2011: It's been ten years since the sky literally came crashing down around Yael Malkah and upended her world. Now she's returned to New York to visit her ailing grandmother. With no other family, it's up to her to take care of the family business...
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Monday morning, Yael strode into work with a spring in her step, still buoyant from spending nearly her entire Sunday with Haustin, and not caring about being late. Well, her lateness wasn't his fault, she'd made a side trip to Miriam's, despite all that was on her plate for the day. They were meeting with the architect, filing the final building permits for her project, and here she was an hour past her usual time. Breezing past Casey's office, she stopped dead and backtracked.
He sat slumped over at his desk and the exhaustion etched into his face startled her. Had he been there all night? His clothes were wrinkled, his beard looked unkept, and he stared blankly into space.
"Looks like you've seen better days," she said as she stepped inside.
Casey shook his head, returning from wherever he'd been. His bleary eyes surveyed her, and she began to worry.
"Casey?"
"You have chocolate on your shirt."
His words were slurred, emphasizing how tired he was, and she glanced down. Sure enough, a blotch of chocolate was splattered on her ivory blouse.
"Dammit. I don't have anything to change into either." She wiped at it with her finger. "I made Miriam a mousse this morning and took it over. It's why I'm late. Obviously, I was in too much of a hurry."
His lips quirked; the first sign of life. "Mousse? For breakfast?"
"Dorota said the same thing, but my grandmother assured her it was perfectly acceptable, declaring she has a short time left on this earth and if she wanted dessert first thing in the morning, she'd have it." She gave up scratching at the stain, knowing it was pointless. Maybe she could send an intern to her apartment, or out to find a shop that sold a Tide pen. Back in the day, she'd performed her share of asinine errands.
"Sounds like Miriam." A weak smile bloomed. "How was your weekend?"
"Great, but I have a feeling you're about to ruin it."
He sighed. "I need a distraction. Then I'll tell you. So, why was your weekend so great?"
She set her purse and satchel on the floor before taking a seat in one of the chairs facing him. Fine, she'd play along for now.
"I had a date." The residual glow of being with Haustin flushed her face, and she couldn't stop herself from beaming.
Casey blinked a couple times and leaned forward, suddenly more alert. "You're seeing someone already?"
"I guess I am." Her fingers tapped a happy tune on her thigh. "It's kind of a long story."
"We have time before our meeting with the architect. Besides, after my evening and morning, I need happy news."
His rough voice didn't sound pleased, and she hesitated. Did she really want to open up to him about such a personal experience? "Okay, but you're telling me what is going on with you after." He nodded reluctantly. "Anyway, Miriam told you I was at the Trade Center on 9/11, right?" Casey nodded again, and she paused. "I don't understand why she shared that with you so soon after she and I discussed it."
