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My jaw clenches and I run my hands through my hair. Might as well, I guess.
Noah: Yeah. Name the time and place.
Logan: Friday for dinner?
Recalling Logan’s burnt garlic bread, I send a follow up before he can confirm.
Noah: How about somewhere besides your place?
Logan: You want to host?
No way. My house is clean for the home visit and there’s not a chance I’m playing host.
Noah: A restaurant would be better, I promise. My cooking skills are only slightly more developed than yours.
Logan: Let me know where you want to meet.
Time has never moved more slowly than it does Thursday. The clock ticks by as I watch each minute pass. I’ve been queasy since waking up thanks to a toxic combination of my nervous stomach and too much caffeine—I never learn my lesson the easy way. When I leave my office at noon, I’m grateful for a few hours alone to breathe and walk through my house again for anything I may have missed.
As Chase promised, the home visit is quick. After a tour through my home, the social workers check common key concerns: where chemicals are stored, if outlets have proper coverings, what Rainey’s sleeping arrangements are, if all utilities are on, and if there’s adequate food in the home.
I pass those checks with flying colors. Chase notes I need to buy a separate fire extinguisher for upstairs, and I’ve ordered it on Amazon before he can even sign off on the home walkthrough checklist. The last part of the home visit involves a private interview with Rainey. I’m present for the first few minutes as she warms up to our guests before I’m asked to allow the social workers a few minutes alone with my niece. It thrills Chatterbox Rainey to have the floor to talk—the kid never shuts up.
The visit lasts less than an hour. As I’m thanking them for coming by, I ask Chase if he’s allowed to share anything Rainey said.
“I can’t get into specifics,” he explains, before revealing with a wink that “she enjoys being here with you.”
My heart buzzes in my chest as I see our guests out.
Chapter 15
Logan
Dinnerbeginsawkwardly.I’mplaying defense and ready to explain myself the moment Noah walks in the door. But she’s curt and closed off.
We test the waters with a little chit-chat—about nothing in particular—while we wait for the server to take our order. With the menus gone, I struggle with how to begin this conversation we desperately need to have.
“Thanks for taking the time to sit down with me. I know you’re angry, but you don’t have the full story.”
Noah listens solemnly, not volunteering any clues that could put me at ease. “I was married,” I confess, and my voice trembles.“But my wife passed away in January of this year.”
She flinches, and her eyes go from indifferent to wide with concern from the weight of my confession. She glues her eyes to the table, unmoving, as I continue.
“I didn’t mention it when we first met because you were a stranger. My wife’s death didn’t feel appropriate to share. Hell, it’s still raw for me, and I’m still figuring out where to go from here.”
Noah peeks up at me and her body language shifts with the perspective I’ve contributed. Her mouth is agape, but she’s not voiced a word. She examines me for what feels like an eternity before blinking back tears.
“I-I don’t even know what to say.”
Noah’s unwillingness to let me explain caused her distress, but I’m sincerely sorry for the despair she clearly feels. “You didn’t know,” I assure her.
“I didn’t know, but oh my god . . .” She gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. I’m betting she’s remembering telling me to ‘ask my wife.’
“Logan, I’m so sorry,” she shudders. “When I heard Maggie talk about her mother . . . If I’d known—I would have never said what I did.” Thoughts of Hannah intersperse with Noah’s humiliation, leaving me feeling like shit all around. “I accept your apology. And look—this situation isn’t entirely your fault. I could’ve mentioned it, but there wasn’t an opportune moment to slide my wife’s death in without it being weird.”
“True. It’s not like we’ve really touched on anything that segues into sharing information of that magnitude.”
“Exactly.”
