a slushy mess. It was
sad to see how ugly it became, all for the sake of us being able to drive to the grocery store.
Snowmen of varying sizes and degrees of menace guarded the park. The kids had run amok,
building forts and waging war against the snow people, leaving behind evidence of their battle.
The car slowed in front of a red brick building.
“Where are we?” I squeezed my bare fingers.
Justus threw the car in park and shut off the engine. I opened my door and stepped into a pile
of dirty sludge that clung to my boot. When I tried to stomp it away, I slipped and landed hard on
my rear end. Without a word, Justus gripped my arm and helped me to my feet. I wiped the street
off my pants while he walked up to the door and pressed a button. That’s when I noticed a black
bag in his hand.
“La Croix. Who is this?” a voice said through the speaker.
“Justus De Gradi.”
She waited a few beats before answering. “It’s late for visitors.”
“Then we’ll wait.” He scraped his shoes on the stoop.
I glared at Justus. “She could have been sleeping, you know. It’s moon o’clock.”
The door buzzed and I followed Justus up a set of stairs to the second level. I didn’t ask how
he knew where she lived because Justus worked for HALO; he probably had the latitude and
longitude for Santa Claus. The halls were frigid, and nothing about the building was upscale. The
polished floors looked like something you’d see in a gymnasium, and the walls were scuffed and in
need of a fresh coat of paint. Was this how a Relic lived? He stopped at one of the doors and
rapped his knuckles on the wood.
A dark brown eye peered through the crack. “What are you doing here? I’m working,” she said
in a shaky voice.
“I wanted to be sure you arrived home safely, given your condition.”
“I’m fine.”
Justus had his hands clasped behind his back, still holding the bag. “If you’re available
tomorrow, I can bring you your car. You should be home so I can hand you the keys.”
“Thanks, Mr. De Gradi. That’s very considerate.”
“I brought your bag. If you have appointments, then you’ll need it.”
“You didn’t have to go out of your way. You two shouldn’t be driving around the city in this
weather.”
Justus brushed his left hand across the coat sleeve on his right arm. “It was on the way home.
No trouble.”
“Oh,” she said softly, staring at her bag. “Here, I’ll take that.”
The door creaked as she bent over and reached for the bag. When Page straightened up,
Justus made an unexpected move that caused her to jerk back. He reached out and ran his hand
through her hair, brushing it away from her face.
Revealing a fresh bruise on her eye.
She stepped back when Justus leaned on the door and forced it open. It looked like fireflies
were dancing in the irises of his blue eyes. Page flinched when he reached out to touch her face
and Justus stiffened.
“How did you get that bruise?” he asked in a voice that made me shudder.
“I slipped in the snow?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice. We were all adults and it wasn’t a
mystery that someone had hit her.
Justus yanked off his coat and tossed it on the floor, revealing his dress shirt, sans tie.
“Learner, bring me a bag of ice and a clean towel,” he said, rolling up his sleeves.
I walked into the kitchen by the front door and reached into the freezer, cracking open an ice
tray. I lifted a thin dishrag from a drawer and ran it under cold water, squeezing it out before
wrapping up a few cubes of ice.
I found Page in a small chair in the hall with Justus kneeling before her. When I handed him
the ice, he carefully adjusted the cubes and pressed it to her cheek.
“It’s complicated,” she explained. “I’m not the kind of person who allows a thing like this to
happen.”
“Neither am I,” Justus agreed.
“Is Slater your boyfriend?” I asked. “He doesn’t seem like your type.”
“He thinks he
sad to see how ugly it became, all for the sake of us being able to drive to the grocery store.
Snowmen of varying sizes and degrees of menace guarded the park. The kids had run amok,
building forts and waging war against the snow people, leaving behind evidence of their battle.
The car slowed in front of a red brick building.
“Where are we?” I squeezed my bare fingers.
Justus threw the car in park and shut off the engine. I opened my door and stepped into a pile
of dirty sludge that clung to my boot. When I tried to stomp it away, I slipped and landed hard on
my rear end. Without a word, Justus gripped my arm and helped me to my feet. I wiped the street
off my pants while he walked up to the door and pressed a button. That’s when I noticed a black
bag in his hand.
“La Croix. Who is this?” a voice said through the speaker.
“Justus De Gradi.”
She waited a few beats before answering. “It’s late for visitors.”
“Then we’ll wait.” He scraped his shoes on the stoop.
I glared at Justus. “She could have been sleeping, you know. It’s moon o’clock.”
The door buzzed and I followed Justus up a set of stairs to the second level. I didn’t ask how
he knew where she lived because Justus worked for HALO; he probably had the latitude and
longitude for Santa Claus. The halls were frigid, and nothing about the building was upscale. The
polished floors looked like something you’d see in a gymnasium, and the walls were scuffed and in
need of a fresh coat of paint. Was this how a Relic lived? He stopped at one of the doors and
rapped his knuckles on the wood.
A dark brown eye peered through the crack. “What are you doing here? I’m working,” she said
in a shaky voice.
“I wanted to be sure you arrived home safely, given your condition.”
“I’m fine.”
Justus had his hands clasped behind his back, still holding the bag. “If you’re available
tomorrow, I can bring you your car. You should be home so I can hand you the keys.”
“Thanks, Mr. De Gradi. That’s very considerate.”
“I brought your bag. If you have appointments, then you’ll need it.”
“You didn’t have to go out of your way. You two shouldn’t be driving around the city in this
weather.”
Justus brushed his left hand across the coat sleeve on his right arm. “It was on the way home.
No trouble.”
“Oh,” she said softly, staring at her bag. “Here, I’ll take that.”
The door creaked as she bent over and reached for the bag. When Page straightened up,
Justus made an unexpected move that caused her to jerk back. He reached out and ran his hand
through her hair, brushing it away from her face.
Revealing a fresh bruise on her eye.
She stepped back when Justus leaned on the door and forced it open. It looked like fireflies
were dancing in the irises of his blue eyes. Page flinched when he reached out to touch her face
and Justus stiffened.
“How did you get that bruise?” he asked in a voice that made me shudder.
“I slipped in the snow?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice. We were all adults and it wasn’t a
mystery that someone had hit her.
Justus yanked off his coat and tossed it on the floor, revealing his dress shirt, sans tie.
“Learner, bring me a bag of ice and a clean towel,” he said, rolling up his sleeves.
I walked into the kitchen by the front door and reached into the freezer, cracking open an ice
tray. I lifted a thin dishrag from a drawer and ran it under cold water, squeezing it out before
wrapping up a few cubes of ice.
I found Page in a small chair in the hall with Justus kneeling before her. When I handed him
the ice, he carefully adjusted the cubes and pressed it to her cheek.
“It’s complicated,” she explained. “I’m not the kind of person who allows a thing like this to
happen.”
“Neither am I,” Justus agreed.
“Is Slater your boyfriend?” I asked. “He doesn’t seem like your type.”
“He thinks he
Similar Books
