Chapter 31: Wheels In Motion

Declan could sense Polly before he saw her. Her upset was like a sort of homing beacon, pulling where he needed to be. It killed him to see her so upset, despite her attempts to put on a brave face. Crossing the field in record time, she got into the Triumph, greeting him with a hug.

He returned her embrace, giving her a kiss on the cheek. There were no barriers between them anymore.

“Sorry,” Polly said, wiping away tears, “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“You are a good friend and have found a place to fit in and do what you love,” Declan said.

Polly looked at him momentarily, wondering when he became psychic.

“When did you become psychic?” she asked.

“I’m not, really. It just makes sense to me, call it empathy.”

“You don’t fit in either.”

“Most emphatically not,” Declan said, “there isn’t much room for conscience in my circles. I’m seen as a bit of a bleeding heart. Even among my colleagues who run charities. It is mostly just to boost their social currency.”