Page 102 of Her Hidden Smile

I chuckled.

“I’m going to go wash up, then I’ll come set the table.”

“Sounds good.”

I made it through the shower in record time and was back out to see Millie in less than fifteen minutes. She’d already set the table and had everything ready for us to eat.

“Cariña, I would have taken care of this, you could have waited.”

“It wasn’t a problem. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about some things.”

I picked up the beer she had put at my place setting and took a sip. “Okay, shoot.”

“Eat first, then we’ll talk.”

“How about if I take a couple of bites and then we talk while we’re eating?” I suggested.

She nodded.

I cut into the stuffed pepper and then took my first bite. It was a mouthful of flavor country. “This is great.”

She gave me a funny look. “Yeah, it doesn’t even taste like a vegetable.”

I shook my head at her. “Baby, I’m so glad the doc tests your blood regularly; with the way you don’t eat vegetables and pound sugar, I worry about you.”

“It’s nice of you to worry.” She took another bite and smiled.

I was halfway through my meal before I asked her what she wanted to talk about.

“I think I’m ready,” she said. “What do you think? Don’t you think it’s time? Do you think I can handle it?”

Does she know about the ring I have hidden in the gun safe?

“Well okay,” I said slowly. If she wanted to get married now, we could swing it. I would have liked to have waited until after Jase’s wedding.

“So, you agree. You think I’m ready, too?”

I frowned. “Cariña, I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about leaving the house. Leaving the farm.”

I put down my fork and stared at her. I’d been so worried that after being held hostage, her agoraphobia would be worse, but then she didn’t have the panic attack at the hospital, so that gave me hope. And now this.

“Millie, I’ll back any play you want to make. I’m beside you or behind you, whatever you need, whenever you need it.”

She picked up her water glass and her hand trembled, so she set it back down again.

“I’m scared,” she whispered. “But I don’t care if I am scared. I was scared the entire time that dick was in my house, and I handled things anyway. I can do this. I want to do this. I want to have a normal life.”

“I want whatever you want, Millie. I’m here for you,” I whispered.

She pushed her hand across the dining table toward me and I grabbed it.

“I don’t want to just go to someone’s house. What I really want to do is go to the same table that Mom, Dad and I always sat at, at Down Home, but I’m positive I’ll have a meltdown with all of those people. But that’s where I want to go.”

I squeezed her hand and thought.

“I betcha Little Grandma would close down the diner for you to have meal at that table.”