Page 22 of Trusting Laurence
Laurence felt Tahlia’s nod against his shoulder. “Yes, I can call Maddie.”
“Good. Then call her from my phone and get her to come over. I need to take your phone and the flower back to the office, but I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
He let go of her, and she stepped back.
“Do you have a paper shopping bag and some clean rubber gloves, by any chance?” Laurence asked. She nodded, walking around the small kitchen area. After she gave him the items he’d requested, he gathered the flower box together gingerly, careful not to disturb the outside of the box too much and smudge any possible fingerprints they might find. He slipped her phone into his pocket. “I’ll get the lab on this right away. See if we can lift anything of interest off the box or cell.”
He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his own cell phone, handing it to her.
“Um, I don’t know Maddie’s number by heart. May I?” Tahlia pointed at his pocket.
“Yeah. Sorry. I should probably have thought of that.”
“I’ll be right back,” she murmured as she headed for the only other room he could see.
When she came back from making her call, she seemed more composed.
“She’s on her way. Shouldn’t take her too long to get here,” she said, handing both phones back to him.
Laurence nodded. “No problem. I’ll wait.” Now it was his turn to stand awkwardly, not knowing how to say what was on his mind.
Tahlia’s soft gaze, fixed on his, steadied him. “Lia, we need to talk. Not right now, but soon.”
She opened her mouth to answer, seemed to think better of it, then simply nodded.
“So, tell me about Maddie. The last time we talked, you hadn’t been in touch with her yet. How’s she doing?”
It was a pleasure to watch how Tahlia’s expression blossomed like a flower opening to the sun.
“She’s really good. In the thick of things with wedding plans. In fact, she was coming to fetch me later today for some flower shopping.”
“That’s good. It’ll get you out and about for a bit. And her fiancé? Have you met him?”
“Yes. I have. He’s seems like a nice guy. And he certainly treats my Maddie right. Does my heart good to see.”
They chatted for a bit about the wedding plans, Laurence doing his best to keep her distracted from his reason for being there. About fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
Tahlia started toward it, intending to open since she was expecting Maddie.
“Tahlia!” Laurence’s harsh whisper stopped her in her tracks. Her eyes wide, she simply stood looking at him. “Check to make sure it’s Maddie before you open up.”
Still not saying a word, she nodded. She walked the rest of the way. With her hand resting on the handle, she called out, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Mama. Maddie.”
She opened the door and her arms to her daughter. “Hello, princess. Thank you for coming over earlier than we planned.”
“Is everything okay, Mama? You sounded a bit weird on the phone.”
“Yes, of course, darling. I just have a surprise visitor, and I thought you might like to say hi before they leave.”
“Oh. Well, who is it?” Maddie turned her head to scan the room, and she caught sight of Larry standing near the kitchen counter. A huge smile spread across her face, and she launched herself at him. He had a scant few seconds to prepare for impact. “Oh my goodness. Uncle Larry!”
Maddie threw her arms around Laurence, squealing with excitement.
“Heya, Tiger Lily. How’ve you been?”
“Good. I’ve been good. Gosh, I can’t believe it’s really you. How long’s it been? Forever, it feels like. And I can’t believe you still remember that silly nickname.”
