Alyssa smirked and shook her head as she stared at the concrete beneath her feet.

  “Ron, you don’t want me around, but now you need my help. You’ve treated me like shit since the moment we met and all because of something I had nothing to do with. You are a terrible boss.” She let out. “But it’s not Danielle and Joe’s fault you’re terrible.” She sighed and glanced in Hannah’s direction. “I don’t need the apartment, but I will keep it until the end of the week so we can have more time to move my stuff. Other than that, I need one condition if I’m going to stay on for two weeks.”

  “What’s that?” He asked in a calm voice.

  “You leave.” She told him. “I know what I’m doing. I’ll make sure Danielle and Joe are up to speed, but I don’t want to see you around unless you’re doing interviews for Erin’s replacement and honestly, I’d prefer you do those somewhere else.” She admired her own courage to say these things, but after the day she’d experienced, she needed to have some control over at least one thing.

  “Deal.” He stated after a long moment. “I have to be in early tomorrow morning because I have an interview scheduled and he already knows the location, but I’ll head out after that.” He clearly hated her, but had no other option.

  “Fine.” She agreed. “I’ll email you my official resignation tomorrow.”

  “Very well.” He huffed off toward the office.

  “Wow!” Hannah finally said after Ron was out of earshot. “That was impressive and kind of hot.”

  “Keep it in your pants, Granger. We have dinner with my mom right now.” Alyssa reached for Hannah’s waist in spite of that comment and pulled her in.

  She clasped her hands behind Hannah’s lower back and watched the little flecks of the light from the setting sun bounce around in her happy eyes.

  “Fine, but after that, you’re mine.” Hannah lifted an eyebrow.

  “Han, I’m already yours.” Alyssa placed a gentle hand on Hannah’s cheek and finally kissed her. She’d missed those lips for more than twenty-four hours and delved deeper into Hannah’s mouth as their tongues danced. Despite how her tumultuous day had begun, things had gotten much better since and Hannah’s kiss only made that even more true. “I love you.” Alyssa whispered against warm lips and then pecked them again.

  “I love you.”

  ***

  They sat at Judy’s table with the TV on in the living room and ate lasagna. Hannah watched the TV over Judy’s shoulder and tried to listen to the conversation, but also wanted to see what updates the news would have. They hadn’t touched on the case yet so her focus returned to Alyssa who was explaining her day and getting Judy caught up.

  “I’m glad you quit.” Judy replied after swallowing a bite of lasagna. “That man had no respect for you.”

  “I’ll help Danielle and Joe and it gives me some time to move out right and a little extra money in the meantime. I hope I can find something else quickly.”

  “Your room is here for you whenever you want it. I can ask Ken to help with the move and we can donate that twin bed in there.”

  “I’m not moving in here.” Alyssa interjected and made sure to catch Hannah’s eye. “I’m moving in with Hannah.” She smiled and Hannah returned it.

  “Of course, you are. I just assumed. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. There’s the practical reason. I’m there most of the time anyway and if I’m not there, she’s at my place, but the real reason is because it feels right.” She winked at Hannah and Hannah’s heart swelled. “I want to live with her.” She was talking to Judy, but looking into Hannah’s eyes.

  “I understand.” Judy shared. “Sometimes, it’s just right.”

  “Yeah.” Hannah caught herself saying it out loud, but she couldn’t help it as she saw those silver flecks appear in Alyssa’s eyes.

  “Oh, here it is.” Judy announced and pointed at the TV.

  Alyssa turned as did Hannah and in one swift motion, Alyssa and Hannah both were moving from the table to the sofa.

  “Derrick Fitzgerald has been arrested today for the murder of his brother Tyler and his niece Elizabeth Fitzgerald.” The newscaster continued to give details of Derrick’s arrest while Hannah grabbed Alyssa’s hand on the sofa and then felt Judy’s hand on her shoulder as she stood next to them. The footage showed Hartley walking Derrick, toward the waiting police car. “Fitzgerald had recently purchased a plane ticket to a non-extradition county and planned to leave the country on Thursday. Fitzgerald will face the judge on Wednesday to seek bail. The Fitzgerald family has not made any comment.”

