CHAPTER 36

“L ook at me: I’m sitting upright at the kitchen table,” Olivia said.

Hollis smiled at her mom as she placed the glass of water in front of her. Her mother hadn’t been able to eat solid foods for a bit now, so the nurses had been feeding her through a tube, and Hollis and Raleigh had learned how to do it as well. Because of that, though, and her worsening condition, Olivia hadn’t been in the kitchen in a while, so they’d decided to have a bit of a field trip today. Hollis sat down next to her and looked out the kitchen window into the backyard.

“Do you want me to clean up the back garden and plant things this spring? I’m no green thumb, but I can at least put some flowers back there.”

“That’ll be up to you,” Olivia replied.

“What did you have back there before?”

“Oh, this and that,” she said. “I had a good bunch of tomatoes a couple of years in a row, and I did some herbs that worked out.”

“Any particular flowers?” Hollis asked.

“Not really. If something didn’t grow back in the spring, I just went to the nursery in town and picked up whatever I thought was the prettiest that season. I liked having the variety back there. I had rose bushes about ten years ago, but those are a pain to keep up with, so I didn’t bother after that.”

“I can do roses for you, if you want them,” Hollis offered.

“What do you want, Hollis?” her mother asked, smiling that motherly smile at her.

“Me? I don’t know anything about flowers or gardening. ”

“I don’t mean the garden, sweetheart.”

“Oh,” she said, realizing the conversation had shifted. She leaned forward and added, “I don’t know.”

“I think you know at least some of it.”

Hollis smiled and said, “She told me she loves me.”

“And did you say it back?” Olivia asked.

“I said it first,” Hollis told her proudly. “When I was in Vancouver, Mom, all I could think about was getting back here.”

“I’m just glad that you had something positive to think about instead of worrying about me the whole time.”

“I worried about you, but I knew Raleigh would take care of you. I only worried that if something happened, I’d be hours away, but I knew she was here with you, so that made me feel a little better.”

“I’m glad you found someone,” her mom said.

“I never thought I would, but she’s here, and it’s like all the stuff I’ve gone through basically led me right to her. I know how that sounds, and it’s not that I wish–”

“I know,” Olivia interjected, nodding a little. “I had no real luck at love myself, but I did fall for your father once, and things were good for us for a while, so I can understand what you mean.”

“I don’t know what happens with us from here. We’re still waiting to hear back from Dylan or the FBI, but they haven’t found this woman to tell us if it’s Eden or not. And, Mom, I’m worried that if it’s not her, Raleigh won’t make it through this.”

“Of course, she will,” Olivia said confidently.

“How can you know that?”

“Because as much as she doesn’t seem to think so, Raleigh is strong. She’s made it this far. And the first year, honey, is the worst. In a way, it’s the best because more people are still paying attention to your kid being missing before other kids go missing and take up their time, so it’s the best chance you have of getting your child back, but it’s also the worst. You have to adjust to them not being around. I used to walk by your room in the morning to start my coffee before I walked back to wake you up, and you weren’t there anymore. Raleigh’s made it through that. Plus, she’s got a support group, which I never had and most people don’t take advantage of, and she has you.”

“I’m not sure how much help I am right now. I’ve had my own stuff going on,” Hollis argued.

“Hollis, she’s told me numerous times that you are supportive, caring, and kind. She knows she’s lucky to have you.”

“I am,” Raleigh confirmed.

Hollis turned to see Raleigh, wearing Hollis’s T-shirt and an old pair of jeans, standing in the open archway of the kitchen.

“Morning,” Hollis said. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

Raleigh walked in, leaned down, gave Hollis a quick kiss on the lips, and said, “Good morning.” Then, she turned to Hollis’s mom and added, “Morning, Olivia. Glad to see you up and about.”

“Thank you. I’ve got about five more minutes in me before I need to go back to bed, but it’s nice, taking the tour and seeing what you’ve done with the place. I really like the dirty dishes in the sink that need to be put in the dishwasher.”

Raleigh sat on Hollis’s other side and laughed.

“Those are mine,” Hollis explained. “I got in late last night and was starving, so I dropped them into the sink. I’ll take care of them after I get you back to bed.”

“We were just talking about the back garden. What do you think Hollis should plant back there?” Olivia asked Raleigh.

Raleigh was now massaging the back of Hollis’s neck, instantly releasing any stress that had built up in her muscles.

“I don’t know. I have a client who runs a gardening blog. I could actually read it for once and see if she has any recommendations for our climate,” Raleigh suggested.

“I was thinking roses,” Hollis said.

“You can’t even put a dish in the dishwasher, and you want to take care of roses?” Raleigh asked, laughing .

“Hey!” Hollis exclaimed, placing her hand on Raleigh’s thigh.

“Maybe start her off with something basic,” Olivia suggested.

“Basic. Got it,” Raleigh replied.

“And don’t overwater. A lot of people make that mistake.”

“Don’t overwater,” Raleigh repeated after her, nodding.

