At last she felt herself winding down, her emotions coming back to earth. And then all she was aware of was the feeling of his body next to hers. Warmth crept into her veins as she clung to him, breathing in the citrusy spicy scent of him, listening to the beat of his heart, all the signs of life seeping into her. And once again fear washed in.

Fear that he was invading her life. Fear that he was overpowering, overwhelming. Fear that he would want control of her, bossing her around, stealing her independence.

“Please, Aaron, I need to go. I need to be alone right now. I’ve got to process all this.” Her voice was muffled as she spoke against his flat abdomen.

“I’ll drive you.”

“No.” Her voice came out harsher than she meant it to.

“No, please just wait here for the Phillips to come home. They shouldn’t be long and you can explain to them what happened.” She spoke in a much softer tone.

“Are you sure? You’re pretty upset to be driving.”

She nodded firmly and tried to pull herself together, letting go of Aaron’s waist, tucking her shirt in place, and wiping the tears from her face.

“I’m sure.”

“Okay, I’ll stay here.” He didn’t sound pleased by the decision but saw the determination in her face.

“Thanks, Aaron.” She quickly gathered up her things and turned to leave. Before she could get out the door, however, Aaron stepped in front of her. He took her in his arms and dropped a sweet kiss on her forehead.

“Things will get better, Marissa. They’ll catch this guy.”

Tears burned her eyes once again but she didn’t linger. She just nodded, shoved past him and headed to her car, her heart heavy.

Marissa didn’t know what to do. Should she call Harrison and offer her support and sympathies? Should she call her fellow realtors? Or should she just show up at work in the morning and deal with it then? Her head throbbed as she cuddled Larry on the couch and sipped a glass of wine to calm her nerves.

The decision was made for her when her phone rang and the caller ID read Harrison Hart. She pushed the button and answered anxiously.

“Harrison?”

“Hi, Marissa. Have you heard what happened?”

“I did. My brother is the detective on the case. Oh, Harrison. I am so sorry.”

At first all she could hear was erratic breathing and a few hitching sobs. Her heart broke as she listened to the anguish on the other end of the line.

“Harrison, you know I’ll do anything I can to help. With the office, the funeral arrangements, or whatever. I’m here to do whatever you need.”

“Th…thanks, Marissa.” He finally managed to stammer. “I thought I could count on you.”

“Definitely, Harrison. I’ll do whatever I can. Are you going to have a meeting at work in the morning?”

“I…I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.”

“I think it would be best,” she said, thinking about the dozens of questions the others would have. “Do you want to just do it at the regularly scheduled time?”

“Might as well.”

They continued to talk for a few more minutes. Finally , Harrison said he had to go, someone was at the door, and Marissa disconnected, holding the phone in her hand. Poor Harrison. What would he do now that he’d lost his mother?

Marissa got to the office early the next morning to be there when Harrison came in and to get ready for the meeting. She made coffee and set out the donuts she’d brought, feeling rather foolish that she was preparing for a social gathering rather than a meeting about a death. It was funny how the world worked like that.

It was obvious as the others trailed in that they had already heard the news. Grace was like a nervous bird, pacing and crossing and recrossing her arms. John stood by silently, his color a ghastly gray that his gray suit only highlighted. Tasha, the last to arrive, was full of nervous giggles, a look of discomfort masking her pretty features.

Harrison arrived at the last moment, pale and shaky. He immediately gravitated towards Marissa, clinging to her and looking to her for support. Her heart went out to the upset man and she immediately felt like she needed to take charge. The man was falling apart . ,

It wasn’t a long meeting. Marissa did most of the talking with Harrison mouthing instructions to her. She told the staff that the business would continue to run as usual, that they should all reassure their clients that nothing would change. Funeral arrangements had yet to be made so there was nothing to discuss there and the rest of the time was spent answering questions, most of which had no answers. No, there were no suspects, no clues, no evidence. No, no one knew why Lydia had been selected as a victim.

By the time they were finished Marissa was exhausted. This was even more emotional than she suspected it would be. She knew none of the realtors were friends with their boss or even fond of her, but still they were shaken up by the unsettling events that had occurred.
When the meeting concluded Marissa gave the Realtors the option to stay and work with clients or to go their separate ways. Harrison simply sat at the conference table as the others dispersed, a look of defeat washing over his thickset figure. He looked so pitiful Marissa walked over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at her with pale blue-gray eyes circled with deep purple shadows. He took a shuddering sigh and laid his palm on top of her hand.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help, Marissa.”

“It’s okay, Harrison. That’s what friends are for.”

“You are my friend, Marissa. I know it. In fact, I think you’re my only friend.”

A feeling of discomfort washed over her. What a strange thing to say.

“I’m sure that can’t be true, Harrison. I’m sure you have plenty of friends.”

“No one like you, Marissa. No one like you.”

The melancholy tone of his voice sent a shiver racing down Marissa’s spine.