Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

with a serious wince. You look like you were rode hard and put away wet .
    She’d finally made it to her bedroom. Finally had a moment alone. She loved her family, truly she did. But sometimes they hovered. I hope I’m not that way with Ford .
    Her words hit her hard. I should have hovered . I’d have him with me right now .
    You can’t think that way , she chided herself as she plugged her phone in to charge. Then she placed it on the vanity’s surface, taking care to center it so she’d be able to see the screen, the moment it rang.
    Please ring . Please .
    A wet nose nudged her arm and automatically she smoothed her hand over Tasha’s wiry head.
    Daphne had gone her whole life without a dog, never wanting one. But within a week of the Giant Schnauzer’s arrival, Daphne didn’t know how she’d lived without her. Tasha always seemed to know when she was upset or stressed. And when Ford moved into the dorm, her wagging tail had helped make coming home at the end of a long day something she no longer dreaded.
    Until today. ‘He’s coming home, girl. He has to.’ Tasha rested her muzzle on Daphne’s leg and blew out a little sigh. Commiserating. A soft knock on her bedroom door made the dog growl. ‘I’m all right , Mama,’ she said firmly.
    The door opened a crack and in the mirror Daphne could see long black hair swinging gently. ‘I know you are,’ Paige said softly. ‘But I’m not.’
    The reflection suddenly grew blurry when Daphne’s eyes filled with tears. She was nowhere close to all right. ‘Come on in then,’ she said quietly.
    ‘Peabody too? He wants to play with Tasha.’
    Daphne huffed a watery chuckle. ‘As long as he stays off the bed.’
    ‘He knows not to jump on the bed.’ Paige closed the door behind her. The Rottweiler sauntered in, ready to play, but Tasha remained where she was, giving comfort the only way she knew how. ‘Besides, all this pink lace gives him a complex.’
    Daphne tried to laugh, but it came out a sob. Once the first tear broke through, she couldn’t stop, the sobs ripping at her chest. I should have hovered . Why didn’t I hover?
    Paige stood behind her, massaging her shoulders, saying nothing. Letting her cry. Finally the tears were shed and Daphne closed her swollen eyes. ‘My head hurts.’
    ‘I’m not surprised. If you take off the wig, I’ll give you a scalp massage and use pressure point therapy to make your headache go away.’
    Daphne jerked her chin up, meeting Paige’s knowing eyes in the mirror. ‘How long . . . ?’ She looked away, embarrassed. ‘Never mind.’
    ‘Do you remember the day I met you last April? You were wearing a lime green suit with a miniskirt and four-inch stilettos, dyed to match. And big hair. I mean big .’
    Daphne’s puffy eyes narrowed. ‘So?’
    ‘You offered to go undercover as my rich sponsor and Grayson turned you down.’
    Daphne scowled. ‘He said I was “too memorable”.’ But Joseph hadn’t found her so. He’d met her that very day but had never called her afterward. Not once. ‘So?’
    ‘So . . . you left Grayson’s house and an hour later you were back, unrecognizable. Shiny French twist. Wearing a dress I dreamed about trying on for months after.’
    ‘The McQueen,’ Daphne said. ‘I told you that you could have it, that same day. You can have the whole damn closet.’
    Paige’s eyes widened in the mirror. ‘Hold that thought, but first, fast forward to last August. You and Maggie took your mother to Vegas for her birthday.’
    Paige started massaging between her shoulders and Daphne’s eyes grew heavy. ‘If you do this for Grayson, how does he stay awake for all that sex you brag about?’
    ‘I never said where I massage him. Stick with the program, girl.’
    ‘Vegas. Mama’s birthday.’
    ‘While you were gone, I watched your house, got your mail. Watched your DVDs and soaked in your Jacuzzi. And I tried on your clothes.’
    Daphne sighed, knowing where this was headed. ‘You went in my closet?’
    ‘I did. I have to admit was a bit startled by all those Styrofoam heads staring at me.’ She met Daphne’s eyes in the mirror, an affectionate smile on her face. ‘All those months I’d wondered, how the hell did Daphne change so fast that day I met her? The clothes weren’t the problem. But the hair? It should have taken you three shampoos just to get all the hairspray out of that beehive. There was no way you could have made it back to Grayson’s place in