Cole leaned across the table, his breath shallow, his hands trembling violently as he gripped the edge of the laminate.
"What did you say?" Cole’s voice broke, hoarse with raw, desperate disbelief.
The little girl blinked, surprised by the sudden intensity in his eyes, but she did not flinch. She hugged her stuffed rabbit tighter against her ribs and pointed a small finger back toward the diner’s side door leading to the rear parking lot.
"She’s outside changing the tire on our station wagon," the girl said innocently. "She told me to wait inside with Mr. Flops."
Chapter IV: The Reunion in the Dust
Cole stood up so fast his booth table shuddered.
The waitress gasped, but Cole didn't notice. Leaving his coffee and wallet behind, he reached down, took the child’s small hand into his massive, trembling palm, and pushed through the screen doors out into the blinding afternoon sun.