Page 33 of A Soldier's Return

“Bye, sweetie.”

“I’ll bring her back tomorrow afternoon. Not sure what time. I was thinking we could maybe hit a baseball game in the afternoon.”

No problem. She had nothing else to do but sit around and simply wait for him to drop off their child whenever he felt like it.

“Sounds like fun,” she said, forcing another smile. “When you figure out your plans, I would appreciate a text or call so I know roughly when to expect you.”

“You got it. Thanks, Missy.”

He picked up Skye’s suitcase and the booster seat she claimed she didn’t need anymore but legally did because she was small for her age. At least Cody didn’t argue about that as he led the way back to his flashy convertible. The booster seat barely fit in the minuscule back seat.

She stood on the sidewalk, watching as he helped Skye buckle in, opened the door for his new wife, then climbed in himself.

As Cody backed out of the driveway, Melissa whispered a prayer that her baby girl would be okay, then headed into her empty apartment.

Her remaining chores went quickly, especially without Skye to distract her with hugs and stories and eager attempts to help.

At loose ends, she couldn’t seem to focus on her own book or on the television series she was working her way through on Netflix. If only her mother were in town, they could go for a long lunch somewhere, something they never seemed to have time to do.

She needed physical activity but couldn’t summon the energy required for a run. After dithering for a few more moments, she finally decided to take a walk to deliver one of the loaves of banana nut bread she and Skye had made earlier that morning to her friends Will and Julia Garrett.

On impulse, she texted Rosa at work, asking if she was still around and, if so, could Melissa borrow Fiona for a walk.

Rosa immediately texted back a bigYESwith four exclamation points. Then she added,Both of us would thank you for that.

She smiled a little through her glum mood, grateful all over again that her wanderings had led her back here to this beautiful house and new friends.

She had a key to Rosa’s apartment, and Fiona jumped around excitedly when Melissa reached for her leash by the door.

“I’m taking a treat to the neighbors,” she informed the dog. “You can only come along if you promise to behave yourself. They’ve got that handsome Labrador who is nothing but trouble.”

Fiona shook her head as if she disagreed, which made Melissa truly smile for the first time since she had watched a red convertible drive down the road.

As she and Fiona walked down the stairs, she momentarily thought about inviting Sonia along, then remembered the second-floor tenant was out of town on one of the mysterious trips she took.

Every few months, an anonymous-looking car-service limousine would pick her up and Sonia would slip inside carrying a suitcase, then would return again by another limousine three or four days later.

Rosa had once asked her where she went, but Sonia, as usual, gave vague answers. She had offered some excuse about having to go away on a family matter, then had quickly changed the subject.

Considering she claimed she had no family, that excuse made no sense, but neither she nor Rosa had wanted to interrogate her about it.

The April afternoon was sunny and lovely, perfect for walking, with a sweet-smelling breeze dancing through the Brambleberry House gardens and the sound of waves in the distance.

She wanted to enjoy it and was annoyed with herself that she couldn’t seem to shake this blue mood.

Unfortunately, when she and Fiona walked the three blocks to Julia and Will’s beautifully restored home, nobody answered the door. She knocked several times but received no answer.

Too bad. She should have called first to make sure they were home. She could always freeze the banana bread, she supposed, though it was never quite as good as when it was fresh out of the oven.

She took a different way home, not realizing until she was almost to it that her route took her directly past Wendell Sanderson’s house. She wouldn’t have intentionally come this way, but apparently her subconscious had other ideas.

A sharp bark greeted them, and Fiona immediately started wagging her tail and straining at the leash when she spotted Max just inside the garden gate...in the company of Wendell’s entirely too appealing son.

She really should have taken another way. Oh, she hoped he didn’t think she was staking out the house in the hopes of seeing him.

She couldn’t just walk on past, as much as she wanted to. Eli watched her approach, a screwdriver in his hand and an expression on his features she couldn’t decipher.

“Hi,” he said.

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