LITMIR.BIZ

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know,” Hope said, placing her hand on his arm. It was a reflex. Reassurance. Sympathy. Her bedside manner. But her fingers warmed, and she pulled back when he stared at her hand. “Don’t worry. I’m aware and understand,” she said, hoping the words explained her touch.

      “Okay.” He got out and went around back. Hope cringed when the rush of cold came through his open door. She took a deep breath, then exited, hurrying up the flagstone path. Her teeth chattered as she rubbed her arms and waited for him, but she didn’t mind too much. She had a great view of the display across the street from here.

      The front door swung open before he made it. A woman in beige pants and a blue tunic-length sweater scanned her from head to toe.

      “You must be freezing,” she said, ushering her in. “I’m Ben’s mother-in-law. You can call me Nina.”

      “Nice to meet you, Nina,” Hope said, shaking her hand. “I’m Hope.”

      “Yes, I think either Jack or Ben mentioned it. It’s a lovely name. Is it short for anything?”

      Hope raised her forehead and shrugged with a smile.

      “No, just Hope.” She knew what Nina meant by the question. She was expecting a more ethnic name. Her mother was of Luo descent and had decided to combine their common practice of giving their children both a Western name and a Luo name, based on the events of the day of birth. She’d been named only Hope, because it was what her parents were clinging to when she was diagnosed with a hole in her heart as a baby.

      “Has anyone ever told you that you look just like that beautiful actress... What’s her name? She won an award... Lupita something,” she said, waving her finger, trying to make the connection.

      “I know who you mean. I’ve been told we look like sisters, and I’m thinking of cutting my hair very short like hers. It seems so much easier.”

      “You’d be twins for sure. Come on into the living room,” Nina said just as Ben pushed through the door, maneuvering one suitcase inside and setting it against the wall. He took a stack of what looked like mail out from under his arm and set it on a wooden console, then quickly retrieved the second suitcase from where he’d left it on the front landing and kicked the door shut with his heel.

      “I take it you’ve met,” he said, looking up as he took his keys out of the pocket of his jeans and set them next to the mail.

      “Of course we met,” Nina said, brushing her hand through the air. “Unfortunately, I need to run or Eric is going to get grouchy. I spoiled that man, and now he can’t even fix his own dinner. Listen, Ben. I made sure Maddie’s homework got done, so you’re set for tomorrow morning. No sign of a fever or anything, but I sent her to take a shower. Chad was on the potty for quite a while before he went. I made a pot of vegetable minestrone for dinner, and everyone has eaten—”

      “I’d ordered pizza before leaving and told them to have it here at five-thirty. Wasn’t it delivered?” Ben asked. Nina cocked her head and tucked her graying chin-length hair behind her ear. Hope felt like a third wheel all of a sudden, not sure if she should sit on the sofa or keep standing. She desperately needed to use the restroom, but the insistent line of Nina’s mouth and twitch at Ben’s temple kept her from interrupting.

      “I put the pizza boxes in the fridge. I really didn’t mind cooking,” Nina said, grabbing her purse. “Oh, Chad said that you promised he could help with inflating that bed, so we went ahead and took care of it. He’s playing on it right now, and Ryan is sleeping. He drank his entire bottle beforehand.”

      “Great,” Ben said, cranking his neck to the side and back. “You took care of everything perfectly. I better walk you to your car before Eric wonders what happened to you.”

      “Well, maybe I should take a few minutes and go over some kid things with Hope and—”

      “Nina. I’ll take it from here,” he said, putting his hand on Nina’s back to guide her out. “I’ll be right back, Hope. Make yourself at...comfortable.”

      Not at home.

      “I really need to use the restroom, if you don’t mind,” she said, slipping the tote handles off her shoulder.

      “First door on your left is a powder room,” Ben said.

      “Nice meeting you, Hope,” Nina called as Ben followed her out the front door. As the door closed, Hope overheard her telling Ben that she was hurt that he wouldn’t be needing her anymore. Clearly there were undercurrents here she hadn’t anticipated.

      But all she cared about right now was peeing.

      * * *

      BEN LOCKED THE door behind him, rubbed his face with his hands, then exhaled. Why did he let everything Nina did or said get to him? He toed off his sneakers and turned. Hope was staring at him. For the next three months, the only place he could be alone in his house was going to be his bedroom.

      “I, um, don’t know what you’d like me to do,” she said.

      “Oh.” He patted his jeans. What did he need her to do? He’d never had a houseguest or a live-in anything. Granted, he’d spent most of his married life deployed. “You probably want to settle in, right? Or are you hungry?” He was starving as if there was no tomorrow. No way soup was going to cut it for him. The mere thought of vegetable soup annoyed him. It was the way Nina had said it. As if he was to blame for Chad being plugged up and Maddie not feeling well. As if he fed them takeout three meals a day. They were veggie pizzas, for crying out loud. A complete meal. He’d eaten his fair share of restaurant leftovers growing up and he was doing just fine. Then again, maybe it was a good thing there was healthy soup to offer Hope. Her being in medicine and all.

      “I’m famished,” she said. “I’d love a shower, too, whenever you are all done with the bathroom.”

      “Let me check on the kids real quick. If my daughter isn’t using it, it’s yours. I have my own in my room.” He glanced around the place, from living room to kitchen. “Sit wherever you like. I’ll be right back.”

      Ben hurried down the hall. Things might not feel so weird if the kids came out. Buffers. He could hear Maddie still puttering in the bathroom at the end of the hall. He cracked open Ryan’s door. Sound asleep, but the telltale gurgling sound of congestion wasn’t good. Please get through the night, buddy.

      “Chad?” He crossed the hall and pushed open Chad’s door. The kid had a slightly bigger room than Ryan and Maddie, but Maddie liked the way hers overlooked the backyard and had a window seat. It made sense to set up the inflatable bed in Chad’s room for that reason. Plus, he wasn’t sure how Maddie would take to a stranger in her room, and nights would get awkward if he went in to check on Ryan and Hope was sleeping there. This way, maybe they could alternate night calls if Ryan was teething or had another ear infection. But even with its extra room, he couldn’t see how those two suitcases were going to fit. He hadn’t even thought about emptying a few of Chad’s dresser drawers, but maybe tomorrow he’d clear the top two that Chad couldn’t get into.

      “Daddy!” Chad leaped up from zooming cars along the inflated mattress set in a corner of the room. He hugged Ben’s leg. “I want to sleep on that tonight.”

      “Sorry, bud, but remember what I told you about having a visitor? She won’t be able to fit in your car bed.”

      “But I like this one,” he said, throwing himself on it and spreading his arms and legs.

      “Come say hi. We’ll talk about this later.”

      “But—”

      “Now, Chad. You can have a snack if you’re still hungry. Come on.”

      Chad rolled off the bed and stomped past Ben. Hope was sitting at the breakfast table, digging in her bag.

      “Hope, this is Chad.” Good luck with him.

      “Hi,

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