In the Midnight Hour

by Deborah Cooke

  Haley glared at her sister, who smiled back. “You’re being pushy.”

  “I’m reminding you of what you already know. Dad told me once that you can stand and watch the parade go by or you can join in and march with the others.” Tiffany’s gaze was steady. “Thanks to Aidan, you’ve been watching the parade for too long.”

  Haley frowned as she watched the people on the sidewalk. “Aren’t you afraid? Don’t you worry sometimes that Stefan won’t come home?”

  “Like Dad didn’t?” Tiff gave Haley a hard look. “Like Aidan didn’t?”

  “He came back.”

  “Just married to somebody else. That wasn’t the plan.” Tiff stared down at her hands and Haley knew she was composing her thoughts. “I do think about it. I mean, I see life’s surprises every shift I work. But here’s the thing: I want every single moment with Stefan that I can have, regardless of what the future holds.”

  Haley understood that.

  Tiff bumped her shoulder. “Maybe the guy who isn’t a guy doesn’t want a commitment, but let him decide with all the information. Join the parade, Haley. Dad would want you to.”

  Haley dug in her purse for her phone and took a deep breath before she called Damon’s number.

  “On speed dial even,” Tiffany murmured.

  “Shut up.” The call went immediately to voice mail, and Haley thought that was probably a good thing. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of Damon’s voice, even in a recording. “Hey, it’s Haley,” she said when it was time to leave a message. She hated how breathless she sounded. “Thanks for the drawing. And, um, I just wanted to tell you that um, I got a tattoo. Of a mermaid. Because maybe you’re right and you have to believe to find one.” She swallowed. “And I love you. If you change your mind about possibilities and promises, please give me a call.” She ended the call and looked at Tiffany, her mouth dry. “Happy?”

  “My heart is all a-flutter. Really, Haley, you didn’t exactly exude warmth.”

  “Well, I had no time to prepare!”

  “Maybe you’ll get better with practice,” Tiffany said, her smile mischievous. “Love you, sis.” She gave Haley a hug and a kiss. “See you in a couple of weeks—unless he takes you up on that offer.”

  And then she was gone, turning to wave before she strode into the terminal then breaking into a run.

  It would serve Tiffany right to miss her flight.

  Haley thought about the billboard as the cab drove back to Queens. She held her phone tightly but it didn’t ring.

  Get lucky at F5.

  The rings were the big difference. These two were together for the duration.

  Her time with Damon, however, had been just a temporary thing.

  He wasn’t going to call her back. He kept his word.

  But he’d encouraged her to take a chance and start over again. Maybe that was the important thing.

  Haley wasn’t convinced, but she told herself to get used to it.

  Damon was part of her past.

  Funny how having her career as the focus of her life, even with her dream job, didn’t feel that ideal any more.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After a little more than a month of therapy, Damon returned from Boston, newly confident that he could conquer his nightmares. He felt stronger and more resilient. The therapist was confident that Damon was on the right path. He’d been sure of it himself, even before he got his phone back and heard Haley’s message.

  I love you.

  That was all the encouragement he needed.

  Even so, Damon listened to it a dozen times.

  His first stop was at F5, where he caught up on all the news from Cassie and Kyle. The tattoo shop in the lobby was open.

  Secret Heart Ink.

  Talk about one-stop shopping.

  Damon tapped on the door of the tattoo shop and the blond woman at the back turned around. She was dressed in black leather with a ton of eyeliner, wore a torn T-shirt and pink tips on her hair. She looked about as friendly as Haley’s cat so he decided against making any comment about punk rock being dead. “Hi. I’m Damon Perez, one of the F5 partners.”

  “Chynna,” she said, offering her hand. Her fingers were cool and her gaze assessing. “You’re the design guy, right?”

  “Right.”

  “So? What do you think?” She indicated the shop.

  “It looks great. Bigger and brighter than I’d expected.” His design had been in black and white, a black floor with the phases of the moon in white on it, and a lot of black glass tiles that sparkled like they were filled with stars. There were red hearts scattered in key locations. He’d designated one wall for framed photographs from her portfolio and really liked how they looked, framed in black like the art that they were. Chynna had added full length velvet curtains in deep red, in case a client wanted privacy, and a lot of fairy lights. The shop name filled the back wall with a red pulsing lit heart at the end of it.

  “The wall mirror was a great idea, and I love the glass tile mosaic.” She smiled. “You should see it at night when the fairy lights are on.”

  Damon nodded. “I will. Are you open?”

  “Unofficially. Working out the kinks.”

  “When’s the official opening?”

  “On the thirty-first. That’ll be the next full moon.”

  “Any chance you could do a tattoo for me before that?”

  Chynna nodded. “You have a design in mind?”

  Damon unfolded his drawing. He’d redrawn the original tattoo from all those years ago, the one he’d had covered up by the tribal. “I had this before,” he explained, telling her the story behind it. “I want it on the other arm with a memorial below it.”

  “Someone who didn’t come home,” she said, understanding immediately. “Do you have time now?”

  “Sure.”

  She beckoned to him, new purpose in her manner. “Take off your shirt and let me see the canvas.”

