I showered, dressed, made coffee, and tried to talk myself out of feeling like something was off.
I was stressed and suffering from lack of sleep, which always led to tiny bouts of depression.
I told myself that it had nothing to do with Gideon, but the knot in my stomach said differently.
Looking at the clock, I saw it was a little after eight.
I'd have to leave soon, because Gideon hadn't called or texted to say that he'd be giving me a ride.
It had been almost twenty-four hours since I'd last seen him or even really talked to him.
The call I'd made to him at nine the night before had been less than brief.
He'd been in the middle of something and barely said hello and good-bye.
I knew he had a lot of work to do.
I knew I shouldn't resent him for having to pay for the time away with extra hours of work getting caught up.
He'd done a lot to help me deal with Cary's situation, more than anyone could've expected.
It was up to me to deal with how I was feeling about it.
Finishing my coffee, I rinsed out my mug, then grabbed my purse and bag on the way out.
My tree-lined street was quiet, but the rest of New York was wide awake, its ceaseless energy thrumming with a tangible force.
Women in chic office wear and men in suits tried to hail taxis that streaked by, before settling for packed buses or the subway instead.
Flower stands exploded with brilliant color, the sight of them always capable of cheering me up in the morning, as did the sight and smell of the neighborhood bakery, which was doing a brisk business at that hour.
I was a little ways down Broadway before my phone rang.
The little thrill that shot through me at the sight of Gideon's name quickened my steps.
"Hey, stranger."
"Where the hell are you?" he snapped.
A frisson of unease dampened my excitement.
"I'm on my way to work."
"Why?" He spoke to someone offline, then, "Are you in a cab?" "I'm walking.
Jeez.
Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what?" "You should have waited to be picked up."
"I didn't hear from you, and I didn't want to be late after missing work yesterday."
"You could've called me instead of just taking off."
His voice was low and angry.
I became angry, too.
"The last time I called, you were too busy to give me more than a minute of your time."