Page 71 of The Kidnapped

“No, it’s not. We met in a support group. We became friends because you were kidnapped, and someone took my daughter.”

“That’s why we became friends?”

“Well, we didn’t meet at a dinner party.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Hollis remarked. “I know how we met, Raleigh. But you’re making it sound like the only reason we became friends was because we have that in common, and I don’t think that makes us friends. I think that’s what we are to the rest of the group we meet with each week, but we don’t hang out with them. I don’t hold them through the night when they’re sleeping.”

“You held…”

“Yeah, you cried in your sleep. I held you until you stopped,” Hollis explained. “And is that how you see me? Someone you only spend time with because my dad decided to get revenge on my mom when I was a kid?”

“What? No. I’m not saying this right. Can we start over?”

“Raleigh, this is a date. So, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to talk about the case all night. I don’t really want to talk about Dylan, or fliers, or John. I just want–”

“That’s my life right now, Hollis. You knew that.”

“I know.”

“So, why are you so surprised that that’s all I have to talk about?” Raleigh asked.

“I’m not surprised,” Hollis said. “But it’s also not all you have to talk about. I didn’t know you worked at a restaurant in college, for example. And you grew up here, but I don’t know much about your life before Eden other than you and Millie were together for a while, and then you weren’t.”

“We’re supposed to talk about my childhood, then?”

“Why not?” Hollis asked.

“Because none of that matters,” Raleigh retorted. “When your daughter is taken from you, nothing else matters, Hollis. Don’t you get that?”

“Why did you agree to this date, Raleigh? You said you wanted to try. Did you think we’d only talk about Eden on every date? What kind of relationship is that?”

“Not a very good one,” Raleigh replied. “This was a mistake, Hollis. I should have trusted my first–”

“Are you kidding me?” Hollis shook her head back and forth as she looked away from her date. “You can’t do this, Raleigh.”

“I’m not ready.”

“You called me. You said no. You said you still wanted to be friends. I said okay. I prepared myself to just be your friend. Then, you tell me that you want to try. We’re here, Raleigh. All I’m asking is one night without–”

“It’s not one night, though, Hollis. It would be every night. It would be all the time. I can’t not think about her or not talk about her.”

“I’m not asking you to do that. Hell, I’ll help you hang the fliers.”

“Can we just…”

“I’ll take you home,” Hollis stated.

“No, Hollis. Just–”

“Just what?” She waved her arm in the air, which made her look like an impatient asshole, but the waiter saw her, gave her a confused expression at first when Hollis mimed signing the check, and then nodded at her.

“Hollis, I… I thought I could.”

“You can. But let’s just go.”

“I wasn’t prepared for your comment,” Raleigh told her.

“What comment?”

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