  “This is crazy.” Alyssa commented and Hannah removed her hand from Alyssa’s and rubbed her back instead.

  “We should really get the whole story.” Judy shared. “This is just news garbage. There’s more to it than this. Has the detective reached out to you yet?”

  “He did, but I was on the plane. I called him back, but it went to voicemail.”

  “No matter what, this is a good thing, Al.” Hannah reminded her. “You’re finally going to be cleared in the eyes of all those people.”

  Alyssa nodded and they returned to the dinner table. Later, they went to Alyssa’s apartment and Hannah couldn’t help but smile as Alyssa grabbed some of her clothes to bring over to her future apartment along with some of her basic toiletries. As soon as they were settled, Alyssa put her feet on Hannah’s lap on the sofa while she searched online for more news on Derrick’s arrest. While there were many articles and some videos, none of them really offered new information. After about an hour, Alyssa gave up and called Rachel. She rubbed Alyssa’s feet as she talked to Rachel and Hannah watched the news on mute. She made another mental note. She wanted to remember this moment. It seemed silly, but this was one of those moments that meant this relationship was right. This moment of comfort and domesticity between them after a very long and difficult day represented something Hannah had always wanted and never been able to find. They didn’t end up making love that night. Both of them had been exhausted by the day, but Hannah loved having Alyssa’s back against her chest with an arm over Hannah’s stomach while Hannah played with her hair. They fell asleep like that and Hannah couldn’t wait for each night to end the same way.

  Chapter 50:

  Alyssa felt much better while sitting at the outer desk knowing that it would be one of the last times she’d have to see Ron. He’d kept up his part of the deal and had left after wrapping the interview. At lunchtime, she’d gone back to her apartment to begin the packing process. She’d been using her phone to play music in the background, but the ringing stopped the sound and she rushed toward it. She was relieved when she saw it was the call she’d been expecting.

  “Detective Hartley.”

  “Alyssa, I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but things have been a little hectic around here.”

  “I bet.” She sat back on her sofa.

  “I shouldn’t be calling you now, but I feel like I have too.” He paused and she could hear an audible sigh. “I can’t do this on the phone, but I also can’t come visit you either. You’ll likely be called as a witness at the trial.”

  “Oh.” She hadn’t thought about that.

  “I could lose my badge for telling you anything and more importantly, if the defense hears about this, they could have grounds for a mistrial.” He explained. “I can’t give you any specifics, but I can tell you that when I arrested Derrick, he asked to see you.”

  “He what?”

  “He has his bail hearing tomorrow. He’s not getting bail since he was planning to leave the states. I think that’s my fault and his lawyers already know I talked to him before the arrest to try to find out more details from that night. I scared him because he stole his dad’s credit card and bought a plane ticket and some other things. Frank actually called me when he found out and I talked to the lawyers to get things expedited. That’s all public information though. Derrick told me he wants to talk to you. I’m not sure what he plans to say or if this is just a rouse to try to get you on his side. He’ll be in county jail for the next couple of days until we move him. You should try to get down here before he’s moved if you’re interested in hearing what he has to say.”

  “Do you think I should?” She asked.

  “I can’t answer that for you.” He sighed again. “All I can say is that if it were me, I’d go, but you shouldn’t do that unless you think it’s a good idea for you.” He hung up after they exchanged some more details about where Derrick would be and said their goodbyes.

