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“You on the way to the base?” Maybell asked at the same moment his grandmother said, “That’s a good picture of you that Tilly posted.” Effie held up her phone as if he might be unaware of it.
He was well past the stage of simply being aware, but it was a shocker to actually see it. The rising sun had caught Jack’s granite tombstone just right so that it appeared to be a brilliant white. Like a shining star. With Egan’s back to Tilly, he was practically a silhouette.
In a flight suit.
The uniform came through crystal clear, and with Egan’s head lowered, it appeared he was paying respect to a fellow fallen officer. Which he hadn’t been. Not really. He’d gone there to confess about that blasted kiss.
Maybell stood, putting the rest of Effie’s and her pastries in a to-go box that they’d obviously already asked for. “Better get Derek back home.”
His dad must have noticed the activity because he got up as well. Obviously compliant of the doctor’s orders, but he also looked tired. Too tired. And his color was still off.
It would have been damn hard for Egan to explain why the compliancy was bothering him, though, but it was. His dad hadn’t pressed to get back to work. He’d been following the rules, and that likely meant he was scared. Depressed. Or both. Added to that, his dad had had the whammy of both his wife and daughter leaving after what their duty demanded as short visits.
Egan had already asked Alana how his dad was really doing so he wouldn’t press her again on it. No, it was best if he had the heart-to-heart talk with his dad instead. A talk that wouldn’t make things more worrisome than they already were.
“Son,” his dad greeted as he eased himself out and away from the booth. Unlike Maybell and Effie, he didn’t box up his leftovers, though it appeared he hadn’t eaten much. “Always good to see you in uniform.”
The words were right, but Egan thought he heard the worry beneath them. Or rather the reminder that Egan was halfway through his month of leave, and after that, the plan was... Egan decided not to fill in the blanks on that, not with so much still up in the air.
“I won’t be long,” Egan assured him.
Derek nodded, which had a weariness to it, too, and he moseyed out the door with Maybell and Effie. Not exactly leaving Egan alone with Alana but close.
“Is Dad upset about Remi and Audrey leaving?” Egan came out and asked her.
Alana opened her mouth to answer, and when Egan followed her glance around, he realized they had the attention of the waitress, the four customers and the cook. On a silent mutual agreement, Alana and he went outside.
Not to his truck.
There was a silent, mutual agreement about that, too, since the last time they’d been in a truck, they’d kissed. Instead, they went to the sidewalk, giving a wave to Maybell as she drove away with Effie and Derek.
“Your dad didn’t come out and say he was upset,” Alana was finally able to answer, “but I think he’s feeling a little blue. Remi was worried about that happening, and that’s why she stopped by my office on her way out of town.”
Egan hadn’t known about his sister making that visit to Alana, but it didn’t surprise him. Remi had been just as upset as he had over their conversation that Alana had overheard.
“I didn’t press Remi for any other details ofMiss Things Just Happened,” Alana added a moment later.
“Neither did I,” he volunteered.
Another pause. “Remi guessed that we had kissed,” Alana said.
Crap. Of course, she had. Remi wasn’t blind. And neither were the town gossips, a reminder that while nothing Alana and he were saying was being overheard, they were being observed. The waitress was now at the window, peering out at them, and the car that drove past crept along well below the speed limit. Added to that, two vehicles had pulled into the parking lot, and while Egan hadn’t noticed the drivers, he recognized one of the cars as Tilly’s.
“Remi won’t say anything to anyone,” Alana went on, “but...”
No need for her to confirm that word would, indeed, get around, and that was a good reason for them to say their goodbyes, which they did. Alana headed up the street toward the hospital, and Egan went to his truck. He didn’t get far, though, before someone called out to him.
Tilly again.
The woman was out of her car and headed straight toward him. Egan groaned because Tilly was no doubt about to bring up gossip about Alana and him.
Or so he thought.
But the woman was smiling and waving her phone around. “The newspaper’s going to put the picture on their website,” she gushed out when she was still a good ten yards away.
Egan didn’t need any time for that to sink in, and while it wasn’t a dreaded chat about Alana and him, it was dreaded. His picture at Jack’s grave would be right there for everyone to see. Well, everyone in town who ventured to the website, anyway. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be that many people.
Egan soon learned he was wrong about that, too.
