“Yes, ma’am,” I answer as I take the same chair I sat in last night for dinner. Mellie sits opposite me.
There’s already milk and sugar on the table, and I add it to the mug that Trudy puts on the table in front of me and then another in front of her daughter.
“Where’s Elmer this morning?” I ask after taking a sip. I wish I’d had a cup before talking to Tony. Maybe I would have handled it better. The whole time we were talking, I kept expecting him to blow up. I obviously didn’t give him enough credit. He’s proven time and again that he really is my knight in shining armor, or khakis, however you want to look at it.
“Oh, he had to leave for work a couple of hours ago,” Trudy answers as she opens the oven and pulls out a pan of homemade muffins. The streusel topping is perfectly browned, and the aroma flooding the kitchen makes my mouth water.
“I hope you like blueberry muffins,” Trudy says as she places a basket piled high onto the table. There’s butter and jam if you’d like. Anything else you need?” she asks.
“No, ma’am. This is perfect and a much better breakfast than I’d be having at home right now. I’m lucky if I have time to grab coffee and a protein bar before I head to base.”
“Wait till you taste one. You’ll understand why I visit so often,” Mellie says as she grabs one. As she tears it open, steam escapes and the blueberry scent intensifies.
I add one to my plate and rip off a piece of the edge and pop it into my mouth. Goodness gracious. Mellie wasn’t kidding about them being amazing. “You are magic, Trudy. This is the best blueberry muffin, heck, any muffin I’ve ever eaten.”
The woman’s cheeks turn rosy, and she gives me a big smile. “Oh, I’m so glad you like them. If you’d like, I’ll pack some up for you take with you when you go home.”
“Thank you. I’ll just have to hide them from my fiancé or he’ll eat them all.”
Mellie laughs. “I bet a big ol’ Navy SEAL can eat a ton of food.”
“He can, and he’s not even active duty anymore. Although, he did do PT with his teams every day until he retired about a month ago.”
“What does he do now? Or does he sit home and enjoy the peace,” Trudy asks.
Mellie and I exchange glances, and she shrugs. I thought she’d have told her parents about him too, but I guess not.
“Nope, no resting on his laurels. He started a company to help rescue victims of human trafficking and try to shut down the cells.”
“Oh wow. I’m surprised you didn’t bring him with you to help you find those missing girls.” She drops that bombshell, then takes a bite of a muffin and happily chews with a knowing smile.
“Mom, why do you think that’s what we’re doing?” Mellie asks between bites.
“I’m not stupid just because I’m from a small town. I know exactly what you’re up to Amelia Rose.”
Oops. Now it’s Mellie’s turn to blush as her mother calls her out. “I was trying not to involve you and daddy. You’ve been through enough with me already.”
“I know, baby girl, but that’s what parents are for. As soon as you called to let us know you were bringing Providence here for a visit, your daddy and me figured it out. I have to tell you, we don’t like it much.”
By the time Trudy stops speaking, Mellie is squirming in her chair like a naughty child. If the situation wasn’t so serious, it would be cute. I don’t know any other forty-five-year-old women who would let their mom give them a dressing down like that.
Before Mellie says anything, I cut in, “Actually, Tony and his team are on the way here to help. He didn’t want on us getting into trouble either. Hopefully that helps ease some of your worry, Trudy.”
“It does, thank you, Providence. It makes me feel a whole lot better. Now both of you eat up. When is your fella getting here?”
I’m about to tell her I’m not sure when my phone buzzes in my pocket.
Bubba Stud: We’ll be there in three and a half hours. Remember your promise. If something happens, call me, sweetheart. I love you.
Me: Have a safe flight. I love you.
Bubba Stud: I’m trusting you to take good care of my heart until I get there. You’re my everything, baby. Don’t ever forget that.
God, what he does to me. It’s like he knows just what I need to hear to make me feel protected. Once this is over, I owe him a hell of an apology for my reaction to the house. Sure, he overstepped big time, but it was with the best intentions. I know that, and I knew it then. It was my trauma talking, and I can’t let that ruin my life anymore.
“That was Tony. They’ll be here in three and a half hours. I’m not sure how he managed it but I wasn’t going to ask him now. I’ll find out eventually. His team can work magic sometimes, so maybe that’s what happened.” I pull off another portion of the muffin and hum in appreciation. It’s so damn good, it should be illegal. “Damn, these are so good. Oh my goodness, I apologize. That was rude.”
Trudy reaches across the table and pats the hand resting around my coffee mug. “It’s quite all right. Not like I haven’t heard worse over the years.”
