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“Right.”

“It’s on the note Grandma gave you from Mom,” he told her.

Sage had been too busy to read the letter her sister had included with instructions on Ricky’s schedule. He seemed to be doing an okay job of keeping her informed, though, which was a good thing. She admired the fact that he knew his own boundaries.

Later they made peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches for lunch and then watched A Christmas Story, which was streaming on Amazon Prime. Leaning against her side, Ricky fell asleep partway through the movie. Sage didn’t dare move for fear of waking him. She awkwardly placed her arm around his shoulders and kissed the top of his head. They would make this work. Ricky was a sweet child, and everything had worked out thus far. She’d been worried over nothing.

After the movie and nap, Ricky was full of life. “Let’s go to the park,” he suggested.

Sage glanced out the window. “It’s raining.” Plus, she had no idea where the closest park was. This was a good reminder of how focused she’d been on her career. Her life revolved around her job to the point that she lived inside a bubble.

His shoulders slumped with disappointment. “Let’s play UNO, then.”

“UNO?”

She vaguely remembered playing the game as a kid. Her memory didn’t include what it was, though. “Sorry, I don’t have any games here.” Another thing to add to her growing list.

His eyes widened as though it was hard to believe someone could live without a stash of kids’ games.

“I’ll make sure I buy one.”

“Get Chutes and Ladders, too, okay?”

She was batting a big, fat zero when it came to entertaining Ricky. So much for thinking this was going to be a breeze. No one thought to mention that her nephew might enjoy board games. “I’ll tell you what,” she said, when she saw the disappointed look on his face, “let’s go buy those games now.”

Ricky immediately brightened. “Okay, and can we stop by the park on the way back in case it isn’t raining?”

“Sure.” Google would help her locate the one closest to the condo.

The outing helped fill up the rest of the afternoon. By the time they returned from the store and Ricky reminded Sage how to play UNO, they were both ready for dinner. Rather than pop a frozen pizza into the oven, she ordered one from Domino’s.

After a bath, it was bedtime. As per the letter from Saffron, which Sage had read and studied after dinner, Sage read to Ricky a story from the Bible story book, then tucked him into bed and listened to his prayers.

He bowed his head and folded his hands, and his lips moved as he said a silent prayer. Sage assumed the prayer was for his mother.

“What happens tomorrow?” he asked, his head denting the pillow on the queen-sized bed. He looked small on the huge mattress.

“Tomorrow I go into work, and you get to hang out with the kids I mentioned. My assistant, Erica, has a daughter who’ll be there, too.”

Ricky yawned and seemed pleased. “Mom says it’s important to make new friends.”

“It is,” Sage agreed, and realized she was sadly lacking in that department. Erica was a close one, although they rarely did anything outside the office. Clarise, her college roommate and best friend, lived in Chicago. She’d recently married, which meant Sage’s ski buddy was lost. Maybe it was time to take her sister’s advice and find new friends herself.

Ethan was a friend, she realized, feeling unsettled and sheepish about how quickly his name had come to her. A good friend.

Sage was about to leave Ricky for the night. Her hand was on the light switch when he stopped her.

“Auntie Sage?”

“Yes, Ricky.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” she answered, coming back into the bedroom. “You can ask me anything.”

“What will happen if my mom never comes back?”

Sage came to sit on the edge of the bed. “Ricky, what makes you think your mom wouldn’t be coming back?”