Page 58 of Homecoming

Orla smiled. “I am sure she will come around.”

“My father will talk to her. He won’t have a choice. She’s probably on the phone with him or hauling him out of his workshop as we speak.”

Shon took the dishes away, and Orla sighed as her body tried to wrestle with the meal. “Thank you.”

Iro hugged her. “Back to bed?”

“No. I want to make a few calls. I am guessing that my bags had my phone in them.”

Ligo sighed. “They did.”

He returned the way he had come and brought two small bags with him.

Iro asked, “That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

Orla snorted. “You don’t need a lot of clothing when you are just working and sleeping.”

“Well, that explains why half your clothing smells like noodles.”

Orla grinned. “Hey, my booth was in demand.”

Ligo nodded. “I remember.”

She reached for her bags, but Ligo fished out her phone and said, “The battery is dead.”

“Damn. I thought it was charging.”

Ligo shrugged. “I have chargers. Just a moment.”

He checked her connection and then left to return with a power bank and a cord. He had a laptop tucked under his arm and smiled. “Let’s go relax a little.”

Iro picked her up, they followed Ligo into a living room, and he settled on a couch with her still on his lap.

“I don’t think I need to continue sitting on you, Iro.”

He grinned. “I am monitoring your vitals.”

“How long do you think that excuse is going to work?”

“I figure I have about a week.” He gave her an innocent look.

Ligo chuckled.

Her phone began charging, and she waited until it got to ten percent before she started looking at emails, texts, and other alerts.

She answered friends from the village first, confirming that she was okay with one and all. A few friends were given the details about her location and recovery. Ohno was one of them.

The news reports of the kidnapping were rough. The description of the rescue efforts made her tear up.

Iro stroked her arm. “What’s wrong?”

She swallowed and whispered, “They went looking for me.”

“Of course. Every charter, sailboat, water shifter, and person with binoculars was looking for you. The moment Aeryn realized you were taken, they sprang into action.”

Orla chuckled weakly. “Anything to shut her up. She emotes like a whirlwind.”

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