Apanying Granger''s flowers was a handmade card from Daisy. As Charlene saw it, she assumed Granger''s bouquet was simply a polite gesture on Daisy''s behalf. Still, a gift required a thank you.


    She dialed his number. He had been expecting her call and answered on the first ring. "You got the gift? Happy birthday."


    "I did. Thank you for the flowers," she said. "And please tell Daisy I absolutely love her card."


    Granger smiled. "I will. She actually made it and sent it over two weeks ago. She''ll be thrilled to hear you like it."


    Charlene''s heart warmed at Daisy''s thoughtfulness. "Please tell her that when she''s back in Starfall, I''d love to take her out to dinner."


    "I''ll let her know."


    "Thank you," Charlene said. "I won''t keep you any longer."


    Granger clearly didn''t want to hang up, but he had no reason to prolong the call. "You''re wee."


    After hanging up, Charlene paused for a moment before calling York. The call went straight to voicemail, which confirmed her suspicion that he was on base and had arranged the delivery in advance. She sent him a text, thanking him for the flowers but also gently reiterating her position. Then, she sent a simr message to Gaylord.


    After ending the call with Charlene, the smile faded from Granger''s face. He sat in silence for a long moment before dialing Moran.


    Moran answered, surprised. "Well, well, look who it is. The busy man finally has time to call. Do you have any idea how long it''s been?"


    Granger ignored his teasing. "What are you up to?"


    "What am I up to? What do you think? I''m bored out of my mind. What''s up?"


    Granger toyed with the lighter in his hand. After a beat, he asked, "Has Thorne... been busy these past few days?"


    "Him? Don''t even get me started. He''s even busier than you are. He just left for another trip yesterday afternoon."


    Granger''s gaze fell. "Is that so? Did he say when he''ll be back?"


    "No idea. He said he wasn''t sure himself." Moran couldn''t help but rant. "This is the final window to get his divorce from Charlene finalized. I mean, why now of all times? If he


    misses this one too, it''s just going to drag on even longer."


    Moran wasn''t suggesting Thorne was stalling; he was genuinely frustrated for him.


    Granger knew there were certain


    times of the year when Thorne would drop off the map for work. Still, to not ever have thirty minutes to spare seemed extreme.


    As Granger remained silent, Moran sighed on the other end of the line. "Wharet''s not talk about it. Thome''s probably more stressed about than we are content


    "Yeah," Granger murmured.


    "Want to grab lunch?" Moran offered. "I''ll invite Vesta along."


    At the mention of Vesta, Granger paused. "Let''s wait until Thorne gets back." It just


    wouldn''t be the same without him.


    "Alright, fine," Moran conceded.