Reluctantly, Sophia took the sandwich out of his hand and shoved it into her purse. “You’re looking way too thin. I know that between Lucy and the case, you’re spread thin, but you need to take care of yourself too.”
Ian’s lips lifted into the ghost of a smile. “I’ll try.”
Sophia hiked her purse up her shoulder, and her eyes swept over his face. “And maybe stop volunteering for so many night shifts. You should be at home with Luce.”
Except he didn’t know how to look her in the eye yet.
He’d done everything he could to make his peace with her news, but the longer they went without answers, the worse he felt about everything.
All he wanted was to know the woman he loved was going to be okay.
Sophia’s hand darted out, and she squeezed his hand. “Go home, E. Let’s talk tomorrow, okay?”
Ian cleared his throat. “Thanks for stopping by. Say hi to Darren for me.”
Sophia nodded. “Will do.”
For the rest of his shift, Ian thought about what Sophia said, and it stayed with him until he clocked out and drove through the empty streets of Falmouth with closed shops and restaurants, except for a few fast-food restaurants and Sal’s diner. When he pulled up outside his house, he stayed in the car for a while, peering at the two-story Victorian shrouded in darkness. Then he pushed the door open and walked up the driveway.
Lucy sat with her feet propped on the coffee table, her face half-lit up by the TV. “You’re home.”
“Why aren’t you sleeping? Is everything okay?”
Lucy removed the cover and patted the spot next to her. “I just missed you.”
Ian kicked off his shoes and slammed the door shut. After unwinding his scarf and hanging up his coat, he wandered over to Lucy. She gave him a small smile when he sat down and placed his legs next to hers. Slowly, she brought her head to rest in the crook of his neck and sighed.
He draped an arm over her shoulders and ignored the twinge in his chest. “Are you sure you’re okay? Does the doctor have any news?”
“Not yet.” Lucy snuggled up against him and adjusted the cover so it was draped over both of them. “How was your shift?”
“It was okay. Bryce, the PI’s son…he called back, and he apologized, so I hired him.”
“I had a feeling you would,” Lucy murmured, her voice trailing off toward the end. “You’ve always been single-minded except, apparently, when it comes to your hobbies.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s been months since you built anything with your hands,” Lucy pointed out, drawing back to look at him. “I don’t want this to take over your whole life.”
Ian cupped her face in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers. “It won’t.”
“Let’s go outside, then, and work out that swing I was promised.”
Lucy threw the cover off and took her hand in his. After pulling him to his feet, she led him into the backyard, where she laid out his tools and the wood.
“You didn’t have to do all of this,” Ian told her gruffly. “We won’t be able to do much anyway because it’s late.”
“Let’s take measurements or something,” Lucy suggested, pausing to place both hands on her hips. “I want to help.”
“You’re awful at this sort of thing.”
Lucy shrugged. “Yeah, but we haven’t spent a lot of time together lately because I’ve had a lot on my mind. I don’t want us to be distant anymore.”
Ian’s lips twitched. “So, you want us to do woodwork together?”
“I want us to doeverythingtogether,” Lucy corrected, lifting her chin. When she looked directly at him, her bright eyes were full of love and humor. “But let’s start with the swing for now.”
Ian’s throat turned dry. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
