Page 77 of Of Literature and Lattes
“You’re curious.” He studied her.
“Beyond curious.”
Pullman smiled and shifted his focus to Alyssa’s lawyer. “Counselor? I think we’re done here.”
Tracy huffed as Alyssa stood up. “When can I start?”
Within minutes Agent Barnes and Tracy Meyers were batting legal issues back and forth at the end of the table before he guided her out of the building.
Within an hour Alyssa had been issued a temporary security badge and was sitting on a hard plastic chair in a small room on the third floor facing three monitors connected to two linked computers.
“What else do you need?” Pullman stood beside her.
“Nothing. Let me see what’s here... I assume you’ve got the entire team’s notes, algorithms, everything from the servers?”
“Everything.”
Alyssa rolled her shoulders and set her hand on the keyboard. “Then I’m set.”
He nodded and stepped to the door.
She twisted to face him. “Thank you.”
He turned and studied her again. “You’re welcome... Restrooms are down the hall, and there’s a small kitchen past them on the right. You’ll find coffee, water, some dreadful snacks. I’ll have sandwiches delivered at noon, so plan on a break then.”
“Could... could I have a salad instead?”
He raised a brow.
“Sorry. I just found out I have celiac disease.” Alyssa’s voice lifted, almost as if she were asking a question. It was the first time she’d used the word, called it out in public. It felt like a new identity and not as bad as she thought it would be.
“Salad it is, Ms. Harrison.” Pullman chuckled. “Get to work.”
Chapter 34
There was one person Jeremy wanted to walk through Andante’s front door Monday morning—and it wasn’t Alyssa. He knew she was headed to the FBI, and he checked his phone every five minutes, anxious to hear from her. No... He wanted to see George Williams. He wanted to show him the pillows. He wanted to tell him he was sorry about his wife. He wanted to ask him questions about his kids, his life, and the town. And his eagerness to do all those things surprised him. He wanted to learn from the man and, at some level, he admitted, he wanted to please him. He wanted George to walk into Andante, smile, and say, “Well done.”
The approval of a parent... To have a parent near... To lose a parent...
He called across the shop. “Ryan?”
“Yes?”
Jeremy noted the wariness that lingered in Ryan’s voice. He suspected Ryan was still working through how he felt about being back in Andante, and he couldn’t blame him. The saying “forgive and forget” sounded a little too easy sometimes.
“Can you hold down the fort for a few?”
“Sure thing.”
Jeremy pulled an espresso shot, turned it into an almond milk latte, and headed three doors down. He walked into the bookshop and, with Claire and Janet busy with customers, crossed to the side storage room he knew served as Madeline’s law office. He tapped on her doorjamb.
She looked up and lifted out of her seat. “Hey, Jeremy. How can I help you? Did the police call you?”
“No. Nothing.” He waved her back to sitting and sat across from her. Of the three women in the shop, she had been the most daunting. Although they were the same age, Madeline came from an entirely different world. She was educated, polished, and she spoke quickly with a no-nonsense manner that had intimidated him. Yet when he’d called the shop from the Winsome Police Station two weeks before, she had come without question or hesitation.
He slid the latte her direction and cleared his throat. “I wanted to ask you about something else.”
She raised the cup in thanks and nodded for him to continue.
