Chapter 11

A month later, Angela hummed a holiday tune as she finished cleaning the tiny bathroom mirror in her office bathroom and tossed the soiled rag in the garbage bin. She had come in early to clean up the premises—she couldn't afford a cleaning service, and she'd be damned if her visitors would walk into a filthy office.

First impressions were everything. If a lawyer kept a messy office, dirt and grime everywhere, it didn't reflect well on the lawyer's abilities to serve her clients well.

At least in Angela's mind.

It didn't take long to dust and sweep, make sure the bathroom was pristine and keep the toilet paper supply topped off. A fresh pot of coffee with new creamer and clean mugs, and she was ready to face the day.

Angela walked to the front door and flipped the CLOSED sign on the door before unlocking it. A light smattering of snow had fallen overnight, creating an idyllic small-town portrait outside her window.

She knew it wasn't going to last. In the next hour, the snow would be ground underfoot and turned into a gray slush, soaking her boots and rendering the picture-perfect scene into something akin to a horror movie. Her car, parked nearby, had already accumulated a white coat, thanks to blowing snow coming from the roofs of nearby buildings and she'd have to brush it off before driving home.

Now she had to deal with the inevitable question of what to buy Jake and Hunter for Christmas.

The tiny bell over her door rang as it opened, drawing Angela up and away from her thoughts.

"Good morning," Angela automatically said as she got to her feet, not recognizing the stranger.

He stood about six feet high with dark short hair, the light blue dress shirt countering the black suit and matching tie. He had about twenty years on her, in his fifties with the crow's-feet around his eyes giving an air of wisdom. The man carried a briefcase and looked slightly off-kilter, as if not expecting to find her working as her own receptionist.

He looked at her and she resisted the urge to run her fingers through her hair and check she hadn't dribbled syrup on her light-yellow blouse, courtesy of Hunter's breakfast pancakes.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

He nodded, the inspection over. "I hope so. Are you Angela Kenzie?"

"Yes—yes I am." She motioned him to a chair. "Please. May I offer you a coffee?"

He paused, and she saw the mental wheels turning, the gentle offer being evaluated and weighed. "No, thank you."

Angela put on her best smile. "What can I do for you today, Mr.—"

"Kittnany. Gordon Kittnany." He opened his briefcase and took out a business card, which he slid across the desk to her. "I represent Kittnany, Kittnany and Brown." One edge of his mouth twitched upward. "You may have heard of us."

Angela picked up the gold-embossed card and studied it, her curiosity piqued even as her heart raced at the revelation. "I have. A family business going back five generations. One of the bigger legal firms in the United States with main offices based in Baltimore, New York City and Los Angeles." She gave him her best smile. "Yes. I've heard of you."

His stoic face gave no indication he was impressed with her knowledge. "You know we've built a reputation on supporting the common man, giving him a voice against the corporations. Civil lawsuits that give our clients financial and emotional stability, knowing justice has been done. We'll work a case for years until it's finished and do our best by those who hire us to stand for them in the courtroom."

It was hard for her to listen to his pitch, her mind trying to create scenarios that would bring a man of his stature into town. This wasn't a firm that dealt with drunk driving charges or fought speeding tickets.

Why the hell are you here in Glen Barrow?

She kept the question to herself.

"But enough about us." Gordon surveyed the small office before turning toward her again. "I'd like to discuss your time in Philadelphia with Bentley and Forsythe."

Angela fought to keep her voice stable, a flash of fear racing through her veins at the mention of her old firm. "Excuse me?"

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I guess I should lay it out a bit clearer." He smiled at her. "You'll have to forgive me. Usually we send someone else to make contact like this, someone local who's familiar with the area and the people." Gordon glanced out the window as snow fell, fogging up the view of the street. "But I was curious about what drew you back to your home town and out of the big city. Now that I've been here overnight, I can see the appeal."

"You came in last night?" she asked.

"Yes, drove in yesterday after finishing up work and got a room at the Touchstone Hotel. It came highly recommended by one of our clients." He laughed. "I'll admit I dropped a few coins at the slot machines before I drove out this morning."

