Ill Take Forever

had been. It was one thing to pretend an agent was more feeble than was true; another matter entirely to send someone who was so incapacitated that a walk up the stairs was exhausting.
    Crawling between her sheets, she thought back to the first night Kyle had spent beneath her roof. He’d be no match for her in his present state, and Jenny was suddenly overwhelmed with compassion for him. His temporary weakness must be frustrating for him.
    She considered all she’d learn this evening. It wasn't fair that he knew all about her, and she knew nothing about him.
    Well, she reasoned, he'd be here for a while; she could learn as much as she could during that time. She’d given up expecting to see him again, and here he was, staying with her indefinitely. It was now up to her to find out what she wanted to know.

    ***
    Jenny was in her den the next morning, doing the accounts for a local attorney when she heard his tread on the stairs. She paused and looked up, gazing out of the window, her attention focused on his step. He passed by the open door without seeing her and went to the kitchen. She returned to her accounts, only to be interrupted when Kyle came back.
    'Do I get breakfast?' he asked, pausing at the door.
    Jenny swiveled in her chair. 'Sure, at a reasonable time. It's after ten, am I to cook all day?' She rose, glad to see he had a little more color in his face today.
    'Sorry, what time is good for you?'
    She went back to the kitchen, sorry for snapping at him, yet not ready to let him know that. Normally even-tempered, she didn't know why she was so on edge around him. Or maybe she did–it was purely physical.
    Kyle followed and sat at the big farm table that sat to the side of the sunny kitchen.
    'I usually eat around seven. If that's too early, let me know what you want and I'll fix it and leave it in the oven to be heated.'
    'No. Seven's fine,' he said meekly.
    Jenny glanced sharply at him, but his face was open, innocent. She didn’t trust his look for an instant.
    'Lunch, if I'm home, is usually sandwiches and fruit shortly after midday. I like to eat dinner around seven in the evening. Unless I go out.'
    'Out where?' His voice was sharper, his eyes narrowed a little.
    'Visiting, out with friends.' She shrugged as she poured the beaten eggs into the pan. 'Just out. I'll let you know in advance so you can plan for your own meals.' She turned to him. 'You do know how to cook, I take it?'
    ‘Sure.'
    'Do you live alone when not on a case?' she asked casually as the eggs cooked.
    'I have an apartment near the campus; sometimes I sublet out one room to a student during the school year.'
    Jenny glanced around, a frown on her face. 'I meant really.'
    'Jenny, one way never to make a mistake is to live the role you're playing. I'm a professor at San Francisco State and I'll stick with that cover. Easier for you to know only what the story is. No chance to mess up.'
    But I want to know about the real you, she thought. I'm not interested in cover stories, but the real deal. Sighing quietly, she dished up his breakfast and put it before him, resigned to the fiction they were creating.
    While Kyle ate, Jenny sat with him and had another cup of coffee. When the first hunger pangs had been satisfied, he spoke. 'As soon as I'm a little more fit, I want to start going out, meeting people. You'll know best how to take me around with the least amount of comment or curiosity on the part of your neighbors.'
    'There's bound to be some talk; this is a small town and you're news,' she said slowly.
    'Let's start with my accompanying you when you go into town. You must go in fairly often.'
    'A couple or three times a week.'
    'Fine. Introduce me to people you see there. Then if you're invited to a party or something, ask if you can bring me along. And when you have time, drive me around, pointing out landmarks, favorite spots with those who live here.'
    Jenny nodded. 'People will be dying to see you, of course.'
    'Why?'
    'Because everyone knew Johnny, and they know many of his cousins. They'll be interested in meeting another.'
    'Then you had better give me more of the genealogy of the Warwick family, so I don't blow it. Once I'm feeling more fit, I want to start scoping out the area so I can get my bearings. Maybe we can hike or take the dog on long walks or whatever seems appropriate.'
    'I hike a lot, so that would probably cause the least amount of comment.'
    'Where do you go?'
    'Lots of places. I like to hike down near the