She ended the call and took a moment for herself, standing in the laundry room and letting it all soak in. There was her own diagnosis, then there was Grandma Tates terrible news, the peculiar moment with the tarot reader, and her sudden urge to grieve over the time she was not going to have to spend with her daughter.

If youre going to be dead in a year and a half, you need to quit this job, she told herself. You need to quit, tell Peter and Paige whats going on, and spend your last days with them. At least Grandma Tate is going out her own way, stress free and relaxed.

But Rachel would not allow herself to dwell on any of it for too long. Right now, she needed to distract herself. And this case in New York would be perfect for that.

Sure, keep distracting yourself. This time, the voice belonged to Grandma Tate, and even in Rachels head the old woman was snarky. Keep distracting yourself and youll end up distracting yourself right into your grave.

With a heavy sigh, Rachel left the laundry room and looked to the stairs. She made sure she wasnt going to break down in tears anytime soon before climbing them to tell Peter about her sudden trip to New York, and to get in one more quick snuggle with Paige.

After all, there was no guarantee just how many more she was going to get.

CHAPTER FIVE

Their flight was schedule to leave Richmond International Airport at 6:22, which gave Rachel and Jack very little time to catch up or even grab a bite to eat in the airport on the way to their gate. Jack was his usual vibrant self, in a good mood and seemingly excited about a trip to New York. Even this early in the morning, he had that same boyish charm to him. His brown hair had been lazily combed and was still somewhat of a mess but it somehow fit him well.

Rachel did her best to hide how tired she truly was as she continued to check her phone to see if Anderson had emailed them the reports yet. She saw that theyd just come in when they arrived at their gate. The first group of passengers had already been called.

The bureau sure knows how to cut this stuff close, dont they? Jack asked. You look tired, Rachel. Not enough sleep?

Not by a long shot. I came back from a trip to South Carolina to see my grandmother and then went to a birthday party. And now theres this. She left out the part about freaking out about her diagnosis, as well as that of Grandma Tates, of course.

Lets tear through these reports on the plane quickly, then, Jack said. Maybe afterwards, you can grab a nap.