“So what are you going to do?”
Rylee looked over at Kenzie.
“About Glenn?”
“Yeah.”
Kenzie was still sitting beside her on the couch, one leg tucked beneath her. The television was on, but neither of them had been paying much attention to it for several minutes.
Rylee leaned back and let out a slow breath.
“I want Hope to talk to him first.”
Kenzie nodded once. “Okay.”
“I want to know what he has to say before he knows anything about me.”
“That makes sense.”
Rylee looked toward the hallway.
Koda was asleep in his room. Pickle was with him.
The house had gone quiet in the way it always did after Koda went to bed. A few toys were still scattered around the living room. A cup sat on the coffee table that somebody had forgotten to take into the kitchen. Mabel was lying beside Kenzie, looking completely uninterested in whatever conversation the humans were having.
It was peaceful.
That was what made the conversation feel strange.
Rylee had spent enough of her life waiting for peace to disappear that sometimes she still noticed it more than she noticed anything else.
Kenzie reached for her hand.
“You don’t have to decide everything tonight.”
“I know.”
“But you’ve already decided.”
Rylee smiled faintly. “Pretty much.”
“I figured.”
Rylee looked down at their hands.
“Hope knows more about Glenn than I do. She’s the one who found him. She knows Fairhaven. She knows the people who remember him.”
“And Glenn knows her?”
“Not really. Not personally. But Hope can meet him without it turning into something bigger than it needs to be.”
Kenzie thought about that.
“And he comes back into Fairhaven sometimes?”
“That’s what Hope found out. Supplies, mostly. He doesn’t live there anymore, but he comes back every once in a while.”
“So when Hope said he could come into town…”
“She meant Fairhaven.”
Kenzie nodded.
Rylee watched her for a moment.
“I don’t want him knowing anything about my life now.”
“I know.”
“I don’t want him knowing anything about Koda. Or you. Or anything else that could lead him back to me.”
Kenzie’s expression changed slightly.
“Good.”
Rylee laughed softly. “You said that fast.”
“Because I agree with you.”
“I figured.”
“I don’t know this man.”
“Neither do I.”
“And even if Hope talks to him and thinks he’s completely harmless, that still doesn’t mean he needs information about your life.”
Rylee nodded.
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”
Kenzie squeezed her hand.
“So Hope talks to him first.”
“Yeah.”
“And then?”
“Then she tells me what she thinks.”
“What she thinks?”
“About him. About the conversation. Whether he actually knows something or whether he’s just another person who remembers Shannon and has his own version of the story.”
Kenzie leaned back against the couch.
“That’s fair.”
Rylee looked at the television.
Something had changed on the screen. She had no idea what they were watching anymore.
“I’m not looking for another rumor.”
“I know.”
“That’s the whole reason I asked Hope to do this. I could sit here and come up with a hundred different possibilities about Shannon and Tyson. None of them would mean anything.”
Kenzie was quiet.
Rylee continued.
“People remember different things. Some people liked Tyson. Some people didn’t. Some people thought Shannon left. Some people think something happened to her. But nobody seems to actually know.”
“Except maybe Glenn.”
“Maybe.”
The word mattered.
Rylee wasn’t willing to turn it into more than that.
Glenn had been Shannon’s best friend before Tyson came into the picture. That made him different from most of the people Hope had spoken to. It didn’t make him an answer.
Not yet.
Kenzie studied her face.
“You really want to know.”
Rylee looked at her.
“Yeah.”
“Even if whatever he knows has nothing to do with Tyson?”
“Then I want to know that too.”
Kenzie nodded slowly.
Rylee shifted on the couch.
“I’ve spent enough time trying to figure out what Tyson is doing now. Two people are looking for me. One of them is looking in the United States. I know that. I can’t change it.”
“But you can be careful.”
“I am being careful.”
“I know.”
Rylee smiled slightly.
Kenzie gave her a look.
“What?”
“You always say that like you’re waiting for me to argue with you.”
“Sometimes you do.”
“Not this time.”
Kenzie lifted Rylee’s hand and kissed the back of it.
“You’re being smart about this.”
Rylee smiled.
“Thank you.”
“That doesn’t mean I like it.”
“There it is.”
Kenzie laughed.
“I don’t have to like something to understand why you’re doing it.”
Rylee settled closer to her.
