“I’m taking excellent care of it,” she assured him. “In fact, I just got in some new adventure books. I think you’ll love them.”
“Can you save me one? The best one?”
“I’ll save all the best ones for you,” she promised.
She moved to the window seat and settled onto the cushions.
“I promised we’d call,” Frank said next, his voice gentler than she’d ever heard it. “And I intend to keep all my promises to you.”
Tears stung Isabel’s eyes. “That sounds good to me. How are you really?”
“We’re okay,” Frank said carefully. “I can’t say much about where we are, but we’re being well looked after.” He paused, and she could almost see him running a hand through his hair the way he did when he was choosing his words carefully. “Isabel, I need to know that you’re being careful. William says they have someone watching the bookstore, but Dave could still find you.”
After what had happened, she was more relieved than annoyed that William had organized someone to watch her. “I’m being extra careful.”
“Good,” he said, obvious relief in his voice. “I hate that you have to change your life because of me.”
“Don’t start that again,” she chided gently. “I’m a grown woman who makes her own choices, remember?”
Frank sighed. “I remember. Still, I—” He broke off, and she heard a muffled conversation in the background.
“Frank?”
“Sorry,” he said, returning. “William says we should keep the call brief.”
Isabel swallowed the regret bubbling inside her. “Will you be able to call again?”
“Yes, but I don’t know when.” There was another pause, heavier this time. “Isabel... that night, what I said before we left?—”
“I know,” she interrupted, not needing him to spell out their feelings while other people might be listening. “I meant what I said, too.”
She heard his intake of breath and, for a moment, it was as if the distance between them had vanished. “The trial begins in five weeks,” he said finally. “It could take another two or three weeks after that. But then, if all goes well...”
“I’ll be here,” she assured him. “We talked about this, remember? The bookstore, the fishing trip, the dinner—all of it will wait for you.”
“Isabel Stewart,” he said, his voice rough with emotion, “you are remarkable.”
Before she could reply, Tommy’s voice piped up in the background, making her smile. “Tell her about the cookies, Grandpa!”
“We’re bringing you cookies,” Frank reported with a laugh. “One of the FBI agents has promised to teach Tommy her secret recipe.”
“I’ll look forward to that,” Isabel told them. “Stay safe, both of you. And call when you can.”
“We will,” Frank promised. “Take care of yourself, Isabel.”
After they hung up, Isabel sat for a long moment, holding the phone against her chest and thinking about what Tommy and Frank had said.
“Was that them?” Lynda asked as she hurried over.
Isabel nodded. “They’re safe.” She hesitated, not wanting to share too many details, even with Lynda. “That’s all I really know.”
“And how did Frank sound?”
“Worried,” Isabel said with a sad smile.
Lynda sat beside her on the window seat. “That’s what happens when you care about someone. It makes you put the other person first, even when your own world is falling apart.”
Isabel gripped the phone tighter. “I care about Frank and Tommy a lot.”
