“Thanks for dinner, Lance,” said Mal.“Zoey has a key, so we’re going over to get the cats and the tables.”To Raven she said, “We’ll see you back at the shelter.”
“Sounds good,” said Raven, and watched the three women walk up the road, chatting happily.
Pinky and Ahmed took their leave as well, leaving Lance and Raven alone outside the restaurant.
“So, lunch tomorrow?”Lance asked.“I can pick you up and take you to that bistro out in Ladysmith.”
“I have brunch with Rosalyn tomorrow, but maybe we could get together for coffee later?”said Raven.
“Absolutely, if I get to spend time with you,” he said.“I’ll text you after I put Zoey on the ferry.”
“I’ll see you then,” she said, receiving a kiss on the cheek.She liked that, his way of kissing her without thought or ceremony, as though he had kissed her like that for years.
And she was getting used to it, this new rhythm of her life.Two years ago, she was hugging Wren goodbye and pecking her on the cheek.Now she was receiving Lance’s kisses.
Though the hole Wren had left was likely never to be completely filled, she had to accept it.Life had a way of continuing forward whether she was ready or not.
But she was still going to call McKenzie in the morning if Wren hadn’t answered her.Because no matter how old Wren got, Raven was still her mother, and she still had the right to worry.
ChapterEight
The following day, Simon received the email from Raven approving the adoption in principle, and he immediately texted Sarah.
“That’s good news.I just received my approval too.”
“Which day would you like to go and get them?”he asked, feeling some comfort that this might be the first of many conversations.He liked the idea that he would have a reason to connect with Sarah often and that Sally and Riley were good friends.
Riley was teaching Sally to be a little more self-assured, and he thought Sally might teach Riley some patience.They seemed to be good for each other, and anything he could do to nurture their relationship was positive.
It certainly didn’t hurt that Sarah seemed to be a good parent to her daughter.Stable.Steady.Reliable.So very different than his ex-wife, Willow, who dropped into their lives on a whim every so often but whom he hadn’t seen in person in nearly five years.
He had stopped tracking and obsessing over Willow’s safety or location.That way lay madness.Though he had not unfriended her on social media, he no longer spent hours looking for any inkling of her or trying to see if she had made contact with any of their mutual friends.
She didn’t want to be found, and he had to respect that.He just wished Sally had a mother who was steadier.More self-assured.More like Sarah.
Right, he had to stop that train of thought.This was a partnership about cats and nothing more.He could not afford to make it more than that, because Riley and Sally were friends and that friendship was worth a lot to him.
“Hey, Sally,” he called, just as his daughter ran into the room with an anxious look on her face.
“Did she say yes to us?”asked Sally.“Riley said they’re getting a kitten.”
“Yes,” he said, and found himself laughing and jumping around the room with her, reveling in her delight.
“When can we go and get them?”
“Well, I just messaged Sarah, and we thought we would meet at the pet store—there’s a list of items we need—and then we can drive out to the shelter this afternoon.”
“Let’s go!”she said, pulling him toward the door.
He snatched up his car keys, checked his pocket for his wallet, and stepped into his sandals, his favourite thing about summer.And they were off.
When he pulled up in front of the Pawsitive Pet Supply store, they found Sarah and Riley waiting for them.The two girls ran to each other and hugged, hopping around the parking lot.Meanwhile, Simon locked the car and approached Sarah.
“It looks like they may be happy about this,” he said.
“Just a little.”She nodded, her lips turning up.“I haven’t seen her this excited in a very long time.”She frowned.“I just hope it all turns out well.”
“What about this concerns you?If it’s the work, I can assure you I can be relied upon to hold up my end of the bargain.”
