process had been slow, yet the ache in her heart had eased just a bit.

At first, whenever she found herself thinking about Kate, Brodie would get angry. She would spend the rest of the day taking it out on innocent friends and unsuspecting strangers until one night when she sat under the stars, she saw one shining brighter than the rest. It was then when Brodie realized her bitterness was poisoning the only thing she had left of Kate. Memories.

To be enraged, suddenly made no sense. Love was an amazing gift, and for a few short months, Brodie had shared it with an incredible woman, and to be angry at the loss of it was selfish. After all, she was still in love with Kate. Even though she was no longer in her arms, Kate was still in Brodie’s life. She lived on the roof where they had once kissed and in the shower where they had made love amidst foam and steam. Kate was in the bedroom, lying across black sheets with her hair glistening in the candlelight, and she was in the game room, challenging Brodie to a game of eight ball that neither would win. It was impossible not to smile as the memories flooded Brodie’s mind. She couldn’t help it. She was in love.

Brodie finished her beer and pushed herself to her feet. She pulled out her phone and sighed when she saw the time. She felt like it was midnight, and it wasn’t even ten.

 

***

 

Four weeks later, Brodie was running on fumes. She had pushed herself each and every day, rushing here and there and everywhere, and the workload had all but removed Kate from her mind. It had also taken its toll. Three designs were in the rubbish bin due to mistakes she would never have made before, and earlier in the day, she snapped at Stevie for no reason at all. The look on his face was all it took to convince Brodie that everyone needed a break.

“Where is everybody?”

“Well, hello to you, too,” Brodie said, looking up from filling her attaché. “And don’t I count?”

“Of course, you count,” Devon said, walking to the desk. “But no one else is here.”

“I sent them home early.”

“All of them?”

Brodie grinned. “Apparently.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s Friday and everyone has been working their arses off for weeks. I thought it would be a nice gesture.”

“How come I didn’t get the memo?”

“I thought you and Gina were already on your way to spend ten days shushing down the slopes in France,” Brodie said, closing her briefcase.

“Our flight doesn’t leave for a few hours, so I’d thought I’d just stop by and drop off some purchase orders before I go pick her up. I put them on Stevie’s desk.”

“Okay,” Brodie said, looking up. “And I didn’t know you knew how to ski.”

“I haven’t been in years, but Gina found this terrific deal online for a small resort in Les Houches. It’s more for beginners and intermediate skiers, so I should be okay. And if push comes to shove, I’ll sit in front of a fireplace sipping cocoa while she plays in the snow.”

“Well, I hope you both have a great time,” Brodie said, picking up her briefcase.

“Thanks,” Devon said as she noticed an insulated bag on the desk. “Let me guess. Another casserole from Stevie?”

Brodie glanced at the bag. “Yes,” she said, pushing her chair under the desk. “Thankfully, I’ve finally got him down to bringing in just one a week, plus he’s letting me slip him some cash to cover the cost, too. And I wasn’t about to say no to his lamb casserole.”

“Oh, I love his lamb casserole.”

“Too bad. It’s mine,” Brodie said, picking up the cooler bag. “Is there anything else?”

“Wait,” Devon said, glancing at her watch. “It’s not even four. You’re leaving early, too?”

“Yes, I am.”

“You have a date?” Devon said without thinking.

Brodie smiled when she saw Devon’s cheeks darken. “Yes, with an empty apartment and a lamb casserole,” she said, giving Devon a quick peck on the cheek. “I think I’ve finally worn myself out, so I’m going to take the weekend and relax. No work. No computer. No designs. No contracts. Just me, some food, some books…and some wine.”

“Are you okay?”

Brodie looked down her nose at Devon. “I thought we both agreed you’d stop asking me that.”

“Sorry,” Devon said, slumping her head forward. “Hard habit to break, I guess.”

Brodie put her finger under Devon’s chin and lifted her head. “I know you mean well, but I’m fine. I’m just tired. I’m not depressed. I’m not sad. I’m not anything…except tired. All right?”

“Okay.”

“Good, now let’s get the hell out of here.”

 

***

 

“Come on, get a move on,” Frank Daggett barked, yanking open the car door. “The weekend is right around the corner, babe, and the quicker we get back to the station, the quicker I can meet up with my mates at the pub.”

Kate’s posture drooped even further. Frank being in a rush for anything, was never good. With paperwork, it meant she would spend hours filling in all the blanks he left, and with driving, it meant yet another harrowing jaunt through the city.

