#Chapter 59: The Declaration

"I have to go anyway," Cathy said, standing. "I have a date."

"Don't go, Cath, I'll tell him I'm with you and that will make him happy. I'm sure it's just that he wants to make sure I'm safe."

"I'm not playing, I have a date," she said, mysteriously. "I'll tell you about it later."

She gave me a squeeze and grabbed her coat. "Have a good time," she said, wigging her eyebrows.

I promise to keep it respectful, came Charles' texts.

Is that what I want? I thought to myself, smiling.

Cathy is just leaving, I typed back. Come on by.

I see her, he replied.

What? You're already here?

I'm relieving the guard.

I went out onto my patio, and sure enough, the guard was checking his blind spot before pulling out into traffic.

I hurriedly put the glasses into the dishwasher, thinking it may look bad that Cathy and I were having celebratory drinks when a colleague had so recently died.

He knocked, and I opened the doored the door to find him leaning against my threshold.

"It seemed a good economic mo