I explained our arrangement.
When I finished, Harvey nodded slowly.
“Well,” he muttered. “That’s weird as hell. But she likes you. That matters.”
I pretended not to care.
Truthfully, I thought about those words all day.
Because I didn’t really know what family was supposed to feel like.
But whatever existed between me and Mrs. Holloway felt close.
Then came the morning I found her.
I let myself inside using the spare key because she hadn’t answered the phone.
The television was still on.
Cold tea sat untouched beside her chair.
And she was gone.
I knew instantly before I even touched her hand.
But I still called her name anyway.
I dropped beside her chair and cried harder than I had in years.
