Page 33 of Gwen's Delta
He didn’t expect her to answer right away. She was at work, and he didn’t know how busy the bookstore was during the week.
Gwen:That’s great. I’m at work until five.
Merlin:Okay. I’ll call after. I hope you’re having a wonderful day.
Gwen:It just got a lot better. Talk to you later.
He was still smiling when he knocked on Commander Turano’s door.
“Enter. Merlin, what’s up?”
“While we were waiting on mission status, we went through all the intel again. There wasn’t a lot there. But from the reports, we ascertained there are at least two other operatives who’ve also missed their last check-in.”
Turano nodded. “That would explain their rush to get you over there. But it still leaves too many holes. If they’ve lost three operators in the last week, it’s a major clusterfuck over there.”
“Yes, sir. That’s what we think.”
“Thanks for bringing it to my attention. The mission status is only on hold, but there’s no guarantee it won’t change soon. The team needs to stay close to post.”
“Copy that, sir. We’re planning on it.”
“Enjoy your leave.”
“Yes, sir. I’m looking forward to a little R and R.”
“Get to it then. Dismissed,” Turano said.
Merlin saluted and left his office. As he walked through the parking lot, he considered stopping by the Ugly Mug to join the guys. Instead, he stopped for a sandwich and brought it back to his house. A quiet lunch with his book would be perfect.
Then later, he could drive over to Lancelot and surprise Gwen. Invite her to dinner, or at least coffee. It sounded like the perfect way to kick off his R and R.
Chapter 9
From the moment Gwen arrived at the bookstore at ten in the morning, she’d been working nonstop. After pouring a cup of coffee, she’d pulled up the shopping cart software. There were usually a few orders waiting since they closed the bookstore on Sundays, but as she scrolled through the list, she couldn’t believe there were over twenty. If this kept up, she might have to hire someone to manage online sales while she handled the bookstore.
The bookstore had done well over the years, some years extremely well, and it had made the family a lot of money. But since Gwen had redesigned the website and added the virtual shopping cart, business had quadrupled. At least she was putting her bachelor’s degree to work.
Gwen yawned again and then smiled. She couldn’t blame anyone but herself. But she didn’t regret one minute of her lack of sleep since she’d stayed up and talked with Luke like a giddy teen. With him leaving for an undisclosed amount of time, she hadn’t wanted to give up one extra minute with him.
She was in the kitchen that afternoon, pouring a cup of coffee, when Luke sent a text. He wasn’t leaving. Her heart skipped a beat, and some of her exhaustion eased.
A plate of cookies materialized in front of her, and she smiled up at Grams.
“Thanks. How did you know I needed some sugar?” Gwen grinned.
“You’ve been running around like a chicken without its head. Have you eaten at all today?”
“I had a protein bar before I came in.” Gwen loved her grandmother’s homemade snickerdoodles. They were heaven in a cookie and a perfect accompaniment for her coffee.
“You need to eat better. How about a slice of quiche? It’s just about ready. Gramps can take care of everything out there.”
Before Gwen could say no, Grams pulled it out of the oven. It smelled amazing.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to. The cookies will hold me over until dinner.” But her refusal didn’t sound convincing, even to herself.
“Cookies aren’t food,” Grams said as she sliced up the quiche.
A few moments later, she slid the cookies across the table and set a plate of quiche Lorraine in front of Gwen.
