Page 42 of Missing

I couldn’t find my words to thank her.

“Beth?”

“Sorry, I just can’t believe how lucky I am.”

“Well believe it. What time do you want us to pick him up?”

“I can drop him off, along with his car seat, around six if that’s okay.” My legs had minds of their own and were bouncing up and down on the metal bench, eager to get up and jump for joy.

“Six is perfect. We’ll see you then.”

“How can I ever repay you?”

“Just have fun tonight.”

That’s the plan.

“Thanks Meg. I appreciate both of you.”

“Will do. Now relax and enjoy the game.”

As soon as the game was over, I asked Chase if he wanted to have a sleepover at Auntie Meg’s. His enthusiastic excitement was exactly what I’d expected. For a second, I wondered why he didn’t ask about it, having never stayed the night anywhere except his grandmother’s.

Then I remembered he was five and he loved Meg, so all he cared about was the idea of spending the entire night at her house with Jack.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and fed.”

“Can I use my dinosaur suitcase and bring my water dinosaurs?” He refused to call them sharks.

“Of course.”

Once I had Chase’s seal of approval,like he’d ever say no to time with Meg, I texted Doug to let him know I’d found a babysitter and asked if he still wanted me to come over for dinner.

His yes was in all caps.

Chapter 23

Doug

She found a babysitter. I had no idea how she’d managed to find an overnight babysitter so late in the game, but I wasn’t going to question my luck.

I only had about ninety minutes before Beth arrived, so I headed home and got to work. I’d done most of the cleaning and decorating the night before, so all I needed to do was take a quick shower and start prepping the food.

Before browning the chicken for the cacciatore, I lit the lavender candle I’d bought for the bathroom. Not knowing much about scents, I’d chosen lavender sage thinking Beth would likethe light floral scent. As a bonus, the sage prevented the lavender from being obnoxiously strong.

The kitchen filled with the rich smell of chicken as I browned it. I chopped the onion first, knowing it’d make my eyes water. Then washed my hands and face before chopping the celery, peppers, and mushrooms. When the chicken was done, I plated it and put it in the microwave while I cooked the vegetables.

One of the things I liked about this recipe was it was all done in one skillet. One large, heavy cast iron skillet. Once the veggies were soft, I added in the tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, a cup of the red wine I’d be serving with dinner, and some fresh herbs. And lastly, I placed the chicken thighs in the sauce and set the timer for forty-five minutes.

While it simmered, I made sure the apartment was picked up and turned on my country music station on Pandora. Then I checked my watch.

Beth should be here any minute.

I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this nervous about having a woman over. Had I ever felt this nervous?

A few minutes later I got a text from Beth, she had just parked and was on her way up to my second story apartment. I opened the door as she reached the exterior landing, a huge stupid grin plastered on my face.

Her smile was more on the shy side, and her cheeks were pinker than normal.

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