She nodded, trying hard not to think about what came to mind when she thought about that particular hotel.

"I can see why you came home after leaving Philadelphia. Glen Barrow is a charming little town. But I'm curious why you decided to open up your own business." He arched an eyebrow. "Your clientele would seem to be very different than what you were used to dealing with at Bentley and Forsythe."

It took only a few seconds to compose her answer. She wasn't worried about impressing this man.

"I saw a niche that needed to be filled." She pointed at the front window and the street outside. "People here have had to travel out of town to find a lawyer, and most of the time they'd end up being overcharged and underserved because of a lack of local connections. Here I know the judge, the prosecutor, the man working the parking booth. It makes it easier to get work done when all sides know and respect each other." Angela smiled. "People know me or know of me, so they trust me to do what's right by them. They know I'll get the best deal I can and do what's right for all involved. And I won't charge them an arm and a leg for it. At times I've accepted casseroles as partial payment for my services." She rapped her knuckles on the table. "Here I serve the little guy, take them through a system that's sometimes hard to understand and difficult to navigate. Justice is for everyone and should be accessible by everyone, no matter if you're rich or poor." She caught herself, embarrassed by her long speech. "Excuse me. I tend to ramble on at times."

Gordon chuckled. "No, no. It's in line with what we heard about you, about your personality." He cleared his throat. "Did you know your ex-fiancé has been fired?"

She blinked, taken aback by the mention of Eric. "No. No, I did not."

"It seems he chose the wrong woman to have a liaison with—the senior partner's daughter. Once his indiscretions became known, he was immediately let go. However, I'm not here to discuss his broken reputation." He withdrew a blue file folder from his briefcase and placed it on the desk. "I'm here to offer you a job."

"Excuse me?"

Gordon entwined his fingers and placed them on one knee. "Miss Kenzie, my brothers and I have been watching you since you passed the bar, near the top of your class. We considered making you an offer, but we wanted to see how you handled yourself in the real world, away from the academics." He waved one hand in the air. "People have different levels of social skills. They can be excellent when it comes to research but unable to articulate a case in front of a jury, maybe able to do an excellent job in cross-examination but awful when it comes to relating to the client. This doesn't mean they're bad lawyers, but it does restrict where and how they can fit into our firm. The best way, we've found, is to sit and watch as someone's career progresses and their strengths develops, overshadowing any flaws or correcting them. You—" He looked at the file. "You were good from the start. Before we could prepare an offer, you disappeared, went off our radar and everyone else's in Philadelphia. It was as if you hadn't existed. Your firm covered up your departure with some excuse about you coming back to take care of your sick mother."

Angela worked hard to contain the blaze of anger surging through her veins.

"My mother was and is, healthy and fine." She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to stay calm. "I left due to personal issues."

"Yes. We know." He locked eyes with her, keeping her in place. "We did our research on you and your current situation. You've done an excellent job for your clients. You care about your people and you do what you can to the best of your abilities despite being hampered by—" He gestured at the nearby walls. "Your resources." Gordon held his hand up before she could reply. "It's not meant as an insult."

She placed her hand on the blue file folder to keep her fingers from trembling. "You said you wanted to offer me a job."

"Yes. In Baltimore. One of our people is retiring and we're looking for some fresh blood, someone who gets right back up after being knocked down. A person who doesn't mind working on the cases that aren't going to generate sound bites, get their pictures on the daily news feed. A person who puts their clients ahead of their personal needs. And we think that person is you."

He stood up and Angela instinctively did the same. "We'd like you to start in January. That's six weeks from now, depending on how long it takes you to wrap up your current caseload. If you need more time, we can discuss an extension." He gestured at the folder, still under her palm. "All the details are inside. I'll be staying at the Touchstone Hotel for the next two days before returning to Baltimore. We'd like a decision within the week. If you have any questions or need clarification on the details, please call me." Gordon turned and strode to the door. He stopped and looked back. "We hope you'll take us up on the offer. Our firm would greatly benefit from a woman as strong and as determined as you are."

