It’s adorable.
“Theo, shirt,” I say.
“I’m getting one.” He disappears back upstairs.
Rachel takes a long drink of her coffee, deliberately not making eye contact with me.
Marco walks in fully dressed, already in work mode. “Morning. Rachel, I need you to stay home today if possible. I’m following up on some leads, and I’d feel better if you’re here.”
“What kind of leads?”
“Ryan Williams. Dorothy’s grandson. His financials don’t add up.” Marco pours himself coffee. “I’ll know more this afternoon.”
Rachel nods. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere anyway. Tommy’s home sick from school.”
“I’m not sick!” Tommy protests. “I just have a little cough.”
“A little cough that kept you up half the night.” She ruffles his hair. “You’re staying home, and that’s final.”
“But Mrs. Cott is reading the next chapter of the wizard book today!”
“I’ll read it to you. After you rest.”
Tommy grumbles but accepts defeat. He knows better than to argue with his mother when she uses that tone.
The morning passes in comfortable chaos. Theo leaves for his shift. Marco heads to the county office. I’m on a day off, so I stay home with Rachel and Tommy.
Around noon, Rachel makes lunch: grilled cheese and tomato soup. Simple, but she makes it feel special somehow. Like she’s contributing even though she doesn’t need to.
“You don’t have to cook,” I tell her. “That’s our job.”
“I need to do something. I can’t just sit around being waited on.” She plates the sandwiches. “Besides, you guys have done so much. The least I can do is feed you.”
“We’re not keeping score.”
“I know. But I am.” She sets a plate in front of me.
After lunch, Tommy crashes on the couch. His “little cough” has worn him out. Rachel covers him with a blanket and sits beside him, one hand on his forehead, checking for fever.
“He’s fine,” I assure her. “Just tired.”
“I know. But I still worry.” She doesn’t move her hand. “I always worry.”
“That’s what good mothers do.”
“Sometimes I wonder if worrying is enough. If I’m doing enough.” Her voice drops. “Too many fires, Cole. My son keeps getting pulled into this because of me.”
“Not because of you. Because of whoever’s setting them.”
“Same result.”
***
Rachel puts Tommy to bed at eight. I hear her reading to him through the wall—the wizard book he missed at school. Her voice is soft, soothing, and I find myself listening even though I can’t make out the words.
Theo comes home from his shift around nine. Marco shows up an hour later, looking frustrated.
“Ryan Williams has gambling debts totaling over fifty thousand dollars,” he says, dropping his files on the kitchen table. “And his grandmother is worth close to two hundred thousand between her house, savings, and life insurance.”
