It makes me happy to hear that. For the longest time I couldn't tell if Raine even liked me but it turns out she loves me. I'm still shocked she told me that, and even more shocked she said it more than once.
"Did she say where she was going?" I ask.
"She said she was looking for jobs."
"But did she say where?"
"No. Hey, shouldn't you be at work right now?"
"Yeah, but I took the afternoon off. If Raine comes back here, could you tell her to meet me at the apartment?"
"Okay. You sure don't want a coffee?"
"No, I gotta go."
I'm still dragging from my lack of sleep and I never ate lunch but I don't have time to stop and eat. I need to find Raine. Searching up and down the street, I don't see her anywhere. I check the park. She's not there. I'm not sure where else to look.
I return to my apartment and breathe a sigh of relief when I see her on the couch.
"Raine," I say, going over to her.
She hops up from the couch and hugs me. "Miles! What are you doing home so early? It's only 4."
"I was looking for you."
"Why?"
"I need to tell you something. Let's sit down."
As we sit on the couch, panic crosses Raine's face. "Is it Gladys? Did something happen to her?"
"No." I get out my phone. "But I did get a text from Zoe this morning." I open the text. "She said Gladys saw the doctor. Her lungs are clearing but he's putting her on a different med. And she sent a photo." I show it to Raine.
"She looks good. Like she's finally getting some sleep. No more bags under her eyes. And she has so much more color in her face. Probably because she's getting regular meals now."
"Yeah, I think she's found a good home."
Raine's eyes fall to the couch. "I still miss her."
"I know. I do too. Maybe we could go see her this weekend."
She looks up, excited. "Could we call Zoe and ask? I really want to see her."
"Yeah, we'll do it later. I need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
I take a breath. "Today when I went out to get lunch, I was waiting in line at a deli when Levi came up to me."
She rolls her eyes. "Let me guess, he asked you for money?"
"No. He saw me walking down the street and noticed I was limping."
"You hurt yourself?"
"My knee. Remember when I hit it in the shower last night?"
She smiles. "Yeah, I remember. I was hoping we could do that again but not if your knee's bothering you."