  She’d hoped the detective would fill her in on everything, but she now knew that had been foolish. He was right. She’d likely be called as a witness. It wasn’t as over for her as she’d thought. She also had no idea what to expect with Derrick. She hadn’t thought that he’d even be thinking about her at all right now. She should go and talk to him, but she was also nervous at what he might reveal or what he might try to do if he did want to attempt to get her on his side. There was nothing he could say that would get her to feel remotely sorry for him. He’d put her through hell for over two years because of his selfishness. She grew angrier with every thought and the only thing that snapped her out of it was another ring on her phone from a number she didn’t recognize.

  “Hello?”

  “Miss Masters?”

  “Who’s this?”

  “Floyd Doherty, your attorney.” With his name, she recognized his voice.

  “Oh, Mr. Doherty, hello.”

  “Hi, Alyssa. I wanted you to know that we’ve received calls in the office here from reporters who want a comment. I’ve managed to push them off, but I’m still listed as your legal representation so they’ll likely continue until this all finally ends.”

  “I’m sorry. I hadn’t even thought of that. I guess I figured they’d harass my mom or eventually track down my number.” She had noticed the new press vans outside the apartment complex though and felt like she didn’t have much time before they attempted to come in.

  “They still might, but you’re getting requests from all the major networks. 60 Minutes wants an interview, Dateline, CNN; pretty much everyone wants to talk to you now that Derrick’s been arrested. You’re under no obligation to talk to them and I recommend as your counsel that you don’t until we see how this all shakes out, but I did need to let you know that they’re offering you compensation and there’s paperwork that’s coming my way as well.”

  “Compensation?”

  “You’ll make good money on an interview, Alyssa, but I wouldn’t do it. At least don’t do it now. Once the trial is over or if he confesses or pleads out, then you can consider it. Right now, it’s not smart even if it’s tempting.”

  “Mr. Doherty, how much money do I still owe you? My mom’s been paying it off slowly, but I haven’t asked about the remaining amount and if I did, she’d just yell at me anyway.”

  He laughed that deep, rolling laugh she’d only heard a few times before considering the nature of their relationship.

  “Your mother has paid the bill. She only had a couple of payments left before you got out. She’s taken care of it, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

  That was news to Alyssa. Judy hadn’t shared that with her, but she wasn’t surprised. Her mother always tried to protect her from things she felt she shouldn’t be worrying about.

  “Sounds like my mother.” She proclaimed. “But what about now? You’re getting calls about me.”

  “We haven’t done any actual work yet. Just one of the assistants who’s pretty good at keeping people away.” He laughed again. “If you need me for legal advice, just give us a call and we’ll figure that part out.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  ***

  Hannah arrived home and found a smiling and singing Alyssa in her kitchen seeminglycooking them dinner.

  “Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?” She joked as she tossed her purse onto the sofa and then her jacket went with it.

  Alyssa turned to smile at her, but then returned her focus to the stove where she was stirring something pretty important Hannah guessed. Hannah took advantage of the position though and walked up behind her, wrapping her arms around Alyssa’s waist and pressing a light kiss to the back of her neck. “Hi.”

  “Hey.” Alyssa returned and placed her non-stirring hand on top of Hannah’s.

  “You should know that this is a fantasy of mine.” Hannah revealed and slid a hand under the apron Alyssa had borrowed and then under the tank top she was wearing to touch skin.

  “Yeah?” Alyssa asked without turning, but Hannah could feel the muscles in her stomach tense under her caress.

  “Yes, so please tell me whatever is on the stove can wait.” Hannah kissed her neck and whispered that in her ear.

  “It’s pasta so it can’t, but I wanted to do something nice for you. Hopefully, you forgive me and we can live that fantasy out another day.” She did turn in Hannah’s arms at that, leaving the spoon in the pan.

  “Something nice for me? You’re the one that’s been put through the ringer lately.”

  “And you’ve had to deal with it. Plus, you’re amazing, Han.” She pressed her forehead to Hannah’s and wrapped her arms around her neck. “You drop me at the airport before sunrise on a Sunday after helping me pack the night before, you then pick me up ahead of schedule because I had a terrible interview, you gave me the confidence to quit my horrible job and now we’re moving in together. I think the least I can do is cook dinner.”