“That’s one of the things I love about you.”
“One of them?”
“Don’t push it.”
Kenzie smiled.
Mabel lifted her head at the sound of their voices, stared at them for a few seconds, then settled again beside Kenzie.
Rylee glanced down at her.
“She’s judging us.”
“She judges everybody.”
“She likes you.”
“She has excellent taste.”
Rylee laughed.
The sound felt good.
For a few minutes, they let the conversation move somewhere else. Kenzie complained about something she had to deal with at work Monday morning. Rylee reminded her that she had chosen her own profession.
Kenzie reminded Rylee that she had chosen hers too.
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“Mine has dogs.”
Kenzie stared at her.
“That’s your argument?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not an argument.”
“It is if you like dogs.”
Kenzie shook her head.
Rylee smiled and rested against her again.
Eventually, Kenzie glanced toward the clock.
“We should probably go to bed.”
“Probably.”
Neither of them moved.
Kenzie looked at her.
“You first.”
“No.”
“Rylee.”
“I’m comfortable.”
“So am I.”
“Then I guess we live here now.”
Kenzie laughed and finally stood, pulling Rylee up with her.
Rylee picked up the forgotten cup from the coffee table and carried it into the kitchen. The dining table sat nearby, still holding a few things from earlier in the day. She put the cup in the sink and turned off the kitchen light.
Kenzie was waiting near the hallway.
Rylee walked toward her.
Before going to her own room, she stopped at Koda’s door.
She pushed it open carefully.
Koda was asleep.
One arm was above his head, his blanket twisted around his legs. Pickle was curled against him, completely comfortable.
Rylee smiled.
Kenzie stepped up beside her and looked into the room.
“He’s out.”
“Yeah.”
Pickle lifted his head.
Rylee held a finger to her lips.
“Go back to sleep.”
Pickle stared at her for a second before lowering his head again.
Kenzie smiled.
“Good listener.”
“Sometimes.”
Rylee pulled the door almost closed again, leaving it open enough that she could hear Koda if he called for her during the night.
Kenzie waited until they were a few steps away before speaking.
“You calling Hope in the morning?”
“Yeah.”
“Before work?”
“I’ll call her after I drop Koda off.”
Kenzie nodded.
“Good.”
Rylee looked at her.
“You really want to know what she says, don’t you?”
“I really want to know what’s going on with the woman I love.”
Rylee stopped.
Kenzie looked at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“That wasn’t a nothing face.”
Rylee smiled and leaned in to kiss her.
Kenzie kissed her back.
When they separated, Rylee kept her forehead against Kenzie’s for a moment.
“I love you too.”
“I know.”
Rylee pulled back.
“You’re annoying.”
“And yet you love me.”
“Unfortunately.”
Kenzie smiled. “That didn’t sound very convincing.”
“It wasn’t supposed to.”
Rylee kissed her once more before they continued toward the bedroom.
A few minutes later, the lights were off and the house had settled back into silence. Rylee lay beside Kenzie, listening to the quiet sounds of the house around them.
Tomorrow, she would call Hope.
For tonight, that was enough.
Monday morning came too quickly.
The alarm went off beside the bed, and Rylee reached for it before she had fully opened her eyes.
Kenzie groaned beside her.
“No.”
Rylee turned the alarm off.
“That’s not how alarms work.”
“It should be.”
“You have to get up.”
“So do you.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you talking?”
Rylee laughed and pushed the blankets back.
The floor felt cool beneath her feet.
Kenzie pulled the blanket higher.
Rylee looked at her.
“You’re really going to make me be the responsible one?”
“Yes.”
“That seems like a bad idea.”
“Wake me up in five minutes.”
“No.”
Kenzie opened one eye.
“Three?”
“Get up.”
Kenzie sighed dramatically and sat up.
Rylee headed toward the bathroom.
By the time she came back out, Kenzie had managed to get out of bed and Koda was awake.
Rylee heard him before she saw him.
“Mommy?”
“In here.”
Koda appeared in the doorway in his pajamas, his hair sticking up on one side.
“I’m hungry.”
Kenzie looked at Rylee.
“Your child.”
Rylee laughed.
“He likes you too.”
“I’m hungry,” Koda repeated.
“I heard you, baby.”
“Can I have cereal?”
“Yes.”
“And toast?”
