She turned back to her desk and eyed the stack of reference books she’d pulled from the office’s law library when she’d arrived. Next to the books sat her notes from the weekend, reports she’d found online, and the information from the arresting police officers. Grady’s arrest would happen as soon as he woke from his coma, which Rennie suspected could be any day. From what she read online, medically induced comas lasted about two weeks. Most doctors felt this gave them enough time to assess and administer the necessary actions to make the patient stable. If Grady’s doctor kept him sedated for the duration, his arraignment would be shortly before Christmas. Rennie wanted to handle Grady’s case because she felt she knew what was best for him and the Chamberlains, but she wanted guidance from one of her coworkers.
Next to the pile of reference books sat the files of her other clients—her paying clients. They needed more, if not all, of her attention, and she entertained the idea of hunkering down in her office for the night. She didn’t need to be out in the elements and had a change of clothes in her office. Staying would also give her uninterrupted access to the library and the firm’s database of cases.
Theo had returned to Spokane the night before. He was supposed to fly to Seattle, spend the night, and return home in the morning, but somewhere along the line, his company messed up his flight, and he had texted his apologies to Rennie, with promises of making up for their lost time. They would spend Christmas together, he promised her, waking up in her apartment and opening gifts before heading up to Cape Harbor for a few days and finally traveling north to Canada. Four nights in Whistler, complete with snowcapped mountains, endless skiing, spa treatments, and hot toddies by the fireplace. Theo was the skier, more so than Rennie. She would venture out for an hour or two and do a couple of the low-level runs with him, but she looked forward to some good old-fashioned relaxation. She’d already booked a manicure and pedicure, as well as a mud bath. And couple’s massage and quiet dinners by candlelight for them to share. She wanted their getaway to be perfect, magical. When she told Brooklyn of her New Year’s plans, Brooklyn teased, saying Theo was going to propose. Rennie brushed her off but secretly wanted Theo to slip a diamond onto her ring finger.
Rennie had held her hand out and waited for the smile to come. It hadn’t. Lately, she felt a disconnect with Theo and wondered if they wanted the same things out of life. An engagement seemed to be in their future, their next step, but Rennie wasn’t sure if she wanted it now. In the past few months, her emotions had been all over the place. Pure excitement from seeing Graham again after all those years. Joy and happiness from spending weekends in Cape Harbor, although Theo wouldn’t accompany her, to contentment when she snuggled on the couch with Theo, alone in her apartment. Contentment wasn’t previously in her vocabulary, and the thought made her feel old.
Her intercom buzzed, and she walked over to her phone, pressing the button. “Yes, Ester?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, Ms. Wallace, but your mother is holding for you.”
My mother?
“Thanks, I’ll take her call,” she said, mentally calculating the time difference and wondering if something was wrong. They texted on Thanksgiving, and her mother hadn’t indicated anything was amiss.
“Hello, Mom. Is everything okay?”
“Renee, we’re going to have a white Christmas.”
She looked over her shoulder and made a face even though her mom couldn’t see it. “I doubt it. The snow is barely sticking.”
“Not you—your father and I.”
Rennie rolled her eyes and sat down at her desk, wiggled the mouse to bring her computer to life, and followed the path to start a solitaire game. It was mindless and helped her pass the time through her mother’s idle chitchat.
“How so?” she asked. She learned a long time ago not to count on having her parents around, especially for the holidays.
“Your father wants to go to Alaska. We’ll be there until after New Year’s.”
Alaska is close to home, Rennie thought. “I can’t wait to see you.”
“What do you mean?” her mother asked.
Of course. Rennie closed her eyes for a moment before turning her attention back to her card game. She moved cards back and forth, purposely making her mother wait. When her board cleared, she pumped her fisted hand and clicked to start a new game.
“Nothing. I just thought you’d come home to visit if you were in Alaska.”
Her mother sighed. “I’ll look at the calendar and see if we have time. We’re heading out on a monthlong cruise to the Mexican Riviera afterward.”