Page 51 of Letting Go

I give her a bowl of rice and chicken broth because I only bought food for the baby. She eats like a queen. Her kid eats like she’s in a race. Then my phone buzzes.

Caden.

And okay, no, even after weeks of talking on the phone, I’m not ready for this. My hair’s frizzy. I smell like anxiety and dog treats. But I pick up anyway.

“Hey,” I say, trying to sound casual.

“Hey yourself,” he says, voice smooth and just this side of smug. “Did you see the press release?”

“Oh, you mean the one where Leonard and Chris got axed and now you have a woman president? The one who should’ve had the job six months ago?”

“That’s the one.”

“Well. I approve, especially the ‘toxic work environment’ bit.” I can’t help but tease.

“Right! Me too. Someone very smart suggested that.” I can hear the smile in his voice.

“You are doing good, you know?” He is

“I’m just trying to make it right,” he says.

“You’re succeeding. I mean, corporate justice? Super-hot.”

He chuckles. Low. Warm. Dangerous.

“So, when are you coming back?” he asks.

I glance at the rug where the puppy is sniffing around with the confidence of someone who knows they’re about to do something illegal.

“Soon,” I say. “Probably.”

“Probably?”

I sigh. “I have two mouths to feed now.”

There’s a pause. “Wait. What?”

“I got two dogs.”

“You what? I thought the plan was to get one.”

“I didn’t mean to. It’s complicated. It involved tears. Mine. Theirs. Some kind of cosmic guilt trip. I don’t know.”

Another pause.

Then, “You got two dogs?”

“Don’t make it sound like I adopted a zoo. I’m still very single and barely functioning.”

He lets out a laugh, making my stomach do this slow, stupid flip. “I thought you were getting a puppy, not a pack.”

“I should go,” I say, because the puppy’s making that squatty face again and the rug’s already suffered enough. “I only bought stuff for the baby. I need to figure out what Roxy needs. Probably a wine subscription and a nap.”

“You’ll figure it out,” he says.

I squint. “Pomeranians can fit in puppy beds, right? Oh God. No. No no no.”

“She peed again?” he asks, already laughing.

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