“Yes.”
“With jelly?”
“Yes.”
Koda smiled.
“Okay.”
He disappeared toward the kitchen.
Kenzie looked at Rylee.
“That was easy.”
“Give him time.”
They finished getting ready and followed him.
Pickle appeared a few moments later, stretching before making his way into the kitchen. Mabel stayed farther back, watching everyone from a safe distance while the morning became louder around her.
Rylee poured Koda’s cereal while Kenzie made toast.
Koda climbed into his chair.
“Can Pickle have cereal?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because he has dog food.”
“He likes people food.”
“I know he does.”
Koda looked down at Pickle.
“Sorry.”
Pickle stared up at him.
Rylee shook her head.
“Don’t let him make you feel guilty.”
“He looks sad.”
“He always looks sad when somebody has food.”
Kenzie put the toast on a plate.
“He’s very convincing.”
“Don’t encourage him.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
Koda laughed.
Rylee poured herself coffee and leaned against the counter for a moment.
The morning was ordinary.
Koda ate.
Kenzie searched for something she swore she had put on the table the night before.
Pickle moved between them hoping someone would drop food.
Mabel eventually wandered into the kitchen and immediately acted as though everyone else was in her way.
Rylee watched it all.
Then she remembered the call she needed to make.
Hope.
Glenn.
The thought didn’t ruin the morning.
It simply returned.
Kenzie found what she had been looking for and glanced at Rylee.
“You going to call her?”
Rylee’s eyes moved toward Koda.
“On the way.”
Kenzie understood immediately.
She nodded.
“Okay.”
“I’ll tell you what she says.”
“You better.”
Rylee smiled.
Koda looked between them.
“What?”
“Nothing, baby.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Grown-up stuff.”
Koda frowned.
“That’s boring.”
Kenzie laughed.
“Usually.”
Rylee finished her coffee.
“Okay. Everybody needs to get dressed.”
“I’m eating.”
“You’re almost done.”
“I still have cereal.”
Rylee looked at his bowl.
There were approximately four pieces left.
“Koda.”
“I’m still eating.”
Kenzie turned away to hide a smile.
Rylee pointed at her.
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Koda finished the last few pieces of cereal and drank some of the milk.
“Done.”
“Thank you.”
The next twenty minutes disappeared into the normal Monday scramble.
Koda couldn’t find one of his shoes.
It was under the couch.
Kenzie went back into the bedroom twice for things she had forgotten.
Pickle followed Rylee through almost all of it.
By the time everyone was ready, Rylee checked the clock and grabbed her purse.
“Okay. We need to go.”
Koda came toward her.
“I’m ready.”
“You have everything?”
He looked down at himself as though he were checking.
“Yeah.”
Rylee smiled.
Kenzie picked up her things.
At the door, Kenzie crouched and opened her arms.
“Come here.”
Koda hugged her.
“Have a good day.”
“You too.”
Kenzie kissed the top of his head.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She stood.
Rylee was waiting.
Kenzie leaned in and kissed her.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“And call Hope.”
“I know.”
Kenzie gave her a look.
Rylee laughed.
“I’m calling her.”
“Good.”
Kenzie opened the door.
Mabel remained inside.
Pickle, however, was already waiting beside Rylee.
“Come on, buddy.”
They stepped outside.
Kenzie headed toward her car while Rylee got Koda settled in the back seat.
Pickle waited beside her until she opened the front passenger door.
He jumped in and settled into his usual place.
Rylee walked around to the driver’s side and got in.
Koda was already talking before she started the engine.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we have spaghetti tonight?”
“We can.”
“With garlic bread?”
“Sure.”
“And cheese?”
“On the spaghetti?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
“And can Pickle have some?”
“No.”
Koda sighed.
Rylee glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
“You ask me that every time.”
“Maybe you’ll say yes.”
“Probably not.”
Koda thought about it.
“Maybe.”
Rylee smiled and pulled away from the house.
The drive to Mrs. Whitaker’s daycare was familiar enough now that Rylee barely thought about the turns.
Koda filled the drive with a story about dinosaurs.
At some point, one dinosaur became a superhero.
Then another dinosaur became a bad guy.
Then apparently neither of them was a dinosaur anymore.
Rylee tried to follow.
“So the green one is the good guy?”
“No.”
“I thought you said he was.”
