She slid over to the other side of the bed to grab his watch and reached out to hand it to him. She glanced at it and was surprised to see it was a Movado similar to the one she’d bought for her dad and not an overly expensive watch like she’d expected him to wear.
“Thank you,” he said, moving to take it from her hand. He then slid the watch on his wrist. “Remember to just chill out today.”
“I promise I will. I have kickboxing in an hour and weight training at noon, which always relaxes me.”
“Kickboxing and weight training is relaxing?” he asked with a scrunched brow.
“It relieves stress.” She placed the bowl on the nightstand. “I’ll walk you out.”
She followed him in silence to the garage door. Sydney was never at a loss for words, especially with him, but she didn’t know what to say. For some reason she was disappointed he was leaving so early, but she’d taken him away from his life for long enough. It had never occurred to her to find out if he’d made plans on Valentine’s Day. She knew he wasn’t in a serious relationship only because Megan had mentioned recently that Bryce was juggling women. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have a date for February 14.
She opened the door and turned to him. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. I hope I didn’t take you away from any plans you may have had.”
He released a heartwarming smile, and her breathing stifled. Had he always smiled like that? She tried to look elsewhere but couldn’t tear her eyes from him.
“You’re very welcome.” He paused as he stepped into the garage and unlocked his car with the remote. “And even if I had plans, I would’ve canceled them for you. Family first.”
“Well, I sincerely appreciate it.” She pushed the button to let up the garage door.
He glanced at her motorcycle before opening his car door. “Remember what I said about you needing a vacation.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
She watched as he backed out of the garage and into the driveway. He blew the horn as she shut the garage door.
“Yeah, right. When will I have time to take a vacation?”
Sydney stepped into the empty break room at the GBI headquarters and darted straight to the freshly brewed coffee she had smelled the moment she’d arrived. She poured the piping-hot drink into her oversize mug and inhaled its glorious scent. It was Monday morning, and she was refreshed and ready to get back into the action of work. Her team’s debriefing meeting would begin at ten, and it was only a quarter to nine. Normally, she wouldn’t be here this early on a Monday, but she’d taken the bus since her Mustang had spent the weekend at headquarters.
Saturday and Sunday, she’d decided to take it easy and rest as Bryce had suggested. Megan had stopped by on Sunday evening after returning from Hilton Head with a basket of healthy snacks and to verify that Sydney was fine. Bryce had even called both days to check on her. She’d kept the conversations brief, citing she was about to step out or take a nap. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she saw was Bryce kissing her, and the best thing to do was to avoid speaking to him or being in his presence so she could get over whatever she thought she felt for him.
She headed to her office armed with her coffee and a Danish. She noticed Mumford’s door ajar and stuck her head in.
“Hey.” She leaned on the door.
“Chase?” he said startled. “What are you doing here? You didn’t get my message yesterday?”
She plopped down in the chair in front of his desk. “Yep, but I don’t need a few days off. Besides, I never miss Monday-morning meetings.”
“I know, kiddo, but I’m worried about you. The whole team is.”
“No need. I’m good.” She crossed her jeans-clad legs and tapped her foot in the air. She didn’t like the grimace on Mumford’s red face. The way he inhaled followed by a quick exhale suggested he was anxious about something.
“Syd...” He leaned toward her. “I’ve been reviewing your file and noticed you have over a month’s worth of vacation leave you haven’t taken. It’s all paid, but the time expires soon.”
She was well aware of the paid vacation time she hadn’t taken yet. “No biggie. I’m not going anywhere until maybe this summer.” She shifted in her seat.
“Well...I’m going to give you the month off with pay starting right now.”
She blinked several times. “What, now? You can’t do that.”
“I can and I just did.” He spoke calmly, settling back in his chair.
“What am I supposed to do with myself for an entire month?”
“Sleep in, hang with your sister or get on your motorcycle and ride absolutely nowhere in particular. I... Syd, you almost gave me a heart attack when I saw you passed out. I know we’ve been working around the clock lately, and it has caught up to you. It happens to all of us at some point during this career, and it can happen again.”
“Who’s the profiler you’re replacing me with while I’m gone?”
“Watkins.”
“Watkins? Really? Then you might as well keep me here. Last summer when I was in Memphis, I swear that kid called me fifty times for advice.”
“He looks up to you. He respects your validation.”
She sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “Fine. Go ahead and process my vacation paperwork.” She stood, unhooked the gun from her holster and set the weapon on his desk.
He patted a folder with a sly smile. “Already did. Now get out of here before I change my mind.”
* * *
That afternoon, Sydney cuddled on her couch searching the internet for vacation spots while Bad Boys played on the flat screen in the background. She couldn’t believe she didn’t fight harder with Mumford about taking the vacation. This wasn’t the first time he’d demanded she take a break, but in the past he’d always lost. She hated to admit that she was looking forward to the month off. Lately, she’d been stressed with the job that she loved and couldn’t pinpoint why all of a sudden she found it taxing. However, Bryce’s statement—there comes a time when you have to move on—had played in her head all weekend. She’d contemplated taking the bar exam just to have it to fall back on. She’d studied for it off and on over the years, but her career had always gotten in the way. Plus, she wasn’t sure if that was the side of the law she wanted to be on. That reason alone was why she had decided not to take the bar after law school, much to her parents’ dismay.
Sydney continued searching for vacation spots while laughing at Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. The movie was on mute, but she knew the lines by heart. She didn’t see anywhere she wanted to go on the spur of the moment, and since it was winter, riding her motorcycle somewhere was out of the question. She thought about the motorcycle fest Bryce had mentioned but couldn’t remember the name of it. After reaching for her cell phone, she scrolled through until she saw his name, but she pushed the screen button off instead.
She jumped up from the couch, tossing the phone onto one of the cushions, and headed to the laundry room to check on the towels in the dryer. Fifteen minutes later, she strolled by the couch, glanced at the phone and released a low groan on the way to the linen closet in the hallway. Afterward, she sat on the floor and slid the laptop on her lap to continue searching for a quick getaway even though the trip to Vegas was the only one