Ill Take Forever

over some things with Stuart. I'll be back for dinner,' he said as she got in the SUV.
    Jenny, still annoyed with the laughter at lunch, nodded stiffly and put the key in the ignition.
    'Don't sulk, baby.' Kyle leaned in to turn her head, giving her a quick kiss. He then slammed the door.
    She met the amused look on Stuart's face, and frowned. Glaring at Kyle, she nodded again. 'Drive carefully on that fool bike,' she said.
    It was the first time he'd touched her since their night on the sofa. She ran her tongue lightly around her lips, wishing he'd given her a real kiss her and not a brush of lips. Impatiently she jerked her thoughts back. He was not for her. She put the car in gear and headed for home.

    ***
    ‘Is that serious?’ Stuart asked as he watched Jenny drive off.
    ‘I don’t make long-range plans, you know that,’ Kyle said, his gaze also on the departing car.
    ‘Things change. You’re not getting any younger. Maybe if you met the right woman, you’d want to settle down and raise a family.’
    ‘Bring kids into this world with all its problems?’
    ‘Hey, we’re doing our part to rid the world of vermin.’
    ‘It’s like whack a mole, take down one grow site and two more spring up.’
    ‘They might have sprung up anyway and then we would have had three,’ Stuart countered. ‘Which is why we do what we do.’
    Kyle shrugged and turned back to face the man. ‘I don’t want Jenny to know what I’ve discovered. She truly has an expressive face and thinks the best of everyone.’ He fished out a small notebook and handed it to Stuart. ‘I could find out a lot, some of the things I need help with are listed there. Let me know when you get some answers. Things are going down soon, I think. The crop is about ready to harvest.’
    ‘Your cover still strong?’ Stuart asked.
    ‘Rock solid. No one would suspect Jenny of any clandestine activities. She’s still the perfect choice.’
    ‘Just don’t go messing with her life. She has to live there when we pull out.’
    Kyle nodded. ‘Thanks for the bike, it’ll make things a lot easier.’
    He enjoyed the feel of the machine beneath him as he headed back to Palmer. He needed to pull back from depending on Jenny’s car. It was too distinctive. A motorcycle could be pushed into the brush and not easily spotted.
    He almost smiled when he remembered Jenny’s disapproval of the bike. He wouldn’t want her to worry. But he couldn’t help feeling just a bit of warmth where his heart should be that she would care.
    By the time he reached Jenny’s house in the late afternoon, Kyle wasn’t thinking of her, but planning what his next step was. Until Stuart had the information he wanted, he was playing a waiting game.
    He ate dinner quickly, glad Jenny seemed content to leave him to his own thoughts. Once finished, he went to her small den, pulling the phone in from the hall and closing the door. He spent the evening there, on the phone with men at the office in Sacramento. By the time he finished, he had all the information he needed.

    ***
    With the advent of the motorcycle, Jenny scarcely saw Kyle. He left the house early each morning, often before she was up. The few mornings he stayed for breakfast, he'd bolt as soon as it was finished. In the evenings, Jenny was usually in bed when the muffled roar of the big Harley announced his return.
    Jenny felt shut out. She recognized why Kyle operated under the need-to-know theory, and his reservations of telling her everything but, after all, she was providing him a base of operation, had provided the background information he needed for the assignment. To now be totally excluded from the project hurt.
    Did Kyle feel her usefulness was at an end? Maybe she could still help. If she could provide some further assistance, maybe Kyle would take her into his confidence, know she could be trusted, spend more time with her.
    Going into the den, Jenny looked for the topographical map he had used. If she could locate the marijuana field on it, identify the fire road that ran by it, she could offer to watch it to see who used it.
    The map wasn't in the den. After only a moment's indecision, Jenny went up to Kyle's room. It must be there. The door was open and she walked boldly in. Traces of his aftershave lingered in the air and she stopped for a moment, almost feeling his presence.
    A stack of papers sat on the dresser. She rifled through them, finding the folded map; poring over it, trying to pinpoint where