“Not to mention what nearly happened to you,” Skip said.

“Not to mention.”

“How’s Tommy?” Celia asked. “I think of him so often and what he has to be going through.”

“He was at the house this morning and is working the case. He didn’t say much, but he seemed a little better maybe.”

“It’s going to take time,” Skip said, speaking from experience. “The rest of his life really.”

“He’s talking to Trulo, so hopefully that helps him come to terms with it. He blames himself because he let Arnold take the lead for the first time, and this is what happened.”

“It’s such a terrible thing,” Celia said. “For everyone. I think about AJ’s poor parents and sisters too.”

“I know,” Sam said with a sigh. “I talked to his mother last week, and she’s so strong. I don’t know how she does it. I’d be a disaster.”

“How are your boys feeling?” Skip asked.

“Scotty is back to school today, and Nick is... Well, he’s pissed at me.”

“Because you’re going on this trip with Hill,” Skip said.

“Yeah. He’s being completely unreasonable.”

“Is he?”

“Yes! Does everyone think I’m going to cheat on my husband the second his back is turned? That I can’t control myself for one night away with a colleague?”

“A colleague who’s made no secret of his affection for you.”

“That’s his problem, not mine.”

“Listen to me, baby girl, and hear me when I say it’s your problem too. It’s your problem because Hill’s affection for you makes your husband uncomfortable. After Steven died,” he said of his partner who was killed years ago in the line of duty, “I was so intent on caring for Alice that I totally neglected your mother. I let her think someone else’s wife was more important than mine. I regret that.”

“This is different, Dad. He is nothing to me but a colleague and my friend’s fiancé. That’s it. And Nick knows that.”

“Doesn’t matter. He’s threatened by the guy, and you need to respect that.”

“What do you think?” Sam asked Celia.

“I agree with your dad. He’s often talked about how his attention to Alice ruined his marriage, and I know he regrets that your mother felt neglected.”

“Nick is not neglected. He’s the opposite of neglected.”

“He’s threatened by Hill’s interest in you, Sam,” Skip said. “That’s all you need to know.”

“I would never, ever, ever, ever cheat on Nick. Ever.”

“And he knows that, but it doesn’t make him any less threatened by Hill,” Celia said gently.

“You guys are supposed to be on my side at all times,” Sam said, making them laugh.