Page 58 of Their Stormy Reunion

Dad chuckled. “So, did I. But you never left enough for me, as far as I was concerned.”

“Mom would catch you trying to steal some out of the Tupperware she had set out to take, and get mad at you.”

“But never too mad.” my dad winked at me.

Who was this man, and what had he done with Bob Vickers?

“Please don’t say you’ve finished off the pie, Bob,” Michael said as he and Mom came back into the kitchen. “I didn’t get a big enough slice the first go around.”

“There is still some left for you, Michael.” Dad grinned. Then he yawned.

“Bob, do you need to—” Isla started. As she began clearing plates from the table.

“No, I’m fine.” But it was clear he was exhausted. The day had caught up with him, despite all the time he had spent in bed after the trip to the hospital. “Michael, I haven’t thanked you for saving my daughter’s life,” my father choked out. Were those tears in his eyes?

“Bob, you don’t have to thank me.”

“But I do. I don’t know what I would have done, if I’d lost Fallon.”

They were tears!

Michael moved around the table and rested his hand on my dad’s shoulder. “It was my honor,” he whispered.

Dad nodded. “Actually, I am tired,” he said. “I’m going to need some help getting back into bed.”

“I can—” Mom started.

“No, let Michael,” Dad replied. “I’m going to be too heavy for you, Honey.”

Michael helped lift Dad out of his chair and they started down the hall together. After they were out of earshot, Mom looked over at me. “Michael’s a good man,” she said.

“Yes. Yes, he is,” I agreed.

Chapter Seventeen

Things were finally back to normal. The project that my company had been working on was going to make the deadline, and we’d get our on-time bonus. I was already considering one of three different clients to take on, and I was now down to taking over-the-counter pain killers.

Michael had been back to work and was due home any time now, and Dad had already had his bowling buddies over this morning. I just wished I wasn’t walking around with a limp.

The door to my bedroom opened just as I had finished my call with Eddie and Vanessa. I looked up to see Mom with her gardening hat on.

“You ready?” she asked.

“More than. I need some vitamin D.” I smiled up at her.

She came into my room and handed me my sun hat. “I set up a chair so you can prune the roses while I plant pansies along the front hedge.”

“Sounds good,” I said as I got out of my chair. “You seem to be doing a lot better with the medicine that the new doctor put you on.”

“I am.” Mom nodded vigorously. “Thank you so much for getting me that appointment.”

“You’re welcome,” I said as I followed her out of my bedroom toward the back door.

“Oh, can you call Michael and have him drop by Draper’s Hardware and pick up a combination lock for the shed? Ours went missing the day you got bit.”

I frowned. “What do you mean it went missing? Didn’t you take it? It wasn’t on the shed when I went into it that afternoon.”

“Honey, you’re wrong. Of course it was. I always lock the shed. We have poisonous chemicals in the shed, I don’t want any of the neighborhood children to get in there. Not that I think they would, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”