She gave him a polite nod before he walked out, leaving her confused and bewildered.

Angela opened the folder and looked at the typewritten pages.

She blinked, her mind fogging up like a bathroom mirror during a hot shower.

I can't—

This is—

She closed the folder and forced herself to breathe as slowly as she could. A car engine started nearby and Angela knew it was Gordon's, the rental car taking him back to the hotel and out of Glen Barrow.

But not out of her life.

She looked around the small office, sensing the walls closing in on her.

A year ago, this would have been a glorious offer, a dream job.

Now—

Now she had a choice.

Angela knew one thing.

This wasn't a decision to be made lightly. Or alone.

It took a few minutes to close her laptop and turn the coffee machine off, place a fast phone call to Jenny and tell her not to come in today, feigning illness as the reason.

She didn't want to try and explain this to her enthusiastic protégée.

Not before she talked it over with Jake and Hunter and figured out a course of action.

She flicked the lights off and locked up the office with trembling fingers, the blue folder safely tucked inside her briefcase.

It was hard not to think of Eric and enjoy the news about his firing. Angela couldn't help laughing as she made her way to the car, imagining the smug bastard's face as he cleaned out his desk and was shoved out into the street, all of his worldly possessions in a cardboard box.

Sometimes you do get to see karma kick someone in the nuts.

The momentary glee disappeared as she returned to the decision at hand.

Angela went to her car and swept her arm across the snow-covered top, not caring if she soaked her coat sleeve. The chill on her skin helped throw things into a sharp focus, keeping her grounded for the time being.

"Holy—" Hunter looked up at her, the pages spread out in front of him on the desk. "Is this serious? For real?"

Angela had gone straight to his office, breezing past Sally to interrupt Hunter's meeting with an assistant coach. One look at her face, and he'd sent the man away without her having to say a word, telling Sally to hold all of his calls.

"This is—" Hunter waved a hand over the pages, his eyes skimming the details again. He let out a low whistle. "—a whole lot of money. More than you'll make here taking care of drunk drivers and the odd drug possession charge."

"I know." Angela paced around the room, bouncing from one wall to the other with short, skipping steps. She couldn't stop moving, the meeting with Gordon sending her nerves into overdrive. "But it means giving up everything I've worked for here in Glen Barrow."

"Not everything," Hunter said. "It's the hard work you did here that got them interested in you. Don't forget that."

She pulled a stray strand of hair from her mouth. "True. I just can't believe they came looking for me."

"I can." He stood up and walked around the desk to take her hands in his. "You're a damned good lawyer, Angie. What you do here in town is important, and it's good that it's been noticed by the big boys." Hunter squeezed her hands. "What's Jake got to say?"

"He's on patrol until six this evening, remember?" Angela let go of his hands. She continued to orbit around his desk. "I thought about calling him, but I didn't want to interrupt him and take his mind off work. You know as soon as he heard about this, he'd be distracted for the rest of his shift. I figure it's better if we can talk about it in person." She drew a sharp breath. "But you're here and I can bug the hell out of you without feeling guilty. What do you think?"

Hunter returned to his chair. He leaned back, the chair letting out a shrill creak as the hinges protested his position. "I think I want to know what you think." He gestured at the pages. "This is what you went to Penn State for. What you went to Philly for. To make a difference."

"Yes." She continued her orbit around the office. "But now I'm here and with you two. I'm happy where I am, doing what I'm doing." Angela shook her head. "I'm—-I don't know what I want anymore."

"Sure you do. You have to be quiet and the answer will come to you. Remember how we used to go out to the Point?"

Angela threw him a naughty wink. "And made out like rabbits? Of course I do."

"Well, yeah. That too." Hunter stood up. "You used to talk about helping people, making your mark in the world by doing good. You hungered to get out there and right the wrongs we saw around us. The law appealed to you back then and carried you all the way through Penn State." Hunter closed the folder. He walked around the desk and handed it back to her. "Go talk to your mother, go home and take a bubble bath and relax. Don't worry about dinner. I'll pick up Chinese—extra egg rolls and I'll get the large container of wonton soup. When Jake comes home, we'll talk it over."

