CHAPTER 24

“Yo, partner! Are youeven listening to me?” Hugo waved a hand in front of Wade’s eyes.

“What? Oh, uh, sorry. What’d you say?” Wade looked over at Hugo as they sat together in the patrol car.

“I said, I got you your healthy turkey-and-avocado sub.” Hugo pushed the paper-wrapped bundle toward Wade.

“Thanks, I’m not hungry,” he said.

Hugo unwrapped his own Italian sub and the smell of hard salami, red onion, and mustard filled the car. “Wade, you’ve been acting weird for the past two days. Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?”

How could he even begin to explain all the emotions, thoughts, and confusion churning through him right now? He’d been riding such a wave of joy these past weeks with Cassie. They’d grown so close. He’d never felt this way about anyone before in his life.

But then thoughts of their encounter two days ago flooded his mind again, and he mentally cringed as he recalled Cassie’s anger and her sharp words.

... you have no business getting involved with this... It’s not your job to try and control everything... I got along just fine before ever met you... I never should have trusted you...

He thought about the way she had so abruptly dismissed him from her home. The door slammed in his face.

Now shock and sadness dragged at him, heavy like a lead weight in his belly.

The sound of Hugo crumpling up his wrapper pulled him from his reverie. And the lingering smell of Hugo’s sub made Wade feel nauseous.

“If you’re gonna throw up, can you do it outside?” Hugo said, observing Wade’s pale, drawn features.

“I’m not going to throw up,” Wade mumbled.

“Well, you might,” Hugo said simply. “If you keep holding in whatever is bothering you like this.”

Wade hesitated, unsure if he wanted to share. But then he sighed and slumped back against the seat. “It’s Cassie.”

“Ah,” Hugo said with a knowing nod. “Lemme guess, your first fight?”

“She dumped me.”

Hugo shot him a surprised look. “Didn’t see that one coming.”

“Me neither.” Wade looked down at his hands. “I was only trying to help, Hugo. But apparently, I’m too controlling, I’m too interested in following the rules, I don’t respect her, and bottom line, she regrets ever dating me.”

“Wow.” Hugo shook his head.

“What am I supposed to do, Hugo? I can’t stop thinking about it, about her. How can I make this right?”

“First, tell me what led up to the fight.”

And Wade did.

Hugo listened attentively without interrupting.

“And you remember, I did encourage Ani to report that couple to her caseworker,” Wade concluded. “But she refused. And it just seemed like the situation was only getting worse. I was just trying to help. Besides, like I told Cassie, that couple isn’t following proper foster parent protocols when it comes to disciplining their kids.”

Hugo compressed his lips, and Wade swore he was trying not to smile.

“Well,” Hugo said after a moment, “I have to say, Cassie is not totally off base in what she said to you.”

“What do you mean?” Wade was startled and a little hurt. He was sure Hugo would have understood and supported him in this.

Hugo twisted in his seat to face Wade. “Partner, you’re a great cop. A solid investigator. And I know that you have a good heart. But the truth is, you really can be a bit too ‘by the book’ at times.”

“Our job is to enforce the law, Hugo,” Wade said drily.

“Hey, I get it! I’m a cop, too, man. But the tight control you always try to maintain over everything you do with your endless lists and rules, well, bro, it’s just not healthy. Sometimes it’s good to relax and let things go. And you definitely should have talked it over with Cassie and Ani before you did what you did.”

They sat in silence for several moments while Wade soaked in his words.

Hugo didn’t pull any punches. And if he was completely honest with himself, Wade could recognize the truth in his words. He sighed deeply and looked at Hugo. “Okay, so I screwed up big time. Now, what can I do to fix it?”

“For starters, you need to apologize.”

“And then?”

“And then, my friend,” Hugo said, starting the engine, “you need to tell Cassie how much you love her.”