I grab my phone, open Donna's contact, and quietly unblock her. My fingers hover for a second before I type:
Thank you so much.
It takes a few minutes for her reply to come through.
Donna O’Connor: You're welcome, honey.
Let us know if you need anything else.
If you're comfortable, can you share the treatment plan with us?
We want to be aware of what's going on and plan.
Just in case you need us.
We love you so much, Sophie.
I hesitate only for a second before opening my calendar and emailing the treatment schedule to Donna. Once it's sent, I set my phone back down and take a moment to regroup.
When my stomach rumbles, I eat some ziti while running down my checklist in my planner, smiling as I definitively cross out meal prepping, the last major thing I had to do before tomorrow.
When I finish, I clean up the kitchen, then decide that, with my extra time, I'm going to treat myself—a hot bath.
While the water runs, I click play on my speaker, select a soothing playlist, and hum along to the soft music filtering through the space. I light a couple of tea candles and toss in a vanilla-scented bath bomb, the aroma easing my nerves.
With my e-reader in hand, I gently step into the boiling water—if it’s not boiling, it might as well be freezing—and sigh in relief as it soothes my back muscles. Sitting at a desk all day wreaks havoc on my upper back.
Twenty minutes into my book, my phone buzzes with an incoming text, and I smile when I see the name.
Callum Rhodes: Should I be worried?
Attached is a picture, taken over Callum's broad shoulder. It’s of the adorable Plot, sitting on a bookshelf at the store and glaring menacingly, as if he's personally offended by Callum's existence.
I grin and reply immediately,
Definitely.
looks like you're about to be the victim of a...
nefarious Plot
*ba dum tiss*
Callum Rhodes: You know, you'd have made a killing writing those CSI: Miami one-liners
I laugh loudly at his words, the sound echoing in my bathroom as I text back:
omg Callum!
how did you know about my dream job?
Callum Rhodes: you pick up a thing or two when you have a mom like mine.
Maeve Rhodes sees all, knows all, and keeps it to herself most of the time.
it's entertaining to watch us struggle in ignorance.
like we're her very own soap opera.
