Chapter 169
[ 523 words ]
Chapter 169:
The gray Honda sedan pulled smoothly to the curb at the busy intersection of M Street in Georgetown. Caroline pushed the door open and stepped out onto the historic red-brick sidewalk, glancing back at the driver—one of Bell’s plainclothes security personnel. The crisp autumn sunlight was bright, reflecting off the high-end boutique windows. The sedan pulled away to circle the block, as she had insisted.
She scanned the crowded street and immediately spotted Brenna standing outside the awning of the French cafe.
Brenna had clearly dressed to impress. She was wearing a bright, floral-print wrap dress, strappy high heels, and her makeup was flawlessly applied.
Caroline hurried over, pasting a bright smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around Brenna in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry I’m late. The traffic over the bridge was a nightmare.”
Brenna pulled back. She planted her hands on her hips and slowly scanned Caroline from head to toe. Her perfectly drawn eyebrows pulled together in a mixture of confusion and disappointment.
She reached out and pinched the sleeve of Caroline’s beige sweater.
𝖥𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅 𝖯𝖣𝖥𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗌.𝖼𝗈𝗆
“Are you going grocery shopping, or are you joining a convent?” Brenna asked, her tone dripping with dramatic horror. “You look incredibly boring.”
Caroline’s heart did a violent flip in her chest. She held her breath, praying Brenna didn’t know enough about high fashion to recognize the fabric.
Thankfully, Brenna just saw a plain, shapeless beige top. She had no idea she was pinching a three-thousand-dollar piece of Brunello Cucinelli cashmere. But there was something else behind Brenna’s eyes—a flicker of restraint, a question she wasn’t asking. Caroline could feel it. Brenna knew about the hospital incident. Everyone did. But her friend was giving her the grace of pretending, for one afternoon, that nothing had changed.
“Seriously, Caroline,” Brenna groaned, shaking her head. “You have an amazing body, and you dress like a retired librarian. It is a tragedy.”
Caroline let out a quiet breath of relief. She laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I told you, I’m exhausted from the double shifts. I just grabbed the first clean thing in my closet.”
“Whatever,” Brenna sighed, linking her arm through Caroline’s. “Let’s get caffeine before you fall asleep standing up.”
They bought two large iced lattes and began walking slowly down the bustling M Street, heading toward the movie theater. Brenna chattered excitedly about the latest hospital gossip, detailing a scandal between a surgeon and a scrub nurse. She didn’t mention Melanie. She didn’t mention the Colonel. She filled the air with harmless nonsense, and Caroline could have kissed her for it.
Caroline smiled, nodded, and offered the appropriate gasps of shock, perfectly playing the role of the single, overworked nurse.
Suddenly, a low, ominous rumble of thunder echoed over the Potomac River.
The bright autumn sky turned violently black in a matter of seconds. Without a single drop of warning, the clouds ripped open, and a freezing, torrential downpour slammed into the streets of Georgetown.
Pedestrians shrieked and scattered in every direction.
“My hair!” Brenna screamed, throwing her purse over her head. She grabbed Caroline’s wrist and dragged her off the main sidewalk, ducking into a narrow, dark alleyway between two brick buildings.
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