Page 75 of The Woman Left Behind

He dumped his stuff by the couch and moved to the kitchen.

Lillian had a mug waiting for him by the coffeemaker.

He claimed it, took a sip and headed to where she was scrambling cheesy eggs at the stove. There was a plate with buttered toast at the ready.

“Looks good,” he said.

“I like that you’re here and I get to cook for you.”

Harry accepted that velvet blow gladly.

She tipped her head back to look up at him. “But I’m going to lose my feminist card having said that, so don’t tell anybody.”

“Are you a feminist?” he asked.

She appeared confused. “Well…yeah.”

He smiled at her. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I liked you at my place so I could cook for you too. All equal.”

“Shoo,” she joked.

He kissed the side of her head.

She let him, then took the skillet off the burner and scraped all the eggs on the plate by the toast.

“None for you?” he asked.

She handed him the plate and reached for her mug. “I’m just going to have toast.”

He didn’t argue, it wasn’t the time. And anyway, Ronetta would soon be in the picture, the handoff complete, and she would look after their girl.

He took his food to the table. Lillian came with him.

He ate. She sipped coffee.

He used that time again to savor. Savor having someone close as you went about your morning. Savor sitting at a table eating while she sipped her coffee. Savor the fall of her hair on her shoulders and the way her cardigan had slipped off one.

But Harry knew this was something else for her, having him there.

And he savored that too.

She waited until he was done and washing it down with the last of his joe before she asked, “When can I get them back?”

He reached out and took her hand before he told her about the rest of the conversation he had with Lynda.

“The police have processed everything they need to process, and they’ll be released within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. The minute we get word, I’ll be dispatching Wade Dickerson, one of my best deputies, to go get them.”

Wet trembled at the edges of her eyes, as did her voice, when she said, “Thanks, Harry.”

“They’re also investigating this.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll be giving them everything we have, and we’ll be investigating here.”

She nodded.

“And I have Jason and Jesse Bohannan in Idaho. They’ll be turning over rocks too.”

---