Page 116 of The Kidnapped

“How about I tell you over dinner tonight?”

“Are you sure?” Raleigh checked.

“Yes.”

“You’re not cooking, are you?”

“I’ll spare you,” Hollis replied, standing up and pulling Raleigh in for a hug. “I know you have work to do, too, and I kept you up most of the night, so instead of you cooking, let’s order in.”

Raleigh kissed Hollis’s shoulder and said, “Okay.”

“I do want to run something by you before I leave, though.”

???

“What’s this?” Kenna asked her when Hollis handed her the piece of paper over her desk.

“It’s my resignation letter,” Hollis replied.

“What?” Kenna looked from the paper to Hollis and back to the paper. “You’re quitting?”

“Not right away. I’ll work until you find someone else. I’ll even help train them, if you want.”

“Hollis, sit,” Kenna told her before she stood and walked over to the sofa, where Hollis joined her. “Is everything okay?”

“Not yet. I’m working on it, though,” Hollis replied.

“But you don’t want to work here anymore?”

“Kenna, you’ve been amazing and so kind with the situation with my mom – I’ll never be able to repay you. You gave me a job when you didn’t have to–”

“I got you an interview,” Kenna argued. “You got yourself the job.”

“Still. I wouldn’t be here in more ways than one if it wasn’t for you, so I’m incredibly grateful for everything you’ve done for me and for my mom. But she’s getting worse. She has moments where she seems fine, but she’s starting to tell me about things to do like she won’t be here to do it with me. She walked Raleigh and I through how to garden this morning. She’s also told me how to do laundry properly so that my colors last longer, and when I tell her she can just show me, she changes the subject. She knows, Kenna. She knows she doesn’t have long, and she’s trying to teach me everything she can. I just can’t be in an office for eight hours a day and then fight traffic right now.”

Kenna nodded in understanding and said, “I’m sorry, Hollis.”

“Me too,” Hollis replied.

“And you don’t have to stay on until we find a replacement. We can get by with the two researchers we have. Your mom’s health is more important,” Kenna told her.

“I don’t want to just leave you.”

“We’ll be fine,” Kenna said. “But if you would like an extra paycheck for the next couple of weeks, you can work from home and help pick up their slack. We can keep you on payroll, and you’ll still have your benefits as long as you can do thirty-two hours of work a week or, at least, tell us you’re doing that.” Kenna winked.

“You don’t have to do that,” Hollis replied.

“I want to. It’s a good compromise: I get your researching skills, and you get to be at home, get a check, and you don’t have to worry about being away from your mom.”

“That would be amazing.”

“I’ll work it out with HR,” Kenna said. “And I’m sorry to see you go, but I hope this doesn’t mean we won’t hang out.”

“You know, I’ve never really had friends before. Now, I feel like I finally do.”

“Good,” Kenna replied. “Maybe when things…” She stopped herself. “Maybe one day, we can double date.”

“Maybe one day, we can all hang out, and you can bring Aaliyah and we can bring Eden.”

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