Between Octobers Bk 1, Savor The Days Series Read Online Free

about Solomon. He was a
good man and I am sorry you lost him.”
    There. She said it.
    “You know I’m not mad, don’t you?” As I
spoke the words, I realized how true they were.
    “I thought you’d be upset that I didn’t call
you after, or go to his funeral. But I worried it would upset you
more if I did.”
    “I wouldn’t remember if you did.” My hand
touched my temple, remembering what a basket case I was those first
six months.
    “Your hair is pretty. You should keep it
that way.” She smiled and winked before stalking towards the
door.
    That wasn’t so bad. It shouldn’t have taken
so long to get around to.
    The restaurant was packed. Lily and I spent
most of the night at our table in the corner, making conversation
and eating an assortment of fried foods. She told me Natalia’s
sudden urge to pee was motivated by fear. She thought Lily spilled
the secret that she was losing her job next month and didn’t want
anyone to know. Lily hadn’t told me anything, of course. She was my
vault, the most trusted secret-keeper I knew.
    “I’m being accused, so I may as well be
guilty.” She smiled, “but don’t tell her I told you.”
    We watched people come and go, hoping for a
sighting of a familiar face. But there were no celebrities to be
found, much to Lily’s disappointment.
    “Maybe we’ll find one next time.”
    Lily answered with a smile as the taxi
pulled up to take us home.

 
    October
8 th
    The keys to the file room in Dr. Pataki’s
office were devoured by the couch monster. I performed a random
cavity search when Lily called earlier in the morning. I had to
drop them by her office, on my way to take the boys to school,
before the days’ patients started showing up.
    While the car warmed up, the boys were
getting loaded inside. I made sure Caleb was settled, then tried to
text Lily to let her know we were leaving, but my cell battery’s
was nearly dead. I flipped the phone shut and rolled down the
driveway. “Noah, text your Aunt—let her know we’re on our way.”
    The parking garage beneath the office
building wasn’t open to the public yet, but Lily called the guard
and told him I was coming. I drove in, looking for a spot near the
central bank of elevators—the set closest to her office on the
third floor, which was two floors beneath Dr. Lena’s office. I’d
never met with her at her professional office. We always met over
on the other side of town, at my church.
    After hopping out of the car, I called to
Noah, but he continued bobbing his head to the beat of whatever
song he was listening to. I waved my arms, hoping the movement
would grab his attention. It did; he looked my way and took out an
ear bud.
    “I am going to give Aunt Lily her keys. I
will be right back.” I shook them in my hand for him to see.
Glancing in the backseat; I saw Caleb had fallen back to sleep.
“Please wake up your brother and tell him to eat his breakfast.
Help him open his juice, too, please. I don’t want him squirting it
all over the car.” He nodded. “A verbal response would be
nice.”
    “Okay, I will.” His tone whispered
irritation. “Happy?”
    “ Yes, thank you.” My eyes shrunk as I
turned away. I could not wait until he has his own kids. Wait, yes
I could.
    The elevator opened immediately; I walked
inside. Right before the doors closed, I noticed a man with a beard
sitting inside a black SUV in the parking garage. He leaned his
head against the seats’ headrest, like he was trying to catch up on
sleep. Briefly, I wondered why he was there. Probably for the same
reason my boys were—waiting on someone inside.
    The doors opened to the third floor. Lily’s
office was two left turns away. I pulled out my phone and checked
the time, pleasantly surprised. Maybe the kids wouldn’t be late for
school.
    Reaching the glass doors to her office
suite, I knocked lightly. Lily’s head, with her hair twisted back
into a loose bun, bobbed up from behind the partition. She jumped
up once