Page 22 of The Kidnapped

“You too,” Raleigh replied.

Hollis got into her car, pulled into traffic, and waited at the red light. Instead of thinking of that balloon and her mom holding it out to her, this time, she thought of shimmering hazel eyes.

CHAPTER 9

Raleigh finished typing the last email she planned to send that day and hit send. She hadn’t been focused all day, and now that the day was over, she couldn’t remember actually accomplishing anything. Her phone rang, and she rolled her eyes.

“Hello,” she said.

“Raleigh, got a sec?” Mr.Roman asked.

“Of course. What can I do for you?”

“The contract I sent you to revise and add the comments from the vendor wasn’t in my email by EOD, like we discussed,” he replied.

Raleigh checked the clock. It was technically five on the dot right now, so he’d called a minute too soon, but she’d also forgotten completely about the comments she was supposed to add for him and send back.

“I’m working on it right now,” she lied. “I should have it sent to you in five minutes.”

“Five minutes after five. I have to review it and get it out tonight, or I risk losing the discount they’ve offered,” he said.

“I’m sorry. I’ll have it for you in a few minutes.”

“I don’t expect to be billed for any extra time,” he replied.

“Of course not. I’ll get it over to you as soon as I’m done,” she said, quickly opening up the file he’d sent two days ago.

“I’m waiting. So, the sooner, the better, please.”

She disconnected and immediately opened the original file alongside the new one the vendor had sent to compare them. Her job here was to simply take the notes the vendor’s attorney had made and include them in the original version while also checking for anything out of the ordinary. While she wasn’t an attorney, and Mr.Roman would have his own look over it again, he’d asked her to add the comments for him, and Raleigh had completely spaced it. She’d never planned on being a VA after college, but the opportunity had presented itself, and she’d liked it, so she’d stuck with it and started her own business in a way. It wasn’t the easiest job in the world. She had a dozen clients, which was probably too many because at least seven of them were pretty demanding, but she needed the money. She’d spent so much of her own on trying to find Eden that she had nothing saved anymore. This client, Mr.Roman, wasn’t awful, but he also wasn’t very patient. Normally, she had him to blame, but this time, it was all her fault.

She used to be good at her job. People recommended her. She’d gain a new client, and she’d do a good job for them. When one of her clients finally hit the big time and expanded to an office with a receptionist or office manager, Raleigh typically got the boot, so she always needed to have active referrals on standby just in case. Mr.Roman was almost there. He now had three employees and would likely hire someone to replace her soon, and when he did, it would be hard for Raleigh. She spent a lot of billable hours on his work. She’d need to replace him soon, so she couldn’t risk pissing him off right now and not acting as a reference if needed.

Raleigh stared at the contracts on the screen, noticing just how many comments and notes had been made. This was going to take longer than she thought it would. She added a pod to her Keurig coffee machine and grabbed the powdered creamer she bought because it was cheaper. She’d been going through a lot of coffee this past year. At first, it helped her stay awake to work on Eden’s case. Then, she couldn’t sleep, so she used it to get her through the day. Now, she needed it just to help her get through the next hour. Dumping a lot of powder into her cup, she stirred briskly until it was dissolved and then took an immediate drink. It no longer burned her tongue to do so. After that, she sat back down and worked until the contract was done before she messaged her client with another apology and closed her laptop. She checked the clock on the stove as she dropped her empty cup into the sink and noticed it was much later than she’d thought.

“Shit,” she said to no one.

Rushing to her bedroom, Raleigh stripped and took a quick shower. She’d had her hair in a messy bun for the workday and had worn an old T-shirt and a pair of sweats with fluffy pink socks to work. It was one of the main benefits of working from home, and since she loved being comfortable, it really worked for her that she could wear slippers to her desk every morning. After her shower, she blow-dried her hair because if it just air-dried, it would’ve been worse than if she’d never showered at all. She never bothered with makeup, and tonight wasn’t the night for it anyway, but she did put on some basic red lip balm, which she thought was better than actual lipstick. She dressed in jeans and an old sweater, put on actual shoes for the first time that day, and then did a little cleaning, but nothing major. She didn’t have time for a major one anyway. She didn’t dust or anything, but she put dishes in the dishwasher and made sure the few pillows she had on the sofa weren’t a mess. Her bed made, she went back into the living room to wait.

The show started at nine. Hollis told her she’d put her mom to bed and then text that she was on her way. It was eight-fifteen now, and Raleigh didn’t know if Hollis would be there right at nine or earlier, so she got out an old bottle of wine she’d been given for Christmas one year that she’d never actually drunk and opened it, letting it breathe. Then, she stared at it and wondered what the hell she was doing. She put the cork back in the bottle and left it on the counter next to the microwave, which she also hadn’t had time to clean. Hollis definitely wouldn’t be looking in her microwave, right? God, why did she even care? Hollis was coming over to help Raleigh get through watching the show.

Raleigh didn’t even know why she wanted to watch the thing. Watching it wouldn’t change anything. Eden would still be missing an hour later, when the episode ended. Leads would probably come in shortly after, but whether or not Raleigh watched the show when it aired the first time wouldn’t make a difference to those.

She decided to get out two bottles of water and made sure she had the Keurig pods at the ready in case Hollis wanted coffee. It wasn’t a date. There wouldn’t be wine or dinner. Hollis was just there to support her through it. That was all. Just when Raleigh nodded at herself to stop fussing over the counter that looked dirtier than she remembered, the doorbell rang. It scared her at first, and she dropped the rag to the floor in response before moving back to the living room, where she found her phone on the coffee table. Shit. Hollis had texted while she’d been in the kitchen. Now, she was here.

“Hey,” Raleigh said when she opened the door.

“Have you eaten?” Hollis asked.

“What? No, I–”

“I haven’t, either. I brought food from that Mexican place. You said you liked their burritos, right?”

“Yeah, I… You remembered that?”

“Sure,” Hollis said. “I got burritos for both of us and their house-made chips and salsa, too.”

“I should’ve made margaritas,” she joked, motioning for Hollis to come inside with her bag of food.

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