Page 76 of The Last Straw

“Wait and I’ll go with you,” Charlie said.

“I’m fine. It’s not dark yet, and you can watch me from the veranda.”

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

She nodded, swiped another chip through the dip then popped it into her mouth and took off out the door barefoot.

Charlie grabbed a platter and some tongs and followed.

She was already on the grounds and striding toward the greenhouse when he reached the grill. He gave the surroundings a quick scan, and then opened the lid to check on the steaks. They needed a couple more minutes before they’d be ready to turn, so he watched for her instead.

He watched as the light came on inside the greenhouse, and then saw her silhouette as she moved toward the back to pick the tomatoes. It made him smile, thinking of how much she enjoyed them. She liked them a lot, but not as much as chocolate.

He went back to check the steaks again, and this time they were ready. He turned them, and when he looked up she was coming back toward the house with the bowl cradled against her chest, eating from it as she walked.

“Did you save me any?” he asked as she bounded up the steps.

“Maybe four?”

He grinned. “Brat.”

“How many more minutes before the steaks are done?” she asked.

“Maybe four.”

She grinned. “I’m holding you to that. I’m starving.”

Charlie looked down at her feet. “It’s already getting chilly out here. I’ll be in with the steaks in a few. Go put on your socks.”

Once he mentioned it, Wyrick suddenly felt the cold. She hurried back inside, washed the tomatoes, then left them to drain and did as she’d been told. The warmth of the thick wool socks against her skin was instant comfort.

At that point Charlie came in, and the scent of the meat made her mouth water.

“Just sit,” Charlie said. “Today you have earned the right to be waited on.”

Once they had the food on their plates, they ate in silence for the first few bites, until they had enough in them to sate the hunger pangs, and then Wyrick paused.

“Uh...Charlie?”

He swallowed a bite and looked up. “Yeah?”

“Do we have an update on Rachel?” Wyrick asked.

“No, but I did text Millie and asked her to keep us in the loop.”

“Good,” Wyrick said and took a bite of baked potato and chewed. She was silent for a few more moments. “Could we stay home tomorrow?”

“Absolutely. I intended to anyway because I had every expectation that you would need a whole day home to rest up.”

“Thanks. I want to sleep until I wake up. No alarms. No pressure. Just here...where it’s quiet and safe.”

He watched her as she ate then, thinking of all that she was, and all that she owned, and all that she knew, and all she’d asked for was somewhere quiet and safe. If only he had the power to give that to her every day for the rest of his life.

They had already taken Rachel to surgery by the time Millie got to the ER, and was directed to the surgical floor.

She raced to an elevator and then waited with a half-dozen others for a car to arrive. But the shock was still with her, and she couldn’t quit shaking.

As soon as the elevator car arrived, she filed in, pushed the button to take her to the surgical floor and then grabbed hold of the rail behind her back to keep from falling when the car started upward.

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