There was no way James would have been able to keep herself together if she'd come here the night before, when everything was fresh and new. With Lotte's concern burning like a supernova, eyes so wide with panic, wordless gasps of hurt and disbelief. It was touching, and if James had been here last night, she'd have broken apart beneath the weight of such concern. She'd needed Rick's calm police demeanor then, but Lotte's fluttering worry was welcome now.
James hugged her friend briefly when she stepped inside, turning to lock the door behind her once it was closed; a new habit. "I was attacked on the way home from work," she began. Although Lotte's lasting words gave her pause in that moment. She knew something like this would happen one day?
James' brows pinched, but she didn't address the statement in this moment. She pushed the sunglasses up gently, so the whole of her face was cast into unforgiving light.