In this case, however, it was more than just neighborly kindness. Rosalie raised chickens, and her eggs were usually in high demand. But with the community shunning them, she likely had far too many eggs on her hands and not nearly enough of everything else.

When her mother was finished, Leelo hefted the basket, kissed her cheek, and went out, torn between going straight to the cottage and heading for Isola’s first. The responsible thing would be to visit Isola so she had a witness in case anyone asked after her. And while Fiona had meant the basket as a gift, not a trade, Leelo decided she would ask Rosalie for a few eggs. They were likely to go to waste otherwise, and she knew someone who could use the additional protein. Jaren was growing thinner by the day, and he needed to keep up his strength for his escape.

The thought of Jaren leaving made Leelo’s stomach churn again, but she tried to focus instead on seeing him. She didn’t have the excuse of wine to kiss him today, but she doubted she needed it. Jaren had clearly enjoyed kissing her. She wondered if he’d been thinking about it for the past three days the way she had. Maybe she could get enough of him in whatever time they had left that she could live off the memories for the rest of her life.

But she knew full well that was impossible. She would never get enough of Jaren Kask.

Leelo knocked on Isola’s door and waited. It took several minutes for Rosalie to answer, and she looked a bit harried as she wiped her hands on her apron.

“Leelo, what brings you here, dear?”

“I came to walk with Isola,” Leelo said, even though she would have thought that was obvious. “And I was hoping I could offer you some of my mother’s vegetables in exchange for a few eggs.”

Rosalie nodded and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. “That’s generous of your mother. I was baking and haven’t had a chance to gather the eggs yet. It will just take a few minutes.”

Leelo tried not to let her frustration show on her face. Every minute she wasted here was a minute she could be with Jaren.

Rosalie ducked into the low chicken coop in the yard and emerged a few moments later with a half dozen eggs in her apron pocket. “I can give you three, if that’s all right. One of our chickens was killed by a fox last week, so we’re a little shorter than usual.”

“Three is perfect.” Leelo held out the basket. “Help yourself.”

Rosalie hemmed and hawed over the assortment, finally settling on two tomatoes, a bunch of carrots, and some lettuce. By then, Leelo thought she might leap out of her skin with frustration.