I stared into my blood-enriched tea.
Emil sighed again. “Oh dear.”
Exactly.
Oh fucking dear.
The conversation shifted to the blood supply chain and Emil making a new contact at a hospital one state away. I tried to listen and show interest. After all, he provided my sustenance. Unfortunately, Conrad’s face—specifically his lips—kept interrupting my concentration.
The rain followed me home. Water rolled gently across the windshield. Old jazz played low through my car speakers, and for once, the drive wasn’t lonely. Complicated, certainly.Emotionally catastrophic, according to Emil. But not lonely.
By the time I parked beneath the trees beside the cottage, twilight had fully settled over the property. My headlights swept briefly across the front porch, illuminating ivy climbing the railings and the herb boxes beneath the windows before I killed the engine.
The silence settled around me. Normally, I enjoyed this part of the evening, specifically the stillness and isolation. Tonight, though, my brain felt too full for peace.
I carried the insulated blood case inside and immediately set about giving myself tasks before my emotions staged another coup.
Once everything was put away, I retrieved my planner from the side table near the sitting room window. It was an old-school, paper planner, color-coded and extensively tabbed.
Conrad would probably laugh himself unconscious if he realized how aggressively organized I truly was. Then again, perhaps not. He’d seen me manage three emotionally complicated children, a sprawling household, PTA politics, and an undead identity crisis simultaneously—although, he didn’t know about the last one. At this point, color-coded scheduling might actually seem reasonable.
I curled into the corner of the sofa with my tea and opened to the upcoming week.
Monday:
CJ piano lessons.
Bianca library research hour.
Billie gymnastics.
Tuesday:
Meal prep rotation.
Garden watering.
Permission slip due for science museum trip.
Wednesday:
Spaghetti night.
Laundry.
Check weather for outdoor activities.
Thursday:
Bianca extra-credit presentation.
CJ writing encouragement.
Billie probably attempting parkour again.
Friday:
Movie night.
