Coming Home(135)

Leah watched an intense pain flicker behind Danny’s eyes before the fa?ade was back in place, and he smiled, walking over to give her a hug.

When he let her go, Eric stepped back into his office and turned to Danny. “Ready?” he asked, and Danny nodded before he looked at Leah.

She walked over to them, putting her hand on Catherine’s shoulder. “Catherine, do you want to go have a cup of tea? I noticed a diner down the street when we got here.”

Danny nodded. “That’s a good idea, Gram. It’ll be more comfortable than waiting out here. I’ll meet you guys over there when I’m done.”

She smiled unsteadily. “That sounds lovely, sweetheart.”

Leah turned to Danny, giving him a hug as she brought her lips to his ear. “She’ll be fine, I promise. Go do what you have to do.”

“Thank you,” he said before he pressed his lips to her forehead, and then he turned and walked into the office. Eric smiled and gave them a small nod before he shut the door.

“Ready?” Leah asked, and Catherine nodded weakly.

They walked the block and a half down to the diner in relative silence. The interview with Eric had taken a lot out of her, and the last thing Leah wanted was to make her feel obligated to keep up some mindless small talk. So, she was going to follow her lead; if Catherine preferred to sit in reflective silence rather than talk, then that’s what they would do.

Once they were seated, they each ordered a cup of tea and a muffin, and as the waitress left their table, Catherine removed her coat.

“Funny, isn’t it?” she asked in her soft, raspy voice. “You and I having tea together again?”

Leah smiled. “I bet you didn’t think you’d be seeing me before next Christmas.”

“Actually, I had a feeling I’d be seeing you again.” She smiled genuinely for the first time that day as she said, “Old Italian ladies all have a sixth sense. We know everything.”

Leah laughed as the waitress approached the table with their tea and muffins, and it was quiet for a minute as they both fixed their tea.

“You know,” Catherine said, dunking her tea bag in the steaming mug, “when you left my house that day, Daniel took me out to dinner, and every few minutes, he’d find a way to turn the conversation back to you. ‘So, who was that?’ ‘Why did you invite her inside?’ ‘How long did she stay?’ ‘What were you talking about?’ I think he was trying to be casual.” She looked down with a smirk as she removed the tea bag, shaking her head. “Men are so transparent,” she chuckled softly, placing the used tea bag on the tiny saucer.

Catherine wrapped her frail hands around the warm mug. “I’ll admit that a little part of me wished I’d had some way to contact you. And then, wouldn’t you know it, we came home and found your note.” She smiled to herself. “And that’s when I knew I could relax, because there were higher powers on the job.”

She looked up at Leah with a tiny laugh. “The night he found your bracelet, he had this little glint in his eye. Like Christmas morning. Even better than finding it was finding his excuse to call.”

Leah’s stomach fluttered at the realization that he’d been interested in her, even back then.

“I do believe everything happens for a reason,” Catherine said, running her finger along the rim of her mug. “I’ve always believed that. I only had one child. My daughter. There were some complications during delivery, and I wasn’t able to have any more.”

“I’m sorry,” Leah said, and Catherine smiled sadly.