  * * *

  Damon didn’t want to talk to Haley on the phone the first time. He wanted to see her in person. He bought a large bouquet of red roses at a local florist, enduring the comments about love and happily ever after with more good humor than he might have a year before. He flagged down a cab, afraid for the roses in the cold.

  The cabbie took one look and smothered a smile. “A bit late for Valentine’s Day, aren’t you?”

  “I just hope I’m not too late,” Damon admitted, because it was true.

  The cab ride was mercifully short. His heart was racing when they approached Haley’s building and a thousand doubts assailed him. She could be working. She could be out with friends. She could have a date with some other guy.

  She could be with some other guy.

  It didn’t matter. Even if the best he could do was thank her properly, that was what he’d do. He paid the fare and stood on the sidewalk for a moment, mustering his courage. He looked up at her window and frowned.

  There were drapes on the window instead of blinds.

  He could see a blue vase filled with sticks and fake flowers that didn’t look like something Haley would have in her apartment.

  And there was no cat sitting on the sill.

  Had she taken that job, the one near Aidan?

  What about her message?

  Panic shot through Damon.

  He strode to the lobby and checked the board. Haley’s name wasn’t there, not anymore. He rang the super’s unit but there was no answer. He turned around in the foyer of the building, wondering what to do, then caught a glimpse of the super in the foyer beyond. He knocked on the glass and the older man looked up, then smiled in recognition. He leaned his mop against the wall and sauntered toward the security door, taking about a thousand years to do it.

  His gaze dropped to the roses, carefully wrapped in clear plastic, then he shook his head. “You’re too late, son. She’s gone.”

  “Gone? Gone where?”

  “She took a job in another city. I forget where.”

>   “Illinois,” Damon said through his teeth.

  “Maybe. All that mattered to me was that she was moving out, and in a hurry. Too bad really. She was a good tenant. Always paid her rent on time. Quiet.” He nodded. “Nice girl.”

  Damon’s chest was so tight that he couldn’t breathe. “When?”

  “She paid through February, but she was gone by the middle of the month.” He nodded at the roses. “I’ll bet they set you back this time of year.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Thanks.” Damon turned away, his thoughts spinning. He pulled out his phone and called Haley’s number but it was out of service.

  Fuck.

  The hospital.

  He called the oncology ward, which was still programmed into his phone. The nurse he remembered best answered the phone, because he recognized her voice. “Is this Teresa?” he asked, trying not to sound rushed.

  “It might be.”

  “Hi. This is Damon Perez. I wanted to thank you and the team for taking such good care of my mom.”

  Her voice warmed immediately. “You’re welcome. She was such a sweetheart. We were all sorry for your loss. And thank you for the gift basket. Those chocolates didn’t last long.”

  “You’re welcome. I really appreciate everything you did there to keep her comfortable.”

  “It’s what we do.”

  Damon cleared her throat. “Do you remember the other nurse who gave a couple of massages to my mom? Her name was Haley and she was in another department. I wanted to thank her, too. Do you know how I could reach her?”

  “Oh, Haley’s left the hospital. She got another job. Great job, actually, heading up a new department to offer alternative therapies to patients.”

  “Like therapeutic massage.”

  “Exactly! It was perfect for Haley.”

  “But she had to move, I guess.”

  “Yes, it was in Illinois. That hospital has an excellent reputation, and her family is there, too.”

  “That would make the move easier.”

  “I guess so.” Teresa sighed. “I was sorry to see her go, though, and so was everyone else. The hospital here offered to create an equivalent position for her, but she was determined to go.”

  “Maybe she wanted to be closer to her family.”

  “Maybe. Just between you and me, I think there was a guy she wanted to get away from. She seemed to have it bad for him, but it wasn’t mutual.”

  Damon winced. “That’s too bad. She seemed very nice.”

  “Haley is nice. I’m sorry I can’t give you a forwarding address for her. That falls under the privacy policy of the hospital.” She paused. “I probably shouldn’t have told you all that.”

  “I appreciate it, though. Thanks for your help. I might try directory assistance.”

  “Can’t hurt.” Teresa dropped her voice and whispered the name of a city hospital.

  Damon smiled, knowing it was where Haley had gone. “Thanks so much.”

  “You’re very welcome. I know she’ll be glad to hear from you. Take care, Mr. Perez.”

  Damon marched to the subway station, pulling up a map on his phone. He wasn’t going to book a flight, not with another snow storm coming, and there weren’t many direct flights anyway. He’d never liked trains and in this case, they were too slow. He called Ty.

  “Hey, Damon. Back in town?”

  “Not for long. I’ll be gone for a few days.”

  “Sounds urgent.”

  “It is. Remember when you said I just had to ask if I needed something?”

  Ty’s tone turned wary. “I do.”

  “I need a car. A fast car. And I need it now.”

  “Oh no,” Ty whispered, obviously connecting the dots.

  “You have the fastest car. I need your car.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To say thanks.”

  “Why does it have to be fast?”

  “Because it’s a long way to Illinois and I’m late.” Damon ducked into the subway station, hurrying down the stairs, and the signal started to break up.

  “Are you okay?” Ty demanded.

