His Hush-Hush Baby - Holly Rayner Page 0,5

day. After that, no plans.”

“Will you go out with me?”

Her face broke into a smile. “I would love to.”

“Great.” He pressed his lips to hers.

She sighed, drawing back. “I really, really wish I wasn’t going.”

“You should probably leave, though, before I lock the door and carry you back to bed.”

The thought sent a thrill through her. For the briefest of moments, she actually considered stealing another twenty minutes and staying with Kai.

No sooner had she felt the desire, though, then a wave of guilt followed. Her parents needed her, and she’d already wasted a few minutes chatting longer than she needed to.

“I better hustle then,” she said, laughing.

“Of course.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and walked her to the door. “Just know that I really look forward to Monday night.”

“Me too.”

He gave her another kiss at the door, and she dragged herself to the elevator. The building’s lobby was just as fancy as Kai’s apartment, with a doorman who tipped his hat at her and asked if she needed a car.

Usually, she rode the subway to save money, but since she was already running late, she took the offer and let him catch her a taxi. As they pulled away from Kai’s building, she made a mental note of where it was and hoped that Monday night would find them back there again.

Her parents still lived in the apartment they’d raised her in, a ground-floor home in a brownstone. Though Diane had moved around the city a couple times, she’d eventually ended up in an apartment only a few blocks from theirs.

The setup was ideal. Living a short walk away, she could provide her parents with support while still having her own space.

“Knock, knock,” she called after using her key to let herself into their place.

“Hello!” her mom called back. “In the kitchen!”

Diane smiled to herself. Her mom was often in the kitchen these days. She liked to sit at the table and have her tea while watching out the window for the neighborhood cats that sometimes popped by.

“Hey.” Her dad came out of his bedroom. “I’ll be done in a few hours.”

“It’s okay.” She waved her wrist. “Take your time. Maybe we’ll go to the park or a movie.”

“See you soon, kid.” With a kiss on Diane’s cheek, he was out the door.

Her prediction had been on the nose. Ruby Johansen sat at the kitchen table in her bathrobe, a steaming cup of green tea in front of her.

The rare neurological condition that had reared its ugly head about five years before had stolen many things from Ruby. She struggled with both short-term and long-term memory. Somedays, she would get so frustrated she would cry or yell. Stress had brought on wrinkles and gray hair faster than they might have normally come about.

But the one thing the disease hadn’t taken was her spirit. Ruby still loved life, and she still loved her family. Even if she didn’t always remember who they were.

“Hey, Mom.” Diane held her breath, waiting to see what place her mother was in that morning.

“Hi, sweetie.”

With a relieved exhale, Diane kissed her mother’s head and took the seat across from her. “Have the cats come by today?”

Ruby frowned. “What cats?”

Diane gulped. “Oh, I just have a feeling that some will come into the yard today. I put a bowl of food out there. Let’s watch and see.”

Diane hadn’t put any food out there. If there was cat food in the little backyard, either Ruby or her husband had placed it there. Diane’s dad would usually put some out there if his wife hadn’t, knowing that later she would be asking about it.

“How is work?” Ruby picked up her tea and took a slow sip.

“It’s good. Did I tell you about the new mural I’m painting at Weiss Enterprises?”

She’d told her mom all about it when the job had come in a few weeks ago, but she wasn’t sure if that tidbit had stuck or not.

“Hmm. I can’t remember.” Ruby’s eyebrows knit together in concentration, and she frowned.

“I must not have told you.” Diane squeezed her mom’s wrist.

One of the hardest things about Ruby’s condition was figuring out how much information to give her on any particular day. Sometimes she remembered she had a neurological illness, and other days she became upset over not understanding her memory loss. The latter was particularly hard when she had doctor’s appointments.

“And what else?” Ruby asked. “How are you and Mikey?”

Diane’s smile was tight. Mikey was the guy she