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“We’re going to St. Michaels. I’m Maura, and this is my sister Hayley.”
"You're the Allen girls. I'm your neighbor, and I have keys to your house if you need them. Your sister Sophie arrived earlier today, and I don't think she was expecting you for a couple of days. She spoke with someone who said you were taking a detour to New York City. If that's the kind of atmosphere you're seeking, then this isn't the right place for you."
"No, we thought we'd save New York for another day. I live in Utica, New York and that's a big enough city for me," Hayley said. "We have a problem where the spare is concerned. We don't have one. It's not my car, so it's my sister's fault."
Maura missed that because she was busy on the phone with David. She was blaming him for sending them on their trip without a spare.
Brian called ahead to Louis Tires and seemed to have Louis himself on the line. He was laughing and joking like he knew Louis well.
“Good news. Louis isn’t doing much today, so he’s going to drive out with a spare. He’s going to take your tire back to the shop and fix whatever’s wrong with it. From the looks of it, I’d say it was a puncture, which happens now and then. Debris falls off a truck, and you run over it.”
“Do you have our keys to the house with you?” Maura asked.
Brian pulled them from his pocket, and Maura did the same double take that Sophie had done when she saw the writing on the tag.
“This makes it official. I can’t believe we inherited a house with a complete stranger,” Maura said.
"What was your read on her? Does she seem relatively normal?" Hayley asked.
"It depends on what you call normal. She swore a lot and carried a pistol in her waistband. I asked where she lived, and she mentioned the state penitentiary until recently."
Maura grew pale. "Do you know what kind of crime she committed? Was it a white-collar crime?"
Brian shook his head. “Last I checked, murder wasn’t considered white-collar.”
Hayley had caught on that Brian was kidding, but Maura bought the entire story.
Brian and Hayley burst into laughter while Maura stared daggers at them both.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. My friend Evan and I tried something similar with Sophie, but your reaction was much more priceless,” Brian said.
Maura rolled her eyes. “The two of you can come up with your next prank. I’m going to join my husband’s conference call regarding a legal matter.”
“Louis should be another ten minutes or so. Again, I’m sorry, Maura,” Brian said.
“I forgive you, Brian.” Maura winked as she went to share Major’s shade.
Brian invited Hayley to sit in his pick-up while they waited for Louis. She accepted and when she saw evidence of a little girl, she assumed he had a daughter.
“Either you have a little girl or a side of you that I don’t think I want to know about.” Hayley picked up a pink scepter covered in glitter.
Brian smiled broadly. "Bernice is five, and right now, she's in the princess phase. I was on the way to pick her up from my sister-in-law's house. Gemma watches her a few days during the week so I can get some work done. She has two young children, and they're like siblings."
“Does your wife work during the day?” Hayley asked.
“No, my wife passed away when Bernice wasn’t even two. It was sudden, so overnight, Bernice became my priority. I went from working full-time and living just outside of Baltimore to living here with a small private therapy practice.”
“Is your daughter okay where she is?” Hayley asked.
“Yes. I called Gemma to let her know, and she even offered to keep her overnight. I’d miss the little nugget too much, so I’ll grab her when I leave here. Now you know a little about me, what’s your story?” Brian asked.
"I'm a nurse in the emergency department at a hospital in Utica, New York. I volunteer a lot in the community when I'm not working. That's my dog lying on his back with his paws in the air. He's not very modest. I also lost my spouse, and it was about the same time as you lost your wife."
“How are you doing?” Brian asked. “Having lost your husband, I mean.”
“I have my days, but I keep busy, and that seems to do the trick,” Hayley said. She hated her answer, especially since Brian was a therapist and widow himself.
Hayley started caring how she looked at that moment, which wasn't very polished. She had spent the day in the car, cried, and sat in close proximity to an eighty-pound dog. It was the first time she cared how she looked in front of a man since Devon was alive. Brian was cute and funny, and he was a father, which was surprisingly sexy. She vowed not to say a word about her crush to Maura.
