Page 120 of The Woman Left Behind

“Appreciate you. And maybe refrain on the flowers, Rita. Lillian is going through it right now, she doesn’t have a lot of fond memories about her time as a Zowkower, it’d be the kindest thing you could do not to remind her of them.”

It came tight when she said, “You’re heard.”

“Obliged. You have a good evening.”

“Same to you, sheriff.”

They disconnected, and seeing as that was all he could do unless he could get Willie’s ass in one of his cells, Harry shut down his office and walked to Lillian’s.

TWENTY-NINE

Chicken Tetrazzini

Harry

The minute Harry walked through Lillian’s front door, he saw the town of Misted Pines had gotten on it that day.

This came in the form of flower arrangements dotting pretty much every surface in Lillian’s living room and kitchen.

Proof, Sonny and Avery were good people who were missed.

Proof, the first half of that, Lillian was too.

All his dogs came out to greet him, and Harry immediately felt a tightness enter his chest, because they came out of her parents’ bedroom.

“Lilly?” he called.

“Back here,” she called in return.

Yep, she was in their bedroom.

Shit.

He gave three rubdowns, then, with fur brushing his legs, he headed to the hall and through the open door that had yet to be open any time Harry was there.

He discovered two things.

One, Lillian decorated like her mother. It was a little dated, but the same cozy femininity was all over this room, and Harry wondered if Sonny enjoyed being surrounded by Avery as much as Harry enjoyed the same from Lillian.

He reckoned Sonny did.

He also found Lillian curled up on their bed.

She got up on a forearm and said, “Don’t worry. I actually come in here a lot. Well, not a lot, but I do come in here when I get to missing them too much. It still smells like them.”

She wasn’t wrong.

It was vague, but even so, Harry scented lilies, which wasn’t a surprise, and something spicy and musky.

Her mom’s perfume and her father’s cologne or aftershave.

This didn’t make his chest any less tight.

She patted the bed.

He went and sat on it, then he tucked her hair behind her ear and said quietly, “Got some deliveries, I saw.”

“Front porch was covered with them when I got home from Jenna’s,” she reported. “And we have so many casseroles, Ronetta and George had to put some in their fridge.” She frowned exaggeratedly. “Alas, I gave them a thorough inspection, and none of them are Harry Moran Hot Body Approved.”

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