  “I love you.” Hannah kissed her through a wide smile.

  “I love you too.” Alyssa pulled back. “Now, let me not ruin this, okay? It’ll be ready in ten minutes. You should go change and relax on the sofa.”

  “Can’t I help?”

  “No.” Alyssa returned with a wink.

  Hannah smiled back at her and went to the bedroom where she stripped off her work clothes and put comfortable clothes on instead, feeling immediately relieved to be home. It had been an interesting day at work. Preston had called and told her he’d arranged for an interview with Marcy, the regional manager. The GM’s name was Cooper. Hannah’s interview would be on Thursday via Skype and Hannah had no idea what to do now that Alyssa’s interview had gone so poorly. She thought that her getting ahead of things was a good idea, but she’d been a little too ahead of things. The upside was that Alyssa had at least quit her job at the complex. That meant she’d be happier no matter what. Hannah thought about telling her about her own interview, but Alyssa had enough to think about right now. She’d wait until after the interview with Marcy. If that went well, then they could discuss what they wanted. If Alyssa wanted to stay here, Hannah could do that. She had to admit though that the thought of being in Chicago at that size hotel and getting her career ahead of schedule was starting to sound really good. Hannah’s phone rang and she quickly rushed to the living room to pull it out of her bag to see that Lindsey was calling.

  “Hey, Linds.” She walked back into the kitchen to look over the pans Alyssa was managing only to find that Alyssa didn’t want her anywhere near the kitchen.

  “Relax.” Alyssa told her with wide, almost annoyed eyes.

  Hannah smirked and returned her focus to her phone as she admitted defeat.

  “Hey, did she just tell you to relax?” Lindsey questioned.

  “She’s making me dinner and won’t let me help.” Hannah sat on the sofa. “What’s up?”

  “Just checking on you. The news finally reached us. I’m surprised you didn’t call me.”

  “Things have been a little busy.” Hannah replied. “Sorry.”

  “How’s she taking it?”

  “Good. There’s still a lot going on, but she’s doing well.” She turned her head to see that Alyssa was still kind of humming to the music she had playing low on her phone.

  She couldn’t help but lift an eyebrow as she watched her hips sway back and forth as she pulled out garlic bread to place on a tray.

  “You’re staring at her right now, aren’t you?” Lindsey knew her well.

  “What can I say? I have a hot girlfriend.” Hannah laughed and then shrugged her shoulders as if Lindsey could see it.

  “I heard that.” Alyssa joined.

  “You’re welcome.” Hannah replied and refocused on Lindsey. “Anyway, can I call you back? We’re about to eat dinner.”

  “Whatever. You’re about to have sex, aren’t you?”

  “No!” Hannah objected. “We’re about to eat dinner. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Fine. Fine. Just tell her to hang in there for me, okay? I know she’s there so you probably don’t want to say anything, but did she get it? I’m assuming not since you didn’t call me immediately with the good news.”

  “No.” Hannah replied directly.

  “Okay. Well, call me with the details tomorrow.”

  “I will. Love ya.”

  “Love ya too.”

  She hung up the phone and proceeded to stare at Alyssa as she moved almost weightlessly around the kitchen. Her hair was pulled back and bounced as she swayed and stepped sometimes to the beat of the music. She watched as she strained the pasta and mixed it with the red sauce before putting it on the kitchen table and then taking the wine she’d had sitting out to breathe and pouring them two glasses.

  “Now, you can leave the sofa.” Alyssa motioned toward the table and pulled out a chair for Hannah to sit in.

  “So, we didn’t exactly have this food in the house and I had to go to my mom’s for the bread and the pasta. She again told me I need to renew my license and go to the grocery store.”

  “We could have just ordered something.”

  “I told you I wanted to make you something and I also want to tell you something.” She clasped her hands around the wine glass she held.

  “Oh, that’s not good, is it?”