She had spent practically the entire day in the car with Daggett, and as far as Kate was concerned, she didn’t want to spend another—ever. Her personal life was already shit, and there was no reason to compound it with a professional one that followed suit. After trying for months to find a way to work with the man, Kate had come to the conclusion that Frank was a loathsome misogynist who had no intention of ever changing his ways. So, as much as she abhorred the race she was about to enter, getting back to the station in record time would mean Kate could request to rid herself of her partner that much quicker.

A sliver of a smile appeared on Kate’s face as she walked to the car. With Frank’s Mustang in the shop and his machismo preventing him from being seen in Kate’s sub-compact, today they’d been driving around town in a standard-issue police vehicle. The BMW was a few years old, but it was clean. It didn’t smell of cigarettes, and brightly checkered in yellow and blue, it could easily be spotted by naïve drivers who actually believed all police officers practiced what they preached.

Kate got into the car, slammed the door, and fastened her seat belt. She tugged at the restraint, and tightening its grip on her body, she waited for the inevitable. Frank started the engine, and with a jerk, they were off, the sounds of screeching tires behind them signaling Frank’s chronic disregard for everyone else on the road, no matter what car he was driving.

As usual, Frank drove at lightning speed through the streets of London, weaving in and out of traffic and laughing under his breath each time he forced another vehicle to slow or swerve. Unconsciously, Kate yanked her seatbelt tighter as they narrowly missed yet another parked car, but it wasn’t until a pedestrian walking too slowly to meet Frank’s standard had to dart out of the way when Kate had reached her limit for the day. “Could you please, for the love of God, just slow down? There’s too much traffic to drive like this. You’re going to get someone killed.”

“Christ, do you ever not whine?” Frank said, glancing at Kate. “You have been on my bloody back for months about my driving, and we’re both still here, aren’t we? So, do us both a favor, Kate, and just shut the fuck up about it already. All right?”

Kate wanted to unleash on Frank, let loose all the rage that had been building inside of her, but most of it didn’t belong to him. Most of it belonged to Kate, and it had gnawed at her for months, so she bit her tongue. The less she talked, the more Kate prayed Frank would keep his eyes on the road. After all, the traffic was bad, and eventually, he’d have to slow down. No sooner had the thought crossed Kate’s mind when she felt the BMW lurch forward.

“Son-of-a-bitch!” Frank snarled, slamming on the brakes to avoid a dark blue sedan that had pulled out of a side street. A moment later, he flipped the switch controlling the blue warning lights and gave chase.

“Frank, what in the hell are you doing?”

“He ran a stop sign, love. Didn’t you see him?”

“You’ve run at least four of them today, Frank. Just call the plate into the traffic unit, and let’s get back to the station. Shall we?”

Frank’s lips twisted into a sneer. “Not on your life, Kate. That lad broke the law, and I’m going to make sure he knows it,” he said, pressing the accelerator to the floor.

Kate watched as the speedometer began to climb, and as each hash mark came and went, the moisture in her mouth evaporated. “Frank, please, you need to slow down. This is crazy.”

“Sorry, love, but that bloke’s speeding,” Frank said as he maneuvered the BMW across two lanes of traffic before returning to the first. “And I gotta catch him.”

Kate looked up the road. They were approaching a busy intersection, and relaxing just a bit, Kate put her hand on the dash, preparing for when Frank would step on the brakes, but as they neared the junction, Kate stiffened. They weren’t slowing down. They were going even faster.

“Frank, what in the hell are you doing,” Kate yelled. “The light’s red for God’s sake. You have to stop!”

“I have no intention of stopping, Kate,” Frank said as an arrogant smirk smeared its way across his face. “Don’t you know? It’s called going on red.”

It was like a dream. A slow-motion kaleidoscopic minute of Kate’s life filled with snippets of reality and sounds of terror. The front wheels of the BMW crossed the point of no return, and she heard the screech of tires, the crunch of metal, and the shrieks of fear. A horn blared and then another, and then the world spiraled out of control. They were hit in the side, the force spinning the car once, twice, and then Kate lost count. Her head hit the passenger window, but before the pain could register, she was being pushed back in the other direction, and suddenly, there was another scream. It was Kate’s.

Brick, red and mortared, seemed to be chasing them, or was it the other way around, and then there was a force so strong it drove the air from her lungs. A deafening explosion followed, and for a split-second, Kate couldn’t breathe…and then the world went black.