Angela stood up, her mind whirling. "Do you want me to go to Baltimore?" It was hard to keep her voice down.

"No. And yes. I can't and won't tell you what to do. It's not my call." He escorted her to the door, his hand on the small of her back. Hunter turned her and cupped her face in her hands before delivering a delicate, gentle kiss. "I've got some work here to finish up. I'll be home soon, and so will Jake. You don't need to decide in the next ten minutes. Like you said, he's in town for two days and the offer's good for a week, if not longer. We don't have to rush into anything." He opened the door and nodded to Sally. "I'll be right back."

Angela let him walk her out to her car, clutching the folder to her chest like it was a pacemaker, keeping her alive.

It's what I want.

She waved at Hunter as he headed back into the building. He lifted his hand and returned it, blowing her a kiss before going in.

Isn't it?

Angela drove to her mother's house, carefully picking her way through the falling snow. If she had Mary-Ann's schedule right, she'd be home, preparing to go in to work at the library later in the afternoon for her part-time shift.

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, trying to wrap her mind around Gordon's offer.

It was a good offer. Good, not great. Enough to warrant the time and cost of moving to Baltimore and, God willing, another step up to New York City in a year or two.

Mentally Angela ran over her files, searching for what would have brought Kittnany, Kittnany and Brown to her office that morning.

None of her cases had been blockbusters, none worthy of even a note in the local paper beyond being mentioned in the crime listings. She'd slogged through some of the most mundane cases in her life, doing the best she could for her clients. For one young college student, a close call had sent him to Alcoholics Anonymous to head off a possible addiction; for her most recent victory, she'd forced a grumpy father to double his child support.

Nothing that would justify time and space on the local news feed, nothing that would matter to anyone other than those involved.

And yet—

As she pulled up into the driveway, tires crunching on the snow, she realized it wasn't any one single case that had brought Gordon Kittnany to Glen Barrow.

It had been all of them.

"That's wonderful!" Mary-Ann exclaimed as she pulled an apple pie out of the refrigerator. "I always said you were destined for big things."

Angela eyed the massive slice now being placed on her plate, the thin crust trying and failing to contain the thick slices of apple, the cinnamon scent filling her nose. "I thought you were happy about me being here, being back home."

"I was and still am." She gestured Angela to sit as she put the two loaded plates on the table. "Isn't this what you wanted? A chance at the big leagues, as you used to call them? Not that there was anything wrong with the firm you were with in Philly, but I know you saw it as a stepping stone to something bigger."

"Yes." She cut through the light brown pastry with ease, loading up her fork. "It's such a surprise."

"That someone found out you're a damned good lawyer? What's surprising about that?"

Angela laughed through the mouthful of food, putting her hand up to keep from spitting it out. "Mom."

"Now is no time to be modest. You're good at what you do, and it's about time someone noticed." She pointed her fork at herself. "I'm your mother. You should know by now I'm going to support you whenever and however I can." Mary-Ann picked at the plate. "I'm not thrilled about you leaving again, but it's not like you're going to Mars." She eyed Angela. "What do Jake and Hunter say?"

"I've told Hunter. He told me to come and see you and relax, I don't have to make a decision in the next two hours."

Her mother snorted. "Man's got some common sense."

"Jake's working, so we'll discuss it over dinner." Angela took her time, dissecting the sweet treat. "I don't want to distract him during work. And this is something we need to sit and discuss, not send texts back and forth while juggling basketballs or criminals or legal paperwork."

"True. It's still good news." Mary-Ann let out a pleased sigh as she ate. "And it's good to hear about Eric. Son-of-a-bitch had it coming."

"Mom." Angela choked again on her mouthful of pie.

"What? Don't tell me you're not glad to hear his dick finally got into the wrong place and got bent out of shape." She made a chopping motion with her free hand. "Be better if it got whacked off, but this is almost as good."

