Page 166 of Safe With You

Apparently my bookstore is also a coat check now.

Put it on my tab.

Your tab is getting expensive.

I stared at that one longer than I needed to.

Then typed back.

Guess I’ll have to come back.

The message delivered.

The typing bubble appeared before her response came through.

I guess you will.

I read it twice.

There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about four words.

That didn’t stop me from smiling at them.

From upstairs, something hit the floor.

I looked toward the ceiling.

A second later⁠—

“I’m okay!”

I shook my head.

“Go to sleep, Mila.”

“I AM!”

I laughed under my breath and pushed myself off the couch.

Whatever was happening here, I wasn’t ready to name it. But as I headed upstairs to investigate whatever my allegedly sleeping daughter had knocked over, one thing was harder to explain away.

I was already looking forward to seeing Luna again.

Two days later, Luna’s name lit up my phone while I was sitting at my desk trying to convince myself I hadn’t been staring at the same photograph for five minutes.

I finished the adjustment I was making before reaching for it.

Are you busy?

I looked at the time.

It was a little after three. Tasha was picking Mila up from school that day, which meant for once, I didn’t have anywhere I needed to be.

Depends.

Her response came almost immediately.

That’s not an answer.