AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I held my thumb and forefinger apart by a scant inch. “Microscopic.”
“I should go,” Rosa said. “I have another date tonight.”
“Send me his profile, in case you go missing.”
She rolled her eyes. “You watch too muchDateline, young lady.”
“Maybe,” I conceded. “But I’ve also never been kidnapped, so ...”
Rosa wrapped me in a quick hug. “He won’t kidnap me. We’re meeting at Union Station for drinks, so there will be a million people around.”
As she tucked her cell phone into her pocket, I couldn’t help but marvel.
“What?” she asked.
“I don’t know if I’d have the energy to date if I were you. I’m in my early thirties, and I’m too exhausted to consider it.”
She tapped the edge of my nose. “Youwereconsidering it, though, before Mira. The last one was nice.”
I sighed. He was.
Tyler was sweet and quiet. I’d known him for years at work. Every time my computer needed fixing or some piece of tech equipment copped an attitude, he was the one who came to the rescue. Which he did with a friendly smile and kind eyes.
I didn’t blame him for not wanting to pursue our relationship in the wake of the accident. Hell, it was my life, and sometimesIwanted to hit the pause button on all this change too.
“Maybe he was too nice,” she added quietly. Then she winked and left.
I laid my head down on my folded arms and sighed. After a few moments, the telltale sounds of Mira climbing from her crib filtered downstairs.
Then I heard the soft thump of her feet on the steps.
“I go see him, Zoe!” she declared.
Her hair was a matted mess, and the duck was getting dragged across the floor.
I gathered her up into my arms for a hug, and she laid her head on my shoulder while we snuggled. But after a quick moment, she wiggled to get down.
“Want me to walk you?” I asked.
“No, I do it.”
And she was off.
I stood at the slider while Mira skipped over the pathway and into Chris and Amie’s backyard. With his cell phone pressed to his ear, Liam was standing by their own sliding door, and he glanced up when she yanked it open.
He gave me a slight nod.
The proverbial passing of the torch.
Or child, as it were.
Mira would be back for dinner. She always was. I stepped away from the door, out of Liam’s line of vision, and ignored that it was easier to breathe when I couldn’t see him.
Three days later, neck-deep in end-of-the-quarter bookwork, I took a quick glance at my phone screen.
Nothing.
I rubbed my tired eyes, which were bone dry from staring at my computer screen for the last couple of hours. My neck was tight and achy, and my attempt to roll out any of the tension was met with stubborn resistance by my rock-hard muscles.
