Page 47 of I Still Do

She was starting to think about lunch when her phone rang. When she saw Grey’s name, she couldn’t stop her smile. “Good afternoon.”

“Right back at ya. How are you doing? Any news?”

“Nothing from the police. But I’ve got a rental car, and they even delivered. Talk about service.” She sat down on the futon.

“That’s great. Hopefully you’ll hear about your car soon.” He spoke to someone in the background. “I’m here at a sandwich shop. I’d like to bring you some lunch if you’re up to it.”

She hadn’t thought she’d be seeing Grey again today and was happy to have the opportunity. “That would be awesome. Turkey, swiss cheese, mayo please.”

“You got it. I’ll be by in the next twenty minutes.”

They said goodbye. True to his word, there was a knock on her door not long after. She ushered him in and breathed in the amazing smell of hot sandwiches. “Aren’t you working today?”

“I took a long lunch. I’ll have to go back in about an hour.”

“Well, you are a life saver, Grey. Thank you.”

He looked pleased. “You are more than welcome.”

They put food on plates and chose to eat in the living room and use the coffee table.

Grey took a bite of his sandwich and nodded appreciatively. “Yep, that hits the spot. So, about your car, did you have anything in it?”

“A book of CDs, but that was it. It’s not like the stereo was anything to write home about.” She couldn’t imagine why someone would want to steal her beat-up car.

“They probably either did it on a dare, or for parts.”

“I’m trying to think positively. Maybe this is what I needed to finally get a new car, not that I’m looking forward to payments.” She cringed. She’d chosen the car she had now a few years ago with the express purpose of paying cash and not having to leach money from her paycheck every month. She supposed it was bound to happen eventually. “Guess who I heard from yesterday?”

His brows rose. “Who?”

“Your mom. She called to invite me to Thanksgiving dinner.” She expected him to be shocked, but he only looked mildly surprised. “Why don’t you seem surprised?”

“Because Mom mentioned she was going to and wanted to make sure I was okay with it. I told her I was.”

She looked at him curiously. “Then you want me to go?”

“Yep.”

His simple, clear answer brought a chuckle out of her. “You don’t need to think about it first?”

“Nope.” He grinned. “In case I haven’t been clear about it, I enjoy spending time with you, Cora. The more of it, the better.”

“I’ll have to see if I can get a hotel reservation.”

“I’m sure Mom would happily let you stay with her.” He was watching her with an amused smile on his face. “I know things are still up in the air with your car. You can drive down with me, so you can’t use that as an excuse.” Now he was just looking downright smug.

Cora balled up her napkin and threw it at him. “Well now, you’ve just thought of everything.” The idea of seeing Flynn and Abby again made her nervous. “I’ll talk to my boss. I’m off work for Thursday and Friday, but I’m usually on call. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Great!”

Cora’s phone rang then, and she answered. It was the police officer assigned to her case. After listening to the news, she ended the call with a heavy sigh.

“Any word?”

“Yeah, they found my car. It’s been stripped right down to the tires. I guess I’ll update my insurance and then wait to see what they’re able to do.”

“I’m sorry, Cora.”

---