Angela gasped, taken aback by the ferocity in her mother's words.

Mary-Ann smiled. "Be sure to pass my comment onto your boys verbatim. Help keep them in line." She paused and focused on Angela. "Are you going to go?"

Angela sighed, all levity gone from her mind. "I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. If I had gotten this offer six months ago—" She looked at the slice of pie, now dissected into a dozen smaller pieces. "I don't know."

Her mother reached over and touched her cheek. "You'll make the right decision. You've got good instincts—listen to them. They've gotten you this far and they'll take you wherever you're meant to go."

Jake pulled into the driveway and cut the engine, grumbling at seeing the inch or so of snow that had accumulated on the driveway.

We'll have to talk. I don't mind shoveling snow, but I'd rather pay some neighborhood kid to do it for us.

A blast of hot air hit Jake's face as he opened the front door. He had to admit, the past few months had been nice since he'd moved in with Hunter. The apartment over the bakery hadn't felt right when Mags had left, becoming a lonely box filled with sad memories. Now he always came home to a friendly face, be it Hunter or Angela.

And they had their own memories, wonderful and loving. He couldn't ask for a better place to be in, mentally and physically.

When he worked the night shift, he came home and slept in his own room, letting Hunter and Angela have the run of the house without worrying about waking him up. Angie owned the master bedroom and could shut the door when she wanted a little privacy. Hunter had turned his old bedroom into a study, the walls festooned with Badger posters and signs, fighting with Jake's and Angela's Penn State banners for the rest of the house. A small single bed was there for when the basketball coach wanted to be alone, although that was rare.

The master bedroom was where the three of them spent most nights.

Jake smiled, fond memories of the past few months rushing to the forefront of his mind. Between the bedroom and the bathroom with the new renovations, he was surprised they all weren't drinking energy drinks nonstop.

And speaking of the bathroom…

He'd been dreaming all day about a long hot shower with Angie pinned up against the shower tiles, gasping and mewing as he—

Jake swallowed hard and stepped in, shutting the door as quickly as he could.

The faster he got her undressed and to the shower, the better.

Angela sat on the sofa, wearing a light blue sweater over a white blouse and jeans. Her legs were tucked up under her, and she cradled a pillow in her arms. One look at her face and his stomach sank, the shower fantasy shriveling up and disappearing.

"What's wrong?" He looked over at Hunter who stood behind her at the kitchen counter, a stack of take-out containers spread over the marble island.

Hunter gave a shake of his head and looked toward Angela.

Jake yanked his leather trench coat off and tossed it on the rack. "What's wrong?" he repeated as he approached her. "Did something happen to you today?

"I'm okay." Angela didn't stand up, didn't move. "I got some—" She glanced over her shoulder at Hunter. "I got some odd news today. I need to talk to the two of you."

"Oh." He frowned, unable to interpret her expression. "Hunter got Chinese?"

It seemed like the safest thing to say.

"Yep." Hunter gestured at the plates. "More time to talk, less to clean up."

Jake toed off his boots and headed for the kitchen. "I guess I'll need a beer for this."

"You will." Hunter beat him to the fridge and handed him a frosted bottle.

"Wait. You already know the big secret?" Jake spun around and frowned at Angela. "You told him before you told me?"

"You're a cop. You're out there in danger every shift." The flash of anger in her eyes startled him. "I don't need you getting shot or in an accident because you're not focused on your job because you're thinking about me."

The concern in her words embarrassed him, deflating the situation.

Jake snapped the top off the bottle and tossed it at Hunter.

Hunter caught it without comment and dumped it in the garbage.

Angela shook her head. "I worry enough about you out there; I didn't want to add to it. Now come sit. Hunter has the plates almost made up."

Jake sat beside Angela, steeling himself.

She reached over and touched a blue file folder sitting on the coffee table. "I got a job offer. From a big-name firm."

The nugget of fear in his gut dissolved. "That's great." He pulled her in for a kiss. "That's fantastic news." Jake released her and frowned. "Wait, how did they find you here?"

