She nodded mutely and climbed into her car. She headed for the bakery to do some very belated baking, desperate for some semblance of normalcy to return to her life.
Reno rang her doorbell at exactly three o'clock with a black canvas duffel slung over one shoulder, a paper grocery bag in the other hand, and a toothbrush sticking out of his shirt pocket.
Grace smiled a tiny bit at the silly sight of the toothbrush.
He set the duffel inside the front door and followed her to the kitchen to set down the grocery bag.
"I figured you didn’t get a chance to think about supper tonight, so I shopped." he said. "I hope you and Lily like steaks, potatoes, and green beans. I got a container of strawberry ice cream, too because Lily mentioned loving strawberries last Saturday. I also got eggs and bread for breakfast tomorrow. Just in case.”
"You went grocery shopping?" she asked blankly. "In the four hours between leaving my house and getting here?"
"In the four hours between leaving your house and getting here, I bought a junker car at Boone's, helped him move it into the bay facing your bakery, sat in a meeting at the sheriff's office about a thing that’s not your bakery, made my brother promise he would leave his phone on all night so he’s reachable around the clock, and packed a duffel. I also went grocery shopping.”
“I’m exhausted just listening to that list,” she responded.
“I am not, under normal conditions, capable of doing all of that in four hours. Today I was motivated."
She handed him the spare house key. "Don't lose this."
"No, Ma'am."
"Guest room is down that hall, second door on the left. First door on the left is the bathroom. Lily’s room is across the hall from yours, I’m across from the bathroom. And Lily’s sleeping with me until this is over."
"Good," he said quietly.
Their gazes met in shared understanding. They both would do whatever it took to keep Lily safe.
He carried the duffel to his room, and she heard him open the drawer in the dresser that she’d cleared out for him.
She went out to the back porch and carried a mug with a teabag steeping in it.
She watched the dock at the bottom of the lawn, the one Liam had built. The boards were changed to silver, and she noted idly that it needed sanding and sealed soon. Not that she had the time or know-how to do it. Liam had taken care of all the repairs and renovations around the cottage.
The lake was a deep blue today with a fringe of green emerging where the water met the shore. The reeds signaled that winter was over for good and spring was well and truly here. She couldn’t find it in herself to be happy about it today.
The pre-school teacher walked Lily out to the car, and gave Grace a small, encouraging smile. Grace drove home, not really listening to Lily’s chatter, and took her inside the cottage.
Lily made it three steps through the door and stopped dead.
"Mommy, someone’s here.”
"We have a visitor. Mr. Reno is going to be staying with us for a while.”
“Why?”
Crud. She hadn’t thought up a good excuse to give Lily. But just then, Reno stepped out of the kitchen and said cheerfully, “Thanks for letting me stay her while my knee heals, Princess Lily. Going up and down stairs hurts my knee, and fortunately, your house doesn’t have any, so your mom offered to let me sleep in the guest room for a little while.”
Lily considered this gravely, then nodded in approval at this change in the configuration of her kingdom.
"Does you like strawberry ice cream, Mr. Reno?"
"Not only do I like it, I brought some with me today."
Lily’s face lit up. ”I’m glad you’re here, then!”
He grinned as Lily took his hand and dragged him toward the kitchen, presumably to swindle him into giving her some ice cream before supper. Grace shook her head as she watched them go.
She felt her shoulders drop for the first time since Lily asked who moved her stuffed cat at six AM.
