Page 150 of The Woman Left Behind

What could he say to that?

“We’ll talk about it more later, but if you stay there, I want those cameras installed.”

Greg Moran grinned.

“Caroline’s going to come up with you?” Harry asked leadingly.

Greg shrugged. “We both thought we could keep it casual. We both were wrong. One of the reasons I can work with Josh on the buyback is because I’m selling the house down in Phoenix and we’re moving in together.”

Harry’s smile was broad at learning that news.

“I dig that for you, Dad,” Harry told him, his words loaded with feeling.

“I dig it too,” Greg replied, smiling his own wide smile.

“We should talk about dinner tonight, if Caroline’s leaving the day after tomorrow.”

“She has an evening flight. We’ve got time. We can do dinner tomorrow night. But I think Lillian needs a break from everyone up in her face and space. They all got good intentions, but we both know, Harry, shit happens, but life goes on. You have to settle into life getting on, because you’re not always going to have people around to distract you.” More intent in his gaze. “And you have to have the space to deal with it without distractions.”

Harry couldn’t agree more. He’d learned that lesson the hard way, distracting himself with work, and not getting on with life.

Lillian hadn’t complained.

The memorial was behind them. Lillian had placed the urn on a chest in her living room with the original picture of her parents that had been enlarged for the service resting in a fancy frame beside it. Sherise had left that morning. Shane had an afternoon flight he was probably on right then.

The stage was set.

Lillian had to get back to real life.

“I might be with you at the house,” Harry told his father.

His dad burst out laughing.

When it started to wane, Harry stated, “I’m just staying with Lillian due to what’s been happening.”

“You try to leave that girl, go ahead, see what happens,” Greg suggested, sounding like just the thought was hilarious.

“You were right earlier, Dad, she needs space.”

“From me, Caro, people sending her flowers and covering her in casseroles. Not you, boy. Christ.”

“Again, we haven’t even been together a month.”

They’d barely been together two weeks, and only that if he was looking at it like Lillian did, and their first “date” was the first day they met.

“If I’ve told you this once, I’ve told you the story a million times. Yor mother opened the door to me when I picked her up on our first date, she smiled at me, and I knew I was going to marry her. You just know. You knew with Winnie. You know with Lillian. And I’m telling you, son, no matter what’s going on, she isn’t missing she knows it with you.”

“I’m aware. We’ve discussed this,” Harry shared. “But she still needs?—”

“You.”

“Dad—”

Greg shook his head. “You do what you gotta do to make it right in that head of yours. Part of me is proud you’ve got such a firm grip on right and wrong. Part of me wonders where we went wrong with how stubborn you are. But you’ll see.”

Harry decided it wasn’t worth the effort to discuss it further.

“Right. We’ll see. So dinner tomorrow night?”

---