“He was.”
“But he isn’t now?”
“No.”
“What happened?”
“He changed.”
“Okay.”
Koda continued as though this explained everything.
Pickle sat in the front passenger seat, occasionally turning his head when Koda got louder.
When Rylee pulled into Mrs. Whitaker’s driveway, she could see Wendy at the front door.
Rylee parked and turned around.
“Okay, baby.”
Koda unbuckled himself.
Rylee got out and walked around to his side.
Pickle stayed in the front seat.
Koda climbed out.
“You have a good day, okay?”
“I will.”
She hugged him.
Koda wrapped his arms around her.
“I love you, Mommy.”
“I love you too.”
She kissed his cheek.
“Go ahead.”
Wendy opened the door wider.
“Morning, Koda.”
“Morning!”
Koda ran toward her.
Wendy smiled at Rylee.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.”
Koda reached the door and immediately started saying something to Wendy.
Rylee couldn’t hear all of it, but she caught the word dinosaur.
Wendy looked down at him.
“Really?”
Koda nodded enthusiastically.
Rylee smiled.
“Have a good day, baby.”
“Bye, Mommy!”
“Bye.”
Wendy gave Rylee a small wave before stepping back inside with Koda.
Rylee waited until the door closed.
Then she returned to the car.
Pickle was exactly where she had left him.
His tail started moving as soon as she opened the driver’s door.
“I was gone for thirty seconds.”
His tail moved faster.
“I know. Very traumatic.”
Rylee got in and closed the door.
She started the engine.
For a moment, she sat there.
Then she picked up her phone.
Hope answered after a few rings.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“You’re up early.”
Rylee pulled out of the driveway.
“I have a four-year-old.”
“Good point.”
“I just dropped him off.”
“At daycare?”
“Yeah. I’m heading to work.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
Rylee paused.
“I wanted to talk about Glenn.”
Hope was quiet for half a second.
“Okay.”
“I thought about your message last night.”
“I figured you would.”
“And I talked to Kenzie.”
“How’d that go?”
“About how you’d expect.”
Hope laughed softly.
“She wants you to be careful.”
“She wants everyone within a hundred miles of me to fill out an application first.”
“That sounds reasonable.”
Rylee smiled.
“She’d probably agree with you.”
Hope’s voice became more serious.
“What are you thinking?”
“I want you to talk to him first.”
There was a short pause.
“Before you do?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
“I don’t want you telling him anything about me yet.”
“I haven’t.”
“I know. I just want to keep it that way.”
Hope didn’t hesitate.
“That’s fine.”
“No personal information. Nothing about Koda. Nothing about Kenzie. Nothing that tells him anything about the life I have now.”
“Rylee.”
“I know you wouldn’t intentionally tell him anything.”
“I wouldn’t tell him anything at all unless you told me I could.”
Rylee relaxed slightly.
“I know.”
“I told you last night. I haven’t told him anything about you.”
“I know.”
Hope waited.
Rylee turned onto the road that would take her toward the clinic.
“I just want you to meet him first.”
“Okay.”
“Talk to him. See what he actually has to say.”
“I can do that.”
“And then call me.”
“I will.”
Rylee watched the road.
Hope was quiet for a moment.
“You don’t want me asking specific questions?”
“Not yet.”
“Nothing about Tyson?”
Rylee thought about it.
“Let him talk.”
Hope didn’t answer immediately.
“I mean it,” Rylee said. “You already know Glenn and Shannon were close. You know he was around before Tyson. If he wants to talk about Shannon, let him tell you what he remembers without putting ideas in his head.”
“That makes sense.”
“I don’t want him agreeing with something because you asked the question a certain way.”
“Okay.”
“And if he starts talking about Tyson on his own, listen.”
“I will.”
“But don’t push him.”
“I won’t.”
Rylee adjusted her grip on the steering wheel.
She wasn’t nervous about the decision.
If anything, making it had simplified things.
Hope would meet Glenn.
Hope would listen.
Then Rylee would decide what came next.
“Do you know when he’s coming back?” Rylee asked.
“Not exactly. He said sometime in the next few days.”
“For supplies?”
“That’s what he usually comes back for.”
Rylee nodded to herself.
“And you can meet him?”
“Yes.”
“Somewhere public.”
Hope laughed.