  “Not yet. But lend me your car and by the time I get back, I just might be.”

  “Look, I’m not sure about this...”

  “You promised, Ty.”

  Ty sighed. “I did.”

  “I’m in the subway station. We’re going to lose the connection. Where’s the car?”

  “At the house. In the garage.” Ty’s voice hardened. “Safe from a blizzard.”

  “Is Amy home?”

  “Yes....”

  “Please tell her I’ll get there as soon as I can. Thanks in advance for the keys.”

  “Do not wreck my car!” Ty shouted just before the connection was lost.

  * * *

  The sky was just getting light when Damon turned down the suburban street in Illinois. There weren’t many Slaters listed with phone numbers and he was hoping he had the right one. B. Slater. He was sure Haley had said her brother’s name was Brad. Damon had made good time and outrun the forecast snow. Seventeen hours and ten minutes, and no speeding tickets.

  No dents in Ty’s car, either.

  He checked the address he’d found online and drove slowly down the street, looking for the number. The houses were very similar to each other and appeared to have been built about thirty years before. The majority of them were well-kept with fairly new station wagons and SUVs in the driveways. He slowed down when the numbers told him that he was close and parked at the curb in front of a tidy bungalow. There was a full size red pick-up in the driveway, a pretty new one, with a firefighters’ logo on the license plate.

  Her brother was a firefighter.

  Damon was in the right place.

  He rubbed a hand over his chin, knowing he had a healthy five-o’clock shadow, and was glad he’d brushed his teeth at the last rest stop. He cleared his throat and got out of the car, with the roses. They were looking a little less than their best but he didn’t want to waste time looking for another bouquet. He rang the bell, hearing the chimes echo inside the house.

  The door was opened immediately by a tall guy with brown hair, roughly Damon’s own age, his brows drawn together in a scowl. He had eyes of the same blue as Haley’s but they were piercing and decisive. He openly surveyed Damon and clearly didn’t like what he saw. His lips tightened into a thin line when he considered the roses. “Yes?”

  This had to be Haley’s big brother.

  As protective and prickly as she’d said.

  Damon immediately liked him. “I’m here to see Haley.”

  The brother looked pointedly at his watch. “She’s sleeping and I’m not going to wake her up. Why don’t you come back some other time?”

  His tone suggested that Damon not come back at all.

  “Could you just ask her, please? Tell her it’s Damon.” He swallowed and knew exactly what to say. “Tell her that I drove all night.”

  The brother’s eyes narrowed and he looked Damon up and down again. “Why does that sound important?”

  “Because it is.”

  The brother closed the door and Damon stepped back to the edge of the porch. That song had been in his head all the way from Brooklyn, feeding his urgency, reminding him of Haley dancing to it in his kitchen. He remembered the scent of her, the feel of her, the giving softness of her, and knew he would never be the same if she didn’t want him anymore.

  He was already so much better than he’d been before he met her, but Damon wanted more.

  He wanted it all.

  With Haley.

  The sky brightened a little more but the house behind him remained silent. The door was still closed. He listened to the quiet of the neighborhood, not a siren anywhere close, and watched a flock of birds fly overhead.

  He’d missed his chance.

  He’d blown it completely.

  Damon exhaled as if he’d been kicked in the gut, but he knew when he’d lost, and he knew how to accept it graci
ously. He started back to the car, wondering what he’d do now.

  Go back to New York.

  Go back to F5.

  Work out, hard, and pour himself into the business, which was pretty much the only thing he had left.

  The prospect felt hollow, which was a shit way to feel about the rest of his life before he was even forty, but there it was.

  He opened the car door and chucked the roses onto the passenger seat, feeling more defeated than he had in all his life.

  Which was saying something.

  “Damon!” The door opened and Haley spilled out of the house, hair flying, shirt undone, feet bare. She was half-dressed and there were circles under her eyes, but she was smiling and she was running toward him and he’d never been so happy to see anyone in his life. He met her halfway and snatched her up to hold her close, burying his nose against her throat and inhaling deeply of her sleepy scent.

  She was crying, too. “I didn’t think I’d see you again,” she whispered. “You didn’t return my call.”

  “I wasn’t allowed to have my phone.”

  “Oh. Oh!”

  He kissed her before she could apologize for something that was his own fault.

  When he lifted his head, her eyes were shining, although they still brimmed with tears.

  “I love you,” he said roughly and her tears spilled. “I had to tell you, even though I didn’t know it soon enough. Or maybe I just didn’t want to admit it soon enough.”

  Her smile was radiant. “I love you, too.”

  “What about Aidan?”

  She made a dismissive gesture. “I was wrong about him.”

  “But you took the job.”

  Her eyes shone. “Because without you, there was only work. It’s a good job. I like it. Challenging and interesting.”

  “Good.”

  “How did it go with your therapy?”

  “Great. Amazing, actually.” Damon smiled at her. “I can direct the nightmare sometimes, and even when I can’t, it’s not as bad. We did some training with sudden noises and shocks. I feel a lot stronger.” He bent and touched his brow to hers. “I’m not afraid of it anymore.”

  Her smile was like a ray of sunshine. “Can I help? Tell me what to do.”