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I’m not entirely sure, but from the discussion I had with him the other day, I know he lived a life of wealth and luxury, so commenting on the size of my cabin seems a little off.
“You’d be surprised,” Michael says with a nervous laugh. “Apartments are costly, and when you aim to save to help communities and hospitals, you go for the cheaper ones.”
I nod.
“I see. I see. Okay. The bathroom isn’t along the side of the cabin, though. It’s actually closer to the living room, so if you follow me, I’ll show you where it is.”
I wait for him to get in front of me before I begin to walk.
“There,” I point to the toilet door. “That’s it. Lily will be inside in a few minutes, but she’ll wait for you in the living room so you can join us when you’re done using the toilet.”
He nods, but I notice his avoidance of eye contact. “Thanks,” he replies and hurries through the door.
I wait outside the door until I hear the lock clicking for the second time, and then I hurry away so he doesn’t realize I’ve been standing and keeping watch.
I don’t necessarily suspect Michael of anything, but you can never be too sure. And when it comes to keeping a keen eye on the people I’ve sworn to protect, trust is a luxury I cannot afford.
While Michael speaks to Lily, I tell Madison that we need to continue the job outside. Thankfully, she doesn’t mention thatshe and Lily have completed the job and follows me out. We end up on the porch.
“Hey,” I say as we sit on the porch chairs. “I know we haven’t talked about many things, but you know that if there’s something you want to tell me… something that is bothering you, I’ll listen, right?”
She nods. “Yup. I know.”
“O-okay. What do you think about Lily?”
Madison shrugs. “She’s okay. She’s nice.”
“Yeah. I know all of those things. But I didn’t ask you what you felt about her staying with us for the holiday. I know we spend two months together here, and it’s usually our time, but she might be here for a while.
How do you feel about that?”
“Do you want to send her away,” Madison looks so concerned that I shake my head immediately.
“No. No. I’m not sending her anywhere. I just wanted to know how you feel. You know… with everything.”
Geez. I’m terrible at this conversation thing.
“Oh! I like her. I want her to stay. We talk about a lot of things. Things,” she looks at me with guilty eyes, “that I can't say to you. But it’s okay because they are not bad things.”
I see that Madison will not tell me what I want to hear if I don’t ask directly, so I clear my throat.
“You know she’s not going to replace your mom, right? Nobody will.”
“I don’t mind.”
My eyebrows climb. “You don’t mind?”
She shakes her head, looking away and kicking her feet forward.
“I don’t mind if you like her. I didn’t know my mom that well, and Lily is nice. You want someone nice, right?”
“Well—”
What do I say to that? I can't lie to myself that I’m not attracted to Lily, but I haven’t dated anyone since my wife died five years ago. I have been on dates, courtesy of Ethan and a few other people, but they never passed the first day.
And I quickly resigned myself to the small family that Madison and I make. With Lily around, things have changed. The dynamics have shifted, and I… I have begun indulging in the idea of having someone else in our little family.
But—
