Page 75 of The Kidnapped

“I don’t know what that means.”

“It means that you are the one bright spot in my life, and I tried to push you away because I haven’t had a bright spot in a while.”

“Raleigh, we tried. You–”

“Messed up big time. Please. Come over, if you can. I just want to talk to you face-to-face about this.”

“I’ll see what I can do. If my mom doesn’t like the nurse–”

“Yeah, okay. I understand.”

They hung up, and Raleigh looked around her office.

“I don’t want this to be my life,” she said to herself. “I want her.”

She closed her computer, made herself dinner in the microwave, and ate it while she looked through her closet for something to wear if Hollis did show up. Choosing a pair of soft jeans and a T-shirt she hadn’t worn in a while, she went to the living room and straightened it up. Then, she opened a bottle of wine just in case and let it breathe. After that, Raleigh went to her bedroom and made the bed for the first time in a long time before she decided to vacuum and wipe some of the dust away. Finally, she opened the curtains, letting in the moonlight, and stared out into the backyard where she’d intended to put a swing set but had never gotten around to it. Maybe a garden would be good in the spring. Planting flowers and some vegetables would be good for her, she decided.

Then, her doorbell rang, and her eyes widened. Her lips formed a smile. Hollis was here. She’d shown up after all to give Raleigh a chance to explain, and Raleigh was determined not to screw it up this time.

CHAPTER 24

“Come in,” Raleigh said after opening the door.

There hadn’t been a hello or an actual greeting, just those two words. Hollis wasn’t sure what to make of that, but she tiredly walked inside Raleigh’s house.

The past week had been a difficult one. So much so that she’d nearly texted Raleigh to say that they would have to do this another night. Hollis wasn’t sure she could take another disappointment. She definitely couldn’t take any more Raleigh-related confusion. The woman had been hot and cold with her and then hot again and cold some more on their first date. Now, she was looking hot. Raleigh was wearing a pair of jeans that were so faded, they almost looked like white pants with tiny streaks of denim sewn into them. Her T-shirt was an old band shirt in gray, with a drum set on the front above the band’s name.

“I don’t recognize them,” Hollis said as a way to break the ice after Raleigh closed the door behind her.

“Huh?”

“The band on your shirt.”

“Oh. You wouldn’t. They were local about fifteen years ago and broke up about fourteen years ago.”

“So, they were a band for one whole year?”

“We started it my junior year of college. We broke up when two of the four of us graduated.”

“We? Us?” Hollis asked as Raleigh walked them into the kitchen.

“I was in a band in college, yes,” Raleigh replied. “Briefly. And we had more issues than original songs.”

“I’m sorry… You were in a band?”

“I was. I played the drums. All-girl band.”

“Wait… You played the drums?” Hollis asked, shaking her head, trying to make sense of all this.

“I did. And I still have them in the garage, but they’re packed up,” Raleigh replied and went to the counter, where she had a bottle of wine breathing. She poured two glasses without asking Hollis if she even wanted one and added, “I haven’t played much since college, but I can’t ever seem to let them go whenever I move. Once I had Eden, though, I’d planned to unpack them when she hit five or six to see if she wanted to give them a try. Of course, to do that, I would have to soundproof the garage because I wouldn’t wish that sound on any of my poor neighbors.”

“I didn’t know that,” Hollis said, taking the glass of red wine from Raleigh, who was now standing in front of her.

“I know,” Raleigh replied. “And there’s a lot more I’d like you to know about me.”

“So, is that what tonight is supposed to be about?”

“A do over, I hope,” Raleigh said, taking a sip of her wine. “I messed up, Hollis. I haven’t stopped thinking about it all week. And that should bother me because it means I’m not thinking about other things, but I realized today that I don’t feel guilty about it.”

---