"This is Glen Barrow, not another planet." Hunter came around the edge of the couch and handed her a plate loaded up with chow mein, egg rolls, and General Tso's chicken. "It's not like she went into witness protection." He returned to the kitchen.

"Duly noted." Jake picked up the folder and scanned the top page as Hunter returned with two more plates. "Damn. This is a lot of money."

"Not if you live in New York City. Or Baltimore, where they want me to go first." Angela picked up her plate and fork. "They're willing to pay all relocation costs."

Jake picked up his plate and speared an egg roll with a fork. "Next question, then—why come to see you here?"

"It seems Eric's affairs finally caught up with him. The asshole got canned." The note of glee in her voice wasn't surprising. "Screwed one woman too far."

"I saw an ad for that movie on the History Channel," Hunter deadpanned.

"Anyway," Angela ignored him. "When the story about his extracurricular activities broke, it broke big. This firm, they'd had their eye on me since Penn State but were on the fence about approaching me. When I left Philly, I dropped off the grid, and they figured I snapped under the pressure, couldn't handle the workload. But I left because of Eric, not because I was afraid of hard work." Her voice rose as she stabbed a piece of chicken. "The bastards at the firm kept the reason I left under wraps as long as they could, keeping Eric's screwing around a secret. But now it's out and these people want me, want me back in the big city working on the big cases." The delight in her voice was a relief to hear, easing Jake's nerves.

"Great. So when do you leave?"

Angela dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. "They want me to start work in the New Year. They've arranged for me to stay in a hotel until I get an apartment. I guess the question is—when do we leave? How fast can we sell the house and pack things up here, move to Baltimore."

The question shocked him into silence.

He hadn't even begun to plan that far ahead. All his attention had been on Angie and her chance at redemption in her eyes, a chance to return to the big city and her old life from her voluntary exile in Glen Barrow.

The impact on his life—on their lives—hadn't come into focus yet.

From Hunter's expression, it was obvious he hadn't thought about it either.

Jake shook his head. "Angie. I can't just up and leave town. I'm the police chief. I can put in my resignation with the town council, but there's a procedure to follow, help choose my replacement. That'll take time—can't happen overnight."

Hunter nodded. "Same with me. We've got a good team this year—I can start the process, but it's going to be months before I can get clear. It wouldn't be fair to the college to up and quit before they have a replacement picked out. I'd like to also help train him, get him settled at the campus." A shadow fell over Hunter's face. "And there's Dad. I'll have to transfer him to another home. Can't leave him out here. That's a search in itself. I'd have to find a good nursing home able to deal with him, switch doctors."

"Okay," Angela said. "That settles it. I'll call Gordon tomorrow and tell him I'm staying here."

"No. No." Jake forced himself to keep his voice steady. "That doesn't settle it." He leaned over and put his hand on Angela's shoulder. "This is what you wanted when you went to Penn State. When you graduated and moved to Philly. It's taken a bit longer but now you're going to be recognized as a good lawyer, a great lawyer. Helping people who need it." He rubbed her back. "You worked hard for this, your big chance. You can't decide this over egg rolls."

"Jake's right," Hunter added. He put his near-empty plate on the table and leaned in. "You're being held back here in Glen Barrow. You know it and we know it." He swept his arm around. "This is a good little town, but not for someone like you. DUI cases, paternity, maybe a few assaults when the drunks stumble out of Annie's—it's not what you're destined for. You deserve better, and I'm thrilled someone's realized it."

"So you want me to go?" Her voice rose during the sentence almost to a shout on the last word.

"I want—" Jake glanced at Hunter, seeking confirmation. "We want the best for you. And if it means leaving us behind for a few months, that's what we'll have to do. We'll cope." He dropped his gaze to the floor, trying to untangle the invisible knot building inside him. "I'll follow when I can. It might take some time, but I can get to Baltimore. Or New York City. But I'll get there and I'll be with you."

It was hard to sound optimistic.

