Page 183 of The Woman Left Behind

I blinked.

It was dark.

I felt my hair tucked behind my ear, then a finger slid down my jaw.

“Lillian.”

I opened my eyes.

I did not see what I expected to see.

Harry waking me for some midnight hanky-panky.

He was standing beside the bed, and the room was in shadow, but from what I could see, it seemed like he was fully clothed.

I got up on a forearm. “What’s happening?”

“Callout, Lill,” Harry told me. “I’ve got to go. Be back as soon as I can.”

Callout?

My groggy mind wasn’t computing.

It finally hit me, my man was the sheriff, and that wasn’t a nine to five, Monday through Friday job.

“Okay, honey,” I mumbled, then offered, “Do you want me to get up and make you a quick coffee?”

“Got one already in a travel mug. Just go back to sleep.”

I settled in to do as told.

He bent over me and kissed my temple.

“Is this dangerous?” I whispered.

“The threat is subdued,” he whispered back. “Just routine.”

I wasn’t all fired up about the threat is subdued part, so I focused on the last part.

“Okay, Harry, be safe.”

“Will do.”

Another kiss on my temple, and he was gone.

I didn’t know what routine meant, and I’d be finding that out as soon as Harry got home.

What I knew was, I woke up without Harry. I fed the dogs. I made some coffee. I took a shower.

And I was sitting at the kitchen table at a quarter to eight, when we were usually in line at Aromacobana.

This was when I heard the garage door go up.

The dogs got excited.

I got excited.

And we weren’t disappointed.

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