Chapter 16
THE DAY AFTER
ZEKE
My mind turned off long enough for me to catch a few hours of sleep, but I wanted to be back at Marla’s bright and early to get started.
Maggie and Marla both made it sound like there was a lot to do in the bakery, and while I never steered away from hard work, I also wanted to be the one doing the most of it so that they both could focus on getting whatever they needed for the design.
It wasn’t a gender thing. Women were oftentimes far more capable than men, at least with most of the soldiers I’d met, but after the way I saw Maggie break down when we ran into her mother, I hoped that taking more of the stress off her plate would make her feel better.
Since Marla was so important to Maggie, that meant I had to do the same for her.
A hazy blue filter settled over River’s Run as I pulled into the parking space outside the bakery. The sun barely peaked over the horizon. Main Street was a ghost town, although I had the impression that River’s Run was normally like that.
None of the lights were on upstairs in Marla’s apartment yet, so I tried the door handle of what would be Marla’s bakery.
It stuck a little but opened when I added some brute force.
The interior was fairly barren; I think the space mostly needed a good scrub.
She would need to add a kitchen area because it all looked to be one giant room.
A folding partition separated an area in the corner that had an old desk, and a small door led to one of the tiniest bathrooms I’d ever seen, even by Army standards.
I decided to start with cleaning the windows to at least let in more natural light.
I planned ahead enough to bring my own set of cleaning supplies along with several tools I borrowed from the supply closet of my unit’s office.
A soldier was always prepared, even if that meant power drills and hammers.
Judging by the brightness of the sun, quite some time passed before Marla joined me.
By that time I had already managed to scrub both sides of the windows, sweep the floor, move the desk outside, and wash three of the walls.
I kept a notebook in the middle of the floor where I jotted down things that needed to be done or items that Marla should purchase as I thought of them.
She came inside clutching a travel mug of coffee with her jaw hanging open.
“Did you do all of this?” she asked in surprise.
I peered around, hoping it was enough. “I wasn’t sure what all you wanted done, so I figured cleaning was best. We’re gonna need to pick up a power washer for the brick outside, and you definitely need some new air filters, although I’d recommend getting a full flush of the system.
Has an inspector been by yet to check the HVAC system? ”
Marla’s eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets. “You’ve already determined all of that? How long have you been here?”
“Around two hours,” I replied with a quick glance at my watch. “Where’s Maggie?”
She pursed her lips. “That girl wouldn’t wake up if the Devil himself knocked. I’m sure she’s still in bed.”
I frowned. “Should I go get her? Do you want her to help?”
“Better you than me. She’ll probably be a right side nicer to you first thing in the morning.”
Rousing soldiers was nothing new to me. While I always seemed to operate best on a few hours of sleep, there were lots of other guys on my floor who needed a whole marching band in their ear to get up on time.
I didn’t want to set a foghorn beside Maggie, but I had the feeling that Marla wouldn’t hesitate to douse her with ice water if I didn’t get her downstairs to help.
Marla’s apartment was eerily silent when I entered. I had no idea which bedroom Maggie used, but I also couldn’t resist the allure of seeing her while she slept. Maggie always had her guard up; sleep might be the only time where she found a bit of peace.
The first door yielded a coat closet. I opened the second door on my left just enough to peek inside and saw sparkly clothing thrown across the bed…
the empty bed. Opening it wider confirmed, Maggie’s makeup and the wide-brimmed hat I bought her yesterday at the beach laid across the top of a dresser. But where was she?
A door opened behind me, triggering my defensive instinct, and I whipped around with my fists ready. Adrenaline surged through my system, but for an entirely different reason than an intruder.