Friend” that my mother used to hum, and I could hear the faint echo of the dishwasher humming in the background.
“Hey, love,” Daniel’s voice came through, warm but still carrying that faint edge of tiredness that comes from waking up early for a shift at the hospital.
“Hey, how are the girls?”
“Fine, fine,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Emily’s still trying to put the crayons in the dishwasher and Grace keeps asking if we can have pancakes for dinner. They’re both a little sniffly, but it’s just
a cold.”
There was a pause, a soft sigh that seemed to fill the kitchen. “I’ll be home late tonight. You can take them to the park if you want. I’ll pick up some soup on my way back.”
I smiled, even though he couldn’t see it. “Sure thing.” I heard the faint click of his door closing in the background, a sound that would become a familiar rhythm in the weeks that followed.
