Page 58 of Protected By Duval
“What did you think?” Noelle felt more than a little nervous about his answer.
“It’s great, Noelle. Really great.”
She smiled. McCrae wasn’t very effusive in his words. She was very pleased with what he said. “Thanks. I hope it will help to identify her.”
“With your work? I’m sure we will. I’m going to show it to my mom and see if she knows the woman.”
Noelle put some peach bodywash on the hand towel and gave it to her daughter.
“I kind of hope your mom doesn’t know her.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the call and then…
“Yeah. I kind of hope she doesn’t either.” He sighed softly.
“I hope they find her family and she gets to rest… soon.”
“Yeah,” he sighed again, “that would be nice. She deserves to have a name and a decent resting place.”
Ciela was busy bathing the dolphin toy she had in the tub and Noelle reached in and tapped her daughter on the shoulder. “Wash your body first.”
Her daughter rolled her eyes and Noelle saw a lot of herself in that eye-roll.
“Now that you’re done with the reconstruction for the Rangers,” McCrae drew out his words a bit. “I was wondering if you’d like to come out to the house on the weekend with your mom and Ciela. We’re having a little barbecue and my mom wants to have you and your family over.”
Ciela perked up at his words. “Mister King? Do you have horses?” Before he had a chance to answer, Ciela rushed on. “Cuz I’m a horse! I’m a little pony!”
Noelle opened her mouth to say something. To clarify what Ciela had said, but she couldn’t quite figure out what to say.
“Well then,” McCrae answered her daughter, “it’s good that I have other horses for you to play with.”
Ciela turned her head and started at her with eyes wide and filled with wonder and excitement. “Mama, can we?”
“What day? Time?”
Her phone pinged with an incoming message.
“Already sent.”
Noelle smiled, her cheeks warming with anticipation. “Let us know what we can bring.”
McCrae made a non-committal sound. “My mom would say nothing. She’s already planned out the menu.”
“And my mom,” she shot back, “will go stir crazy showing up without something to contribute.”
McCrae’s laughter warmed her in ways she didn’t want to think about. “Then… have your mom bring her favorite dessert and our moms can trade recipes with each other.”
“Okay,” she grinned. “She’ll like that.”
“My mom will, too.”
“I like it, too!”
Noelle looked at her daughter and grimaced with love. Her daughter was nearly covered in bodywash bubbles.
“Okay. I’ve got to go and find my daughter in a pile of bubbles.”
“That sounds like fun.” McCrae chuckled at that.
