Page 121 of Pretty Broken Dolls

“Wouldn’t miss it. See you all there,” said Katie smiling, but feeling a bit melancholy and lonely. Her shoulder and wrist still ached causing her to recount the events at the fairgrounds. They were beginning to fade and would soon only be a distant memory. She wasn’t sure if she was up for a party but it was overdue for McGaven to be promoted to detective and she wanted to support her partner.

Everyone left the area, laughing, along the way to their cars.

“You okay?” asked her uncle as he caught up to her. This time he sounded like her uncle, and not the sheriff.

“Sure, I’m fine.”

“You take care of yourself. Understand? You’ve earned some more time off and I’m going to make sure you take it.” He squeezed her hand and then disappeared into the group.

Katie walked to her Jeep where Cisco waited for her. His large head stuck out the window, getting some good air scents.

“Hey, big guy,” she said and petted him. “It’s you and me.” She continued to pet him for a few moments.

“Hey, can I get a ride?”

Katie turned in surprise and couldn’t help herself as she ran up to Chad, hugging him tightly. “I missed you so much,” she said, kissing him. “How…I mean, why are you here?”

“What? I can’t go to a friend’s promotion party? Besides, when were you going to tell me about everything that went on at the fairgrounds? I had to hear about it second hand.”

“I’m fine. Everything is okay and we closed our cases.” She couldn’t look directly into his eyes as she recalled the last images of the events at the fairgrounds.

“Can you forgive me for being so stupid?”

Katie loosened her hug. “For what?”

“I wasn’t thinking.”

“You mean about your fire investigator training? But that’s your dream. I would never stand in the way of that.”

“I’m truly sorry how I sprung it on you and then left. That’s not fair. There’s going to be a training program in Sacramento later this fall where I can go during the week and come home to Pine Valley on the weekend.”

Katie was relieved and so happy he was home. “That sounds great.” Something was missing in her life without him—now things were back the way it was supposed to be.

“I’m home now. I will always be with you.”

“I like the sound of that,” she said.

“Home or being with you?”

“Both.”

He kissed her. “Let’s get to that party.”

* * *