“Now you sound like Kenzie.”
“Good.”
“I’m serious. I can meet him somewhere public.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m not going to climb into a stranger’s truck and disappear into the woods with him.”
Rylee laughed despite herself.
“That’s a very specific example.”
“I wanted to make sure you understood.”
“I understand.”
Hope laughed.
Then her voice softened.
“You know I’ll be careful.”
“I know.”
“And I’m not going to give him anything personal about you.”
“I know that too.”
“Good.”
Rylee stopped at a red light.
There was something else she wanted to say, but she wasn’t sure how to phrase it without making the situation sound more dramatic than it was.
Hope seemed to sense it.
“What?”
Rylee smiled faintly.
“How do you always know?”
“Because I know you.”
The light changed.
Rylee drove forward.
“I just don’t want this turning into something it isn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Glenn might know something important. Or he might not.”
“Right.”
“I don’t want us deciding he has the answer before you’ve even sat down with him.”
“I’m not.”
“I know.”
Hope waited.
Rylee continued.
“I’ve already got enough things I know are real. Tyson has two people looking for me. One of them is searching in the United States now. That’s real.”
“Yeah.”
“Shannon is different. We don’t know what happened to her.”
“No.”
“And we don’t know whether whatever happened has anything to do with Tyson.”
“No.”
“So that’s where I want to keep it until we know more.”
Hope was quiet for a moment.
“That’s probably the smartest way to do it.”
“Probably?”
Hope laughed.
“Definitely.”
“Better.”
They talked for another minute.
Hope asked how Koda was doing.
Rylee told her he had spent the drive to daycare explaining a dinosaur story she still didn’t understand.
Hope laughed.
“And Pickle?”
Rylee glanced toward the passenger seat.
Pickle was sitting comfortably, watching the road.
“Right here.”
“Of course he is.”
“He goes to work more consistently than most people.”
“Does he get paid?”
“In treats.”
“That seems illegal.”
“I’ll let Dr. Ronaldo know.”
Hope laughed again.
The clinic came into view.
Rylee slowed.
“I’m almost at work.”
“Okay.”
“Call me after you talk to Glenn.”
“I will.”
“And Hope?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t tell him anything about me.”
“I won’t.”
Rylee nodded.
“Okay.”
“I promise.”
“Thank you.”
They said goodbye.
Rylee ended the call as she turned into the Huntington Veterinary Clinic parking lot.
She parked and looked at the time.
She was early enough.
Pickle turned toward her.
“You ready?”
His tail moved.
Rylee smiled.
“Come on.”
She got out, walked around, and opened the passenger door.
Pickle jumped down and waited for her.
Together they headed toward the clinic.
The familiar smell of disinfectant mixed with dogs and cats greeted Rylee when she stepped inside.
The waiting area was already beginning to fill.
A woman sat with a cat carrier near her feet. Across from her, an older man held the leash of a large dog that looked far more interested in Pickle than Pickle was in him.
Rylee kept Pickle close.
“Morning.”
Dr. Ronaldo looked up from near the hallway.
He had a file in one hand and coffee in the other.
“Morning, Rylee.”
His eyes dropped to Pickle.
“And good morning to you.”
Pickle’s tail wagged.
Rylee smiled.
“He appreciates being acknowledged.”
“I know better than to ignore him.”
Rylee set her purse near the front desk long enough to take off her jacket.
Stephanie appeared from the hallway.
“There you are.”
“I’m not late.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“You were thinking it.”
“I was actually going to ask if you brought coffee.”
Rylee picked up her purse.
“For you?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Stephanie stared at her.
“You’re a terrible friend.”
“You knew that already.”
“I keep hoping you’ll improve.”
Rylee laughed.
Pickle followed her toward the hallway.
Her office was farther down, near the examination rooms. She stepped inside and set her purse down.
Pickle went straight to his bed beneath her desk.
Rylee looked at him.
“You’ve been awake for what? An hour?”
Pickle circled once and lay down.
“Hard life.”
His eyes closed.
Rylee shook her head and headed back toward the front.
The morning moved quickly.
A nervous terrier came in for vaccinations.
A cat refused to come out of its carrier.
An older dog needed bloodwork.
Rylee moved between the examination rooms, the front desk, and the back area, helping wherever Dr. Ronaldo needed her.
She liked the pace.
