Page 121 of The Woman Left Behind

He smiled at her. “I’m in the mood for comfort food.”

She tipped her head to the side. “Bad day?”

He took in a deep breath, moved so he was twisted, resting both his forearms on the bed so his face was close to hers, and he told her about the journals and Dern.

He ended it with, “There’s a letter for you too, baby, from your mom. She explained things. She just didn’t get around to posting it. I’ll have it all tomorrow and we’ll find a time you can look at it.”

It was shaky, and her eyes were bright, but she said, “Okay, Harry.”

“They died May eighteenth, honey,” he said gently.

She closed her eyes and dropped her head.

Harry inched closer and put his lips to her hair.

“Why does it feel good, knowing that?” she asked the comforter.

“Don’t know,” he said to her hair. “But if it does, just feel it.”

Harry pulled back when she lifted her head. “That’s the day they left.”

She remembered.

Of course she would.

He nodded.

“They didn’t mess around, whoever killed them,” she remarked.

Linus, with bad timing, jumped up on the bed, and Harry ordered, “Off.”

“No,” Lillian protested. “They’ve been hanging with me. Mom and Dad loved animals. We had dogs all while I was growing up. The last one died about a year before they left. He was Dad’s buddy. There were times the only good thing about all of that was that Bentley was gone before Dad was. Bentley wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”

“However you want it, Lilly,” Harry replied.

“I got stuff to make a stir fry, but there’s a chicken tetrazzini casserole that’s been calling my name since I peeled back the foil.”

“I’ll go turn on the oven.”

He made to stand, but she caught his wrist, so he stilled.

“I’m okay,” she stated.

“You don’t have to be,” he returned.

“I know, but I want you to understand, I’m okay. Don’t think anything about me being in here. I’ve been missing them forever, I’ll keep missing them. I’m kind of…coming to terms, I guess. Maybe I’m searching for things to help me. Like the fact they died together, and I know that would bring them peace. Not a lot, but it’d be there. Like people are going to know now, not that they didn’t before, but they’ll for sure know Mom and Dad didn’t have anything to do with that robbery. I hate that they’re dead. I hate how they died. But I’m coping.”

“Do we have to have the conversation again about how I don’t think you’re an emotional leech?” he teased.

Her lips tipped up. “No.” Then her fingers tightened around his wrist. “I just like you, and I know you’re going balls to the wall for me, so while you’re doing that, I don’t want you to worry about me at the same time.”

“That’s gonna happen anyway.”

She let out a sad sigh.

“Put yourself in my shoes, where would you be at?” he asked.

It took a beat, but her eyes lit, and she replied, “I get you.”

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