He wasn't fooling himself. The odds he'd be able to follow her around the country were slim to none. He might be able to get onto a local police force, but it'd be tough to bounce from one to the other, losing his seniority with each move. There was always private security, but—

Jake stalled his train of thought as Angela looked to Hunter, her forehead creased with concern.

"All I can tell you is that I'll start looking around. There's plenty of colleges on the East Coast could use a good basketball coach. But…" He paused. "But I can't go anywhere until you're settled in one place and we can put down roots. I can't move my father from home to home and disrupt his life like this." He shook his head, the stress evident in his voice. "I can't."

She reached out and took his hand. "I'd never ask you to do that to Henry. He's doing well under the new meds, and I don't want to risk any setback by shifting him to another residence." Angela dropped her gaze to the floor. "It's all a bit much to take in right now."

"Let's relax tonight, take it easy," Hunter urged her. "The offer isn't going anywhere in the next few hours."

"True. I've got a week, and maybe more if I asked for it." Angela pressed her palm to her forehead and winced. "My head's about to explode. Maybe we can take the rest of the evening off and not talk about it."

"Good plan," Jake said. "No use making a hasty decision." He pointed at the folder. "Besides, you'll want to check this out thoroughly before making up your mind. You don't want to jump at this and find out it's not what you wanted. Do the research, check your sources." He paused and put as much emphasis as he could into the next word. "Tomorrow."

"Excellent advice." Angela picked up her plate of cooling Chinese food. "Okay. Let's not talk about it for the rest of the night." She poked at the chow mein with her fork. "So how did your day go? Any trouble with the new parking arrangements near campus?"

Jake forced himself to make small talk and finish the meal but tasted nothing.

You're going to have to let her go.

I'm going to have to let her go.

The words drummed through Hunter's mind over and over as they ate. It was as if the last few years hadn't existed and they were sitting at the Midnight Diner eating bacon and eggs the morning after graduation, trying to figure out their future together.

Or, as it turned out, apart.

He remembered the hunger in her eyes, the eagerness to move on to Penn State and to her future as a lawyer. The burning rage as she detailed how she'd be helping right wrongs and serving the public.

All he was thinking about was how to get a summer job to help with the bills.

In the end, it'd killed him, but he'd let her go with a smile and a soft kiss, doing what was best for her.

Now it was happening all over again, and he was in the same position. He couldn't drop everything and follow her; he couldn't ask her to turn the job down and stay with him.

With them.

He gathered up the dishes when they were finished and went into the kitchen, trying to gather his thoughts for the upcoming conversation. Whether it was tomorrow morning or tomorrow evening, he and Jake were going to have to talk about what she was going to do and how to help her achieve her dream.

Hunter looked over and saw the tension in Angela's shoulders, the stiffness in her movements as she sipped her drink and finished off her dinner.

The momentary thrill of the offer had worn off, now replaced with the stress as she mulled it over in her mind and weighed the pros and cons. He knew her too well and suspected she'd have nothing else on her mind for the rest of the night, if not the rest of the week.

He caught Jake's eye and glanced at Angela, hoping he'd catch on.

Jake did.

Jake stood up and offered his hand. "Let's go to bed."

The bold request caught Angela off-guard. "What?" She stared at his hand as if he'd grown fur and claws.

Jake wiggled his fingers. "You need to relax. It's been my experience we can help you in that area." He raised one eyebrow and tilted his head toward the stairs. "You could take a long hot bath, but I think a bit of physical activity might be better in this case."

"It's…" She looked at her watch. "It's barely seven-thirty."

Again, Jake arched an eyebrow. "Since when did you worry about what time we went to bed?" He leered at her. "I've been thinking about you in the shower all day."

She put her plate down and rose with a wide grin. "And here I was worried about distracting you at work."

"Your existence is a damned distraction," he replied.

Hunter let out a laugh as Angela took Jake's hand and let him lead her up the stairs. "Be right there. Just need to put the dishes—"

"Too late." Jake's reply drifted down the stairs as a delighted squeal split the air. "I'll make sure to leave some leftovers for you."

Hunter leaned on the counter, bracing himself as the reality sunk in.

We've got to let her go.