Page 7 of Omega’s Oath

Rose knew who Pharmacorp were. They were the biggest producers of fertility drugs in the US. She’d read up on everything about fertility when she was trying to get pregnant and had become somewhat of an expert. The fact Harlan had made it so far up the ladder was impressive, but she’d always known he’d do well.

“I always knew you’d be successful. You had such a way with words. I always said you could sell snow to Alaska.” Harlan looked away, a blush staining his cheeks and she reached across and gripped his arm. “It’s true.”

His cool blue eyes found hers. “Thanks, Rose.”

“Any children?”

He shook his head. “No, we tried for a long time, but it never happened for us. Kind of ironic considering who I work for.”

Rose rubbed her belly as she sat back, the waitress appearing at the table.

“What can I get you both to drink?”

“Can I get some water?”

“I’ll take a beer.”

The waitress wrote it down and tucked the small tablet in her apron. “I’ll be back in a few with your drinks and will take your food order.”

“Thank you.”

“So, tell me about you?”

Rose knew it was coming but she hated talking about herself and opening up. She’d learned at a young age to keep her hopes and dreams to herself and that was now a hard habit to break. It was only recently that she’d started to open up to Fee, Penny, and Hattie.

She laughed, suddenly nervous and not wanting to share her story with someone who was almost a stranger now despite their shared history. “Well, obviously, I’m expecting a baby very soon.”

Harlan sat back as the waitress came and brought their drinks and took their food order. “Yes, very soon by the looks of it.”

“Yes, only a month to go.”

“Was that the father I met last night?” Harlan moved his knife and fork around the table in a distracted gesture.

“No, no. It’s complicated.”

Harlan looked at her and nodded seeming to understand she didn’t want to talk about it. “Yeah, I get that. Tell me about your job.”

Rose felt relief he’d let it go and she could talk about her job all day long. “I’m a behavioral scientist with the FBI and currently work on a serial killer task force here in San Antonio.”

“Wow, Rosie, that’s impressive. I always knew you would do it. You had a knack and drive for it that was so single-minded it was almost scary. Nothing got in your way.”

“Thank you.” Rose had a sudden feeling he was having a dig at her for leaving her family behind but brushed it off when she saw the genuine happiness on his face. Perhaps she was seeing things where they didn’t exist because of her guilt over hurting him. “Listen, Harlan, about what happened.”

He held up his hand and shook his head. “Nope, it’s fine. I was young and foolish and read the situation wrong and let my pride get in the way. I always knew we were friends and nothing more and I regret losing that friendship because of my raging teenage hormones.”

Rose felt a weight lift off her shoulders at his words. It had plagued her a lot in the early days, and she’d missed him, but she’d thrown herself into her work and eventually, he’d become part of her past.

It was good to catch up, and as the lunch continued, she relaxed more, and they laughed as he told her stories about his life. As they were finishing up with dessert, she caught sight of Cruz and Mickie. They waved and made their way over.

“Hey, Rose, fancy seeing you here.”

Mickie eyed Harlan with a raised eyebrow which Rose ignored, knowing she’d be getting a text later about this from the girls. She didn’t mind though; it was nice to be part of that kind of friendship. “Hey, Mickie, Cruz. This is my old friend Harlan.”

Rose turned to Harlan who was frowning at Cruz and Mickie but he wiped the look away with a smile. It made her pause but again she shook it off. “Harlan, these are my friends, Cruz and Mickie. Cruz is an FBI agent too and we work together, and Mickie and her friends have adopted me.”

Mickie laughed and nodded at Harlan, while Cruz shook his hand. “Good to meet you.”

“You too.”