CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE #2
“Isabella.” She moved over to the gate at the top of the steps. “Want to see how I can come down there?”
“Heck, yeah.” Josh was being so sweet with her.
“Watch this.” She proceeded to give him step-by-step instructions.
“You just flip this hooky thing over.” She unlatched the hook.
“Then you slide this to the side, like this.” She pushed the gate aside.
“Then you need to be very careful, because you have to turn around and go down the stairs backwards, like a ladder. See?” Isabella kept hold of the railings and methodically placed each foot on a step until she was on the floor.
“Ta-da! I didn’t fall because I was being careful. ”
“You did great, kid.” Eddie scooped her up and hung her over his shoulder.
“Put me down.” She laughed and smacked his bottom. “Put me down.”
Eddie set her on her feet on the floor.
“Can I get you guys something to eat or drink?” Lucia started toward the kitchen. “We have some sodas, iced tea, water.”
“We had breakfast, but an iced tea would be great,” Josh said.
“Make that two.” Mark walked around, taking in the place. “Man, it’s been a few years since I’ve been out here. As I’m sure you remember, your sister isn’t a big fan of the outdoors.”
“Yeah, Reina doesn’t care much for being out in nature.” Eddie chuckled.
Lucia passed out the drinks, then they all sat in the main room. Eddie, Lucia, and Isabella were on the couch. Mark and Josh sat facing them in the matching chairs. Her daughter must’ve sensed something serious was going to happen, because she immediately crawled into Eddie’s lap.
They spent a few minutes explaining to Isabella that Eddie had to take care of some business in town, which was why Mark and Josh were there.
“Why can’t we go home to our house?” She rubbed her bunny’s ear between her fingers.
“We’ll be able to go home soon, honey.” Lucia gently stroked her daughter’s leg.
“When I come back, the bad guys will be gone, and you and Mom should be able to go back home.” Eddie held her hand.
“Will you be going to our house with us?” Her big brown eyes lifted to his face.
“Mom and I will talk about that.” He tapped the end of her nose.
After multiple reassurances that he would be back tomorrow, Isabella asked if she could go back upstairs to play. She chucked her bunny up to the loft, which impressed Mark and Josh, then she spent the next couple of hours quietly playing on her own.
Eddie, Mark, and Josh hung out inside for a few hours, and before Lucia knew it, it was already lunchtime.
They’d all chipped in to make a stack of sandwiches, while she heated up a couple of cans of soup.
Afterward, Isabella protested taking a nap, but all of that wonderful fresh air coming through the open windows worked their magic, and she crashed hard within five minutes.
Lucia turned on her e-reader and tried to get into the book she’d downloaded.
Unfortunately, her mind could only think about what was coming.
After rereading the same page three times, she gave up and started cleaning.
For the next hour or so, she swept the floors, scrubbed the shower, and wiped down pretty much every surface in the kitchen.
She sat down and picked up her e-reader again, determined to get through at least one chapter. Lucia heard a thump behind her, turned around, and saw Bunny on the floor.
The latch on the loft gate flipped open, and Isabella headed down the steps, her hair sticking out everywhere. She picked up her bunny from the floor and looked around. She shuffled over to Lucia and cuddled up next to her on the couch.
“Where’s Eddie and Mark and Josh?” She rubbed her eyes and yawned.
“They’re outside fishing.” Lucia smoothed down her daughter’s wild hair.
“Can I go fish with them?” Isabella popped right back up to her feet.
“Sure, but you have to be a good listener.” She set her reader down and stood. “Let’s put some sunscreen on you.”
Isabella held her arms out so Lucia could slather sunscreen on them.
“Yuck.” She sputtered and grimaced as her mom rubbed the white lotion all over her face.
“All done.” Lucia snapped the lid shut.
“Bye, Mom!” She shoved the door open and dashed toward the guys.
“Hey, kiddo.” Eddie smiled at Isabella and gave Lucia a little wave.
Since reading was a bust, she decided to make a marinade for the steaks Mark and Josh brought out with them.
She tossed together some soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and a splash of red wine in a shallow dish. She grabbed some tongs and placed the steaks side by side, covered them with plastic wrap, and set the dish in the fridge.
With that done, she moved over to the sink to wash her hands and looked out the window to check on her daughter to make sure she wasn’t being a nuisance.
Josh was standing next to her, and she was running her hands up and down the sides of a fish before lowering it into the water and releasing it.
A while later, Isabella ran back inside. “I’m going to play with my Barbies.”
“Wash your hands first.” Merely splashing her hands in the river was not enough to wash off the fishiness. “And use soap, please,” she called out.
The water ran for a few minutes, then Isabella dashed out of the bathroom, shaking water off of her hands, and climbed up into the loft.
Some time passed when Lucia looked out to check on the guys again.
They’d put away the fishing gear and were sitting on the dock.
They appeared to be deep in discussion. She assumed it had something to do with the operation his team was about to undertake.
Lucia had argued that she had a right to know, since it involved her and Isabella.
But Eddie told her it was important that she have total deniability, should this whole thing blow up in their faces.
Considering the story Eddie had shared about what happened to Boone on their recent mission, the phrase “blow up in their faces” took on a very literal meaning. And that scared the crap out of her.