Page 115 of The Kidnapped

“I am,” Raleigh confirmed.

Hollis turned to see Raleigh, wearing Hollis’s T-shirt and an old pair of jeans, standing in the open archway of the kitchen.

“Morning,” Hollis said. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

Raleigh walked in, leaned down, gave Hollis a quick kiss on the lips, and said, “Good morning.” Then, she turned to Hollis’s mom and added, “Morning, Olivia. Glad to see you up and about.”

“Thank you. I’ve got about five more minutes in me before I need to go back to bed, but it’s nice, taking the tour and seeing what you’ve done with the place. I really like the dirty dishes in the sink that need to be put in the dishwasher.”

Raleigh sat on Hollis’s other side and laughed.

“Those are mine,” Hollis explained. “I got in late last night and was starving, so I dropped them into the sink. I’ll take care of them after I get you back to bed.”

“We were just talking about the back garden. What do you think Hollis should plant back there?” Olivia asked Raleigh.

Raleigh was now massaging the back of Hollis’s neck, instantly releasing any stress that had built up in her muscles.

“I don’t know. I have a client who runs a gardening blog. I could actually read it for once and see if she has any recommendations for our climate,” Raleigh suggested.

“I was thinking roses,” Hollis said.

“You can’t even put a dish in the dishwasher, and you want to take care of roses?” Raleigh asked, laughing.

“Hey!” Hollis exclaimed, placing her hand on Raleigh’s thigh.

“Maybe start her off with something basic,” Olivia suggested.

“Basic. Got it,” Raleigh replied.

“And don’t overwater. A lot of people make that mistake.”

“Don’t overwater,” Raleigh repeated after her, nodding.

Hollis watched as her mom kept giving Raleigh instructions for the garden and how to make sure Hollis didn’t ruin the plants, and it scared her. It didn’t scare her because her mom was giving Raleigh the instructions. Hollis knew Raleigh would still be around in the spring. She hoped Raleigh would be around forever, actually. It scared her because she wasn’t sure her mother would be around in the spring.

“And give them space to grow. Fewer plants the first attempt is always a good idea. You’ll need to make sure you know what you’re doing to take care of them, and you don’t want to overcrowd them.”

“We won’t,” Raleigh promised.

“It’s time for breakfast,” the day nurse, who had a key and had just arrived, said to Olivia. “Good morning,” she added to Hollis and Raleigh.

“Morning,” Hollis and Raleigh said at the same time.

Hollis helped the nurse get Olivia back to bed and met Raleigh in the kitchen afterward.

“Do you really think I don’t know how lucky I am to have you?” Raleigh spoke.

“What? No, that’s not what I said,” Hollis told her as she sat down in the same chair. “I just worry.”

“About us?”

“No. About a lot of other things, though.”

“I’ll make the coffee,” Raleigh offered, standing up.

“I have to get ready for work,” Hollis replied.

“Okay. Then, I’ll make myself coffee, and you can tell me while you get ready.”

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