There was something useful about having a list of things that needed to be done and being able to do them.
Hold this.
Bring that.
Clean the room.
Update the file.
Answer the phone.
Help calm the dog.
Find the missing paperwork.
Nothing complicated.
Nothing hidden.
By midmorning, Stephanie caught her near the front desk.
“You’re quiet today.”
“I’m working.”
“You usually work and talk.”
Rylee looked at her.
“That sounds like a complaint.”
“It’s an observation.”
Rylee reached for a file.
Stephanie watched her.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
Rylee nodded.
“Really.”
Stephanie waited.
Rylee knew that look.
She sighed.
“Hope found someone she’s been looking for.”
Stephanie’s expression changed.
“Someone connected to Tyson?”
“Kind of.”
“Kind of?”
Rylee looked toward the waiting area.
Nobody was paying attention to them.
“Someone connected to Shannon.”
Stephanie lowered her voice.
“The girl you told me about?”
“Yeah.”
“What did they say?”
“Nothing yet.”
Stephanie frowned.
“Then what happened?”
“Hope found him.”
“Him?”
“His name is Glenn. He and Shannon were best friends before she started dating Tyson.”
Stephanie looked at her.
“And Hope found him?”
“Yeah.”
“Does he know where you are?”
“No.”
The answer came quickly enough that Stephanie relaxed.
“Good.”
“He doesn’t know anything about me. Hope’s going to keep it that way.”
Stephanie nodded.
“So what happens now?”
“Hope talks to him.”
“And then?”
“Then we see.”
Stephanie studied her for a moment.
“You okay with that?”
Rylee smiled faintly.
“Why does everybody keep asking me that?”
“Because we care about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t.”
“You were thinking it.”
Stephanie smiled.
“Now you sound like me.”
“That’s concerning.”
Stephanie laughed.
A phone rang at the front desk.
She reached for it.
Rylee headed back toward the examination rooms.
The conversation was over.
That was another thing she appreciated about the people in her life now.
They asked.
They listened.
And when she said enough, they let enough be enough.
The rest of the morning stayed busy.
At noon, the clinic closed for lunch.
Rylee returned to her office.
Pickle lifted his head from beneath her desk.
“Hey, buddy.”
His tail moved.
Rylee opened the small refrigerator and pulled out the lunch she had brought from home.
She sat at her desk and checked her phone.
Nothing from Hope.
She hadn’t expected anything.
Hope didn’t even know exactly when Glenn would be back in Fairhaven yet.
Still, Rylee looked.
Then she put the phone down and opened her lunch.
Pickle emerged from beneath the desk.
“No.”
He sat beside her.
“You already ate.”
He stared.
Rylee took a bite.
Pickle continued staring.
“You know this doesn’t work on me.”
His tail moved once.
Rylee smiled.
“Okay. Sometimes it works.”
She finished eating without giving him anything.
Mostly.
By one o’clock, the clinic reopened.
The afternoon brought another steady stream of appointments.
Dr. Ronaldo asked Rylee to help with a dog that had injured its paw.
She held the dog gently while he examined it.
“Easy,” she murmured.
The dog shifted.
Rylee kept one hand against its chest.
“You’re okay.”
Dr. Ronaldo glanced at her.
“You’re getting good at that.”
“At what?”
“Knowing when to hold tighter and when not to.”
Rylee looked down at the dog.
“I pay attention.”
“I know.”
He finished the examination and stepped back.
The dog immediately leaned toward Rylee.
She smiled.
“See? We’re friends now.”
Dr. Ronaldo laughed.
“Until the next time he sees you.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
They finished with the appointment.
Later, Rylee helped Stephanie catch up on paperwork at the front desk.
For nearly an hour, she didn’t think about Glenn at all.
Then her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Rylee stopped.
Stephanie looked at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Rylee pulled out the phone.
Kenzie.
How did it go?
Rylee smiled.
She typed back.
Hope’s going to meet him first. She won’t tell him anything about me.
The response came quickly.
Good.
Rylee shook her head.
That’s all I get?
Kenzie replied.
No. I’m at work. I have more opinions later.
Rylee laughed.
Stephanie looked over.
“Kenzie?”
“Yeah.”
“I could tell.”
“How?”
“You have a Kenzie smile.”
Rylee stared at her.
“I do not.”
