they were seeing each other. But that was okay. They weren’t really hiding anything, so it was inevitable that they’d be seen together sooner or later. When they’d gone to see the cherry blossoms blooming in D.C. last weekend, they’d run into a few people from work. Then, the other night, they’d seen a couple of guys from the department at a local bar and grill. And it was hard to deny there was nothing between them when they could barely keep their hands off each other.
This weekend, they were going to check out a boat show in Annapolis on Saturday, and a concert in the park on Sunday. Things were going great between them.
Now if only they had the same good fortune in solving their cases. There had been no new leads in the Tindal case, and she was getting frustrated. Toni was determined to bring Maria’s killer to justice, not only because the murder had been Toni’s first case in Alexandria, but also because of the tragic nature of it. Maria had been far too young to die. She’d had her whole life ahead of her, and the fact that she didn’t anymore just seemed like such a waste.
Toni and Drew had gone over the evidence several times. They also reviewed their list of people of interest almost every day. Something in the back of her mind gnawed at her, though. She couldn’t help thinking there was something they were overlooking. But what?
She was about to get up, take a shower and then go back over her notes before going to bed when her phone rang. Although she and Drew didn’t share a bed until the weekends, they’d talk every night. She enjoyed his nightly calls almost as much as the weekends she’d spend with him. But this call wasn’t from Drew. It was Joy.
“Joy? How are things going?”
“Fine. I’m just calling to see if you’re going to Shep’s birthday party with Drew next month.”
“Those are the plans. I talked to my grandparents tonight and I think I’ll pay them a visit for Memorial Day if I can get the time off. I’m hoping Drew will be able to come home with me. I told them about him.”
“What did they say?”
“They were happy. They’ve never met one of my boyfriends before.”
Joy chuckled. “Maybe because you’ve never had one before. How does it feel to belong to someone and have that person belong to you?”
Toni nibbled her lips. “That’s just it, Joy. I know how I feel about Drew, but I don’t know how he feels about me.”
“Give it time, Toni. He admitted to developing feelings for you before. I think he wants to make sure you won’t pull another vanishing act on him. Men are funny creatures. Once burned, they’re hesitant to play with fire again. You said he told you about his messed-up childhood. Other than Shep and the guys he considers as his close friends, there has never been anyone there for him.”
Joy paused. “From what Stonewall has told me, Drew has certainly never had a woman he could trust and depend on. You know, better than most, that falling in love is a lifetime commitment. Give him time, Toni.”
She thought about Joy’s words when she finally settled in bed that night. She had just stretched into a comfortable position when her phone rang. She smiled. It was Drew. She’d given him a special ring tone. “Hello, Drew.”
“Hello, baby.”
She smiled. More often than not, when they were talking privately on the phone, he would call her baby or sweetheart. She loved it. “You’re in bed, too?”
“I’m in bed, too.”
“I talked to my grandparents today, Drew. I...I told them about you.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and they want to meet you. Granddad is a wiz on the grill, and he invited you to his annual Memorial Day cookout. I know we’ll be in Charlottesville that Saturday. But I thought that if we can get Monday off, maybe we can take a flight out of Charlottesville to Miami to see them. What do you think?”
“I don’t see why we couldn’t. I would love to meet them, as well. Getting time off should not be a problem. I’ll make sure two of the guys cover for us while we’re gone.”
“That would be great.” There was no need to mention it might appear strange for both of them to be gone at the same time, but she was so happy at the thought of him meeting her grandparents, she wasn’t going to worry