A mere 36 hours later, with the case closed and escape plans pushed off into the future again, Neal came down after his coffee, and plopped into his familiar seat at June's table. Familiar the word strikes him slightly as he realizes how close he came to familiar slipping away again.
"Good morning, Neal," June's chipper greeting pulls Neal away from further musing. "Still here I see?"
"You already knew that, June. You sent the coffee this morning." Neal flashed one of his sparkling smiles.
"I know more than that. So tell me, why are you here?"
"Well, you see, I was arrested and the lodgings provided to me as a consultant weren't quite adequate, so when I met a dashing and sympathetic woman I took her up on her offer."
June smiled coyly from above her coffee mug. "Oh, come now, Neal. I meant 'why are you here this morning?'."
"Is there someplace else I'm supposed to be?"
"I've been told Hawaii is awfully nice this time of year."
"I think your source has clearly never experienced the amenities that New York has to offer, including your coffee."
"I am not so sure about that. The isles have several perks of their own. More sun, fewer taxis, better views, the smell of the ocean greeting you in the morning."
"Sounds like you're the one in need of the change of scenery. I like New York, and besides, Hawaii is outside my radius."
"Is that so?" June laughed.
"Last I checked," Neal teased. "Nothing is stopping you, though, unless they started making tracker necklaces that you have hidden under those gorgeous antique pearls you have on this morning." They both laughed again.
There was a pause as both Neal and June sipped speechlessly from their mugs. Finally June, standing from the table, spoke. "Sometimes life, Neal dear, creates a radius all its own. My heart tethers me to my home and to the life I built here with Byron. There's life, love, laughter, in the walls. Nothing can ever replace home once you've found it."
"To home," Neal mused, raising his beverage in salute.
"To home," agreed June. "Our home."
Neal waited until June stepped away, and then he too, stood, rinsing his mug under the gleaming faucet.
"Thank you," he breathed, hoping June couldn't hear his whispered words.
In the next room, the older woman smiled. "You're welcome, dear. Anytime."
Author's Note: See? Even more toasting! But I'm curious as to how both June and Mozzie turned out. Maybe someone wants to tell me?