“You do.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“It is absolutely a thing.”
Rylee put her phone away.
“Work.”
“I am working.”
“Then work quietly.”
Stephanie laughed.
Rylee tried not to smile.
She failed.
By the end of the day, Pickle was waiting beside Rylee’s desk before she had even gathered her things.
“You know what time it is, don’t you?”
His tail moved.
Rylee picked up her purse.
“Come on.”
She said goodbye to Dr. Ronaldo and Stephanie, then walked outside with Pickle beside her.
The afternoon air felt good after being inside most of the day.
She opened the passenger door.
Pickle jumped in.
Rylee got behind the wheel and started the engine.
Her phone was still quiet.
She drove toward Mrs. Whitaker’s daycare.
When she pulled into the driveway, Pickle immediately became more alert.
“I know.”
His tail started wagging.
“We’re getting him.”
Rylee parked and got out.
This time, Pickle came with her.
They walked toward the front door.
Before Rylee reached it, the door opened.
Koda came running.
“Mommy!”
Rylee smiled.
“Hey, baby.”
He wrapped his arms around her.
“I had a good day.”
“I’m glad.”
Then he saw Pickle.
“Pickle!”
Pickle’s entire body started moving.
Koda crouched to pet him.
Wendy stood near the door, smiling.
“I think somebody missed somebody.”
“Both of them,” Rylee said.
Koda stood.
“I told Wendy about the dinosaur.”
“I heard part of that this morning.”
“He was the bad guy.”
“I thought the green one was the good guy.”
Koda looked at her.
“He changed.”
“Right. I forgot.”
Wendy laughed.
Rylee thanked her.
Koda took Rylee’s hand, and they headed back toward the car with Pickle following.
Koda climbed into the back seat.
Pickle jumped into the front.
Rylee made sure Koda was buckled before getting in.
The second she started the engine, Koda began telling her about his day.
Rylee listened.
She asked questions.
Some of the answers made sense.
Some didn’t.
By the time they reached the house, Koda had moved from daycare to dinosaurs to dinner.
“Spaghetti,” he reminded her.
“I remember.”
“With garlic bread.”
“I remember that too.”
“And cheese.”
“Yes.”
Koda smiled.
“Good.”
They went inside.
Mabel appeared from the living room and watched Pickle enter as though he had personally disrupted her entire afternoon.
Rylee set her purse down.
“Hi, Mabel.”
Mabel walked away.
Koda laughed.
“She ignored you.”
“I noticed.”
Pickle followed Koda toward the living room.
Rylee headed into the kitchen.
She had just opened a cabinet when her phone vibrated.
She looked at it.
Hope.
For one second, she wondered if Glenn had already contacted her.
Then she opened the message.
He’ll be in Fairhaven tomorrow. I’m going to meet him while he’s here. I’ll call you after.
Rylee read it twice.
Not because there was anything confusing about it.
There wasn’t.
Tomorrow.
Hope was going to meet Glenn tomorrow.
“Mommy?”
Rylee looked up.
Koda stood at the edge of the kitchen.
“Yeah?”
“Can I help?”
Rylee put the phone down on the counter.
“With dinner?”
“Yeah.”
She smiled.
“Sure.”
Koda came into the kitchen.
“What can I do?”
Rylee opened the refrigerator.
“You can help me get everything out.”
Koda immediately moved closer.
Rylee glanced once more at the phone on the counter.
Tomorrow, Hope would sit down with someone who had known Shannon before Tyson.
After that, Rylee would know whether there was a reason for her to take the next step.
But tonight there was dinner to make.
She handed Koda the bag of shredded cheese.
“Put this on the counter.”
He took it carefully.
“Can I have some?”
“With dinner.”
“Just one?”
Rylee smiled.
“One.”
Koda reached into the bag.
Rylee turned toward the stove.
Behind them, Pickle wandered into the kitchen, already interested.
“No,” Rylee said without turning around.
Koda laughed.
“I didn’t give him anything.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because I’m a mom.”
Koda considered that.
“Do moms know everything?”
Rylee looked at him.
For a moment, the question caught her differently than he intended.
Then she smiled.
“No, baby.”
She turned the burner on.
“We definitely don’t know everything.”
Her phone remained on the counter beside her.
Tomorrow might bring answers.
Tonight didn’t need them.