Chapter 6

It had been such smooth sailing that I hadn’t realized how much time had passed until I got home one day from running errands and he was banging around in the kitchen. I had the day off, the first of three consecutive days, so after I hung my freshly laundered uniforms in the closet, I headed in there to see if I could help. I wasn’t much of a cook, but I could put together a mean salad.

“What’re you doing?” I asked, startling him from his contemplation of the meat in front of him. He jumped a little and gave a self-deprecating chuckle. I crowded close to look over his shoulder to see what he was concentrating on. He gave a little wiggle and a happy sigh. It was only then that I realized what I had done. I stepped back to give him his space. He half-turned and ruffled my hair with his hand, letting it linger for a moment, before playfully pushing me away with a nudge to my head.