Hollis watched as her mom kept giving Raleigh instructions for the garden and how to make sure Hollis didn’t ruin the plants, and it scared her. It didn’t scare her because her mom was giving Raleigh the instructions. Hollis knew Raleigh would still be around in the spring. She hoped Raleigh would be around forever, actually. It scared her because she wasn’t sure her mother would be around in the spring.

“And give them space to grow. Fewer plants the first attempt is always a good idea. You’ll need to make sure you know what you’re doing to take care of them, and you don’t want to overcrowd them.”

“We won’t,” Raleigh promised.

“It’s time for breakfast,” the day nurse, who had a key and had just arrived, said to Olivia. “Good morning,” she added to Hollis and Raleigh.

“Morning,” Hollis and Raleigh said at the same time.

Hollis helped the nurse get Olivia back to bed and met Raleigh in the kitchen afterward.

“Do you really think I don’t know how lucky I am to have you?” Raleigh spoke.

“What? No, that’s not what I said,” Hollis told her as she sat down in the same chair. “I just worry.”

“About us?”

“No. About a lot of other things, though.”

“I’ll make the coffee,” Raleigh offered, standing up.

“I have to get ready for work,” Hollis replied.

“Okay. Then, I’ll make myself coffee, and you can tell me while you get ready.”

“How about I tell you over dinner tonight? ”

“Are you sure?” Raleigh checked.

“Yes.”

“You’re not cooking, are you?”

“I’ll spare you,” Hollis replied, standing up and pulling Raleigh in for a hug. “I know you have work to do, too, and I kept you up most of the night, so instead of you cooking, let’s order in.”

Raleigh kissed Hollis’s shoulder and said, “Okay.”

“I do want to run something by you before I leave, though.”

◆◆◆

“What’s this?” Kenna asked her when Hollis handed her the piece of paper over her desk.

“It’s my resignation letter,” Hollis replied.

“What?” Kenna looked from the paper to Hollis and back to the paper. “You’re quitting?”

“Not right away. I’ll work until you find someone else. I’ll even help train them, if you want.”

“Hollis, sit,” Kenna told her before she stood and walked over to the sofa, where Hollis joined her. “Is everything okay?”

“Not yet. I’m working on it, though,” Hollis replied.

“But you don’t want to work here anymore?”

“Kenna, you’ve been amazing and so kind with the situation with my mom – I’ll never be able to repay you. You gave me a job when you didn’t have to–”

“I got you an interview,” Kenna argued. “You got yourself the job.”

“Still. I wouldn’t be here in more ways than one if it wasn’t for you, so I’m incredibly grateful for everything you’ve done for me and for my mom. But she’s getting worse. She has moments where she seems fine, but she’s starting to tell me about things to do like she won’t be here to do it with me. She walked Raleigh and I through how to garden this morning. She’s also told me how to do laundry properly so that my colors last longer, and when I tell her she can just show me, she changes the subject. She knows, Kenna. She knows she doesn’t have long, and she’s trying to teach me everything she can. I just can’t be in an office for eight hours a day and then fight traffic right now.”

Kenna nodded in understanding and said, “I’m sorry, Hollis.”

“Me too,” Hollis replied.

“And you don’t have to stay on until we find a replacement. We can get by with the two researchers we have. Your mom’s health is more important,” Kenna told her.

“I don’t want to just leave you.”

“We’ll be fine,” Kenna said. “But if you would like an extra paycheck for the next couple of weeks, you can work from home and help pick up their slack. We can keep you on payroll, and you’ll still have your benefits as long as you can do thirty-two hours of work a week or, at least, tell us you’re doing that.” Kenna winked.

“You don’t have to do that,” Hollis replied.

“I want to. It’s a good compromise: I get your researching skills, and you get to be at home, get a check, and you don’t have to worry about being away from your mom.”

“That would be amazing.”

“I’ll work it out with HR,” Kenna said. “And I’m sorry to see you go, but I hope this doesn’t mean we won’t hang out.”

“You know, I’ve never really had friends before. Now, I feel like I finally do.”

“Good,” Kenna replied. “Maybe when things…” She stopped herself. “Maybe one day, we can double date.”

“Maybe one day, we can all hang out, and you can bring Aaliyah and we can bring Eden.”

Kenna smiled and said, “God, let’s hope so.”

Hollis finished up her workday at her desk, checking in on her mom a few times. Raleigh had continued to work out of Hollis’s living room, even when the nurse was there, and Hollis used to worry that it was too much too soon, but working around people seemed to help Raleigh as much as her being there for Hollis’s mom helped Hollis .

With the day done, Hollis got into the rental car she knew she’d need to return soon. If she wasn’t working, she wouldn’t be able to afford it and would have to figure something out as far as money went. Deciding she needed to do something else to help her move on from her past, she picked up her phone and dialed.

“Hello?”

“This is Hollis Richardson,” she said to her father’s lawyer. “Or, Heidi Ramsey, depending on what my dad told you,” she added.

“Miss Richardson, hello,” he said.

“I’m thinking about visiting my dad, but I don’t know how to go about it.”

“I see. Well, I can help you with that,” he replied.