Not wanting to call him, I click out of the message stream with him and see that the other messages I have are from a group chat I’ve been added to. I don’t want to be rude and ignore whoever is messaging me, but now that I know these people are just being nice to me so that they can monitor what I’m doing, I don’t want to have to pretend to not know that Warrick asked them to check up on me. So I leave them unopened, place the cell back on the counter on top of the note, and go back outside.
I’ve been laid out on the grass watching the clouds for long enough that the sound of a cell phone ringing startles me. I wait a few minutes until it’s clear that the sound is coming from inside the house. Jumping up, I head inside, pick up the cell and answer the call, bringing it to my ear.
“Hello.”
“Good morning, amore mio,” Warrick says, his voice gruff, but still soft.
“Hi.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“I did, thank you. Did you?” I ask politely.
It takes him a moment to respond. “We got back late, but I slept okay. I was hoping you’d call.”
“I tried,” I lie. “It rang out, then went to voicemail.”
“Oh, I haven’t got any missed calls. I’m sorry, amore mio. Did you eat breakfast yet?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Do you have any plans today? I know the girls are eager to spend some time with you. Did they text you? I gave James your new number, I bet she’s been hounding you.” He laughs.
“Some texts have come through, but I haven’t had a chance to read them yet,” I say vaguely, “but I thought I’d just take it easy today.”
“Are you tired?” he asks, his voice full of concern.
“A little.”
“Make sure you take a nap this afternoon.”
“Maybe.”
“Are you watching the hockey?”
“Not right now,” I say, answering his question without offering anything more.
“I’m sorry, amore mio, I have to go. I’ll call later if I can.”
“Okay. Bye, Warrick,” I say, ending the call.
Placing the cell back down on the counter, I head outside and lie back down in the grass.
I’m expecting it when there’s a knock at the door just as the sun is starting to lower. Unlike the day before, I don’t bother looking through the window to see who it is. Instead, I open the door, then smile when I spot Cora Barnett on the doorstep, a golf cart parked on the street just a few feet away.
“Hi, Verity. You didn’t reply to my text, so I thought I’d drop by and make sure that you’re okay,” she says, smiling friendlily at me.
“Hi, Cora, come on in. I’m sorry, I’ve been in the backyard, and I haven’t looked at the cell. It’s been a while since I’ve had to think about carrying a cell phone around with me,” I admit, not mentioning it’s because tents don’t have outlets and cell phone plans cost money.
Stepping to the side, I wait for Cora to come inside before I close the door and point to the door to the yard. “I’ve been sitting outside, if you’re okay being out in the heat?” The sun is low but still bright, it’s not hot enough to burn, but more than warm enough to sit outside comfortably.
“You might have to help me out of a chair, but that would be the same on the couch, so outside is fine,” she says, waddling through the back door and out into Warrick’s slightly unkempt yard.
Cora takes a seat on one of the patio chairs, but instead of taking the one beside her, I sink back down onto the lawn.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her, diverting the conversation away from me.
“I’m fine. This is my third pregnancy. My body knows what it’s doing, but my daughter Smith came almost two weeks early, so Huck is losing his shit thinking I’m going to go into labor any day, when I still have weeks till my due date,” Cora says, rolling her eyes playfully. “How are you settling in? The offer to use ourguest room is still there if you’re lonely or worried about being here on your own.”
