Page 56 of Once Upon A Time

The wine in her glass left red streaks on the inside of the crystal.

“And my life,” Flicka said. “He saved my life, too.”

The sunlight was lowering, slanting sideways through the scarlet wine.

“Countless times, really, in so many ways,” she said.

She downed a large swallow of wine, thinking about the livid red scar on Dieter’s arm from just a month before when, again, he had tackled Flicka, driving her to the ground while she still wore her wedding dress from marrying another man, and the bullet had hit Dieter instead of her.

“They are opposites, but they are the closest of friends. Nothing could ever come between them.”

Flicka hoped that was true.

When she looked over, Rae was watching her closely. Her dark eyes studied Flicka’s every twitch.

Flicka frowned at her. “Get back to work.”

At Home

Dieter Schwarz

It wasn’t an unusual fight.

By the time Dieter got home from work that day, Gretchen was already pissed off at him.

As he walked in the front door and set down his computer backpack, his daughter Alina toddled up to him, arms outstretched. He picked her up and nuzzled her neck, which always made her giggle.

Her tiny body wiggled in his arms as she laughed, “Daddy! Daddy, tickle!”

Her fingers wormed into his collar and, even though Dieter was tired, he pretended that she was tickling him and laughed, hopping around like he was trying to get away from her even though he was holding her against his chest.

From the bedroom, a woman’s voice shrilled, “Are youfinallyhome?”

Oh, that tone.

Dieter glanced at his phone, which showed just a few minutes after six o’clock. “Yeah, Gretchen. I’m home.”

“Finally.”She stormed out of the bedroom wearing a clingy red dress and poking an earring through her ear. Her blond hair curled around her face.

Yet, there was something about her stride.

She wasn’t just pissed at him. Excited energy crackled in her legs and the way her elbows were standing out from her body as she fussed with the earring.

Dieter set Alina down, and she wove through his legs, playing. He asked Gretchen, “Did we have plans tonight?”

“No,Ihave plans tonight with my girlfriend Ladanna. I met her at my gym, so we’re meeting for drinks and dinner tonight so we can really talk.”

“You look nice,” he said. “Maybe we could get a babysitter this weekend and go out.”

“Huh,” she said. “Maybe you could get home on time or stop traveling to Europe for weeks on end for‘work,’”she spat the word, “so I’m notconstantlycooped up with that baby. I amstarvedfor adult company.”

“I called you every day.” Even though she had hung up on him within a few minutes each time. “And I’m home.”

Gretchen picked up her purse and stalked over to the door that led to the garage. “She has three bottles in the fridge. Make sure you warm them right. Also, there’s baby food in the pantry. I think she needs a diaper change, too. I don’t know when I’ll be home. Don’t wait up.”

She slammed the door behind her.

Dieter swung Alina up in his arms. “Well, baby girl, looks like it’s a daddy-and-daughter night. Do we want pasta? I went for a long run at lunchtime. I need carbs.”