Page 16 of Bossy Hero

From: justmaddie

Subject: Quick note

Hi Alan,

This is Maddie Mason, Leo’s mother. I hope you don’t mind me contacting you this way. I’m not overly fond of texting, so I went with email. If we’re going to be friends, we should have a way to contact each other, right? I almost emailed you through your official Army address but decided this was probably better.

Anyhow, so this is me. Reach out whenever you like. Or ignore me. Whatever.

Also, I wrote to tell you how much I appreciated you staying with me in the motel last week to ensure I was okay. It was a rough night for me. That was very kind of you. I felt safe having you there at a time when safety was in short supply. Sometimes, it’s nice to remember there are good people out there who want to help strangers. I appreciate your discretion about this matter.

And a special thank you for looking out for my eldest son. He should be back on base tomorrow. I apologize for taking him away from your team for the week. I sent him back with a big batch of banana bread as my way of saying thank you. If he doesn’t share it with you, let me know. I’ll handle him.

Take care and be safe.

Maddie

* * *

Ten days later

To: justmaddie

From: ALancaster

Hi, Maddie,

I’m surprised to hear from you. Can’t say I’m disappointed. Sorry I didn’t reply sooner, but I’m not in this email account very often. I’ll change that now that I have a good reason to check it.

You haven’t left my thoughts. Not in a creepy way. I wish there were something I could do to help you feel safe all the time. But I’m glad I could be there for you that night. And there’s no reason to apologize for Leo getting leave time. Family is important. It’s a good thing we weren’t deployed.

So how are you doing? Feeling okay physically? Are you safe in your new place? Does it feel like home yet?

You probably already heard this from your son, but we’re flying out tomorrow on another mission. We’ll be out of pocket quite a bit for a few months. Replies might be spotty.

Please stay safe.

By the way, how did you get my email address? Not that I’m upset about it. It’s the opposite, actually.

Alan

* * *

The next day

To: ALancaster

From: justmaddie

You seem like an intelligent man. So I’m stumped as to why you’d ask how I got your email address. I’d have thought that would be pretty obvious.

As for me, I’m doing fine. And I do feel safe here. My daughter, Sammy, has a long weekend coming up and will be home from college to help me finish unpacking and decorating. It’s not a fancy place, but it’s nice. It’ll do for now. Getting a decent job is another thing. Still searching. For now, I’m working at a convenience store, which is... something. But it’s income. Beggars can’t be choosers.

* * *

To: justmaddie

From: ALancaster

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