“Thanks.”
Jack studied the floor sheepishly. “If I have to get up for a farm call in the mornin’, I’ll just let yousleep. Feel free to let yourself out if you wake up before I get back. If I don’t get called to work, though,maybe we can have breakfast, and I can show you around the place, introduce you to the animals. Sandyused to call this the Island of Misfit Critters.”
Lily laughed. “About half the time, I feel like kind of a misfit critter myself.”
Jack grinned. “I know what you mean. Well ... ’night.”
“Good night.”
Lily undressed, crawled under the quilt, and, for the first time in a long time, fell right asleep.
She awoke to a gentle knocking on the bedroom door. Despite the fact that she wasn’t sure whereshe was, she called, “Come in.”
Jack entered carrying a tray. Lily couldn’t see what was on it, but she smelled the coffee, and thearoma of caffeine, was enough to make her sit up. “Good morning,” she said.
“It sure is,” Jack replied. “Nobody called, so I got to sleep in.”
Lily glanced at the Timex on the nightstand and saw it was eight-fifteen. Since when was sleepingtill eight o’clock “sleeping in”?
“I hope you don’t mind me bringing you breakfast.” Jack set the tray down before Lily.
Lily surveyed the spread: hot coffee, toast with butter and honey, and a blue bowl filled with slicedGeorgia peaches. “It’s lovely, Jack. Thank you.”
Jack shrugged. “I’m not much of a cook, but toast and coffee I can handle.”
“Care to join me?”
“I ate about an hour ago. I’ll keep you company, though.”
Jack sat on the edge of the bed while Lily ate her peaches and toast and honey. The peach sliceswere sweet and juicy and sunny-tasting, and Lily felt almost uncomfortable eating them in bed in suchclose proximity to Jack. Eating peaches in bed near another woman was the closest thing Lily had had toa sensual experience in quite some time.
“Hank was still in bed with you when I got up this morning,” Jack said.
“Yeah, he was good company — a much less obtrusive bedmate than Mordecai.” Lily sipped thecoffee, which was strong but good. “I had a cat that died about three years ago. She was fourteen yearsold. I loved her so much I’ve never been able to get another cat. I just don’t think I could stand that kindof loss again.”
“Hmm.” Jack reached into the bowl and popped a slice of peach into her mouth. “When I have toput sick animals down — which is the hardest part of my job, believe me — I always tell the owner to goout and find another pet. They won’t be able to love the new pet the same way they loved the old one, but