priorities-2

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Three weeks later I break down and text Carrie from the park, I suggest we go forcoffee and talk but she does one better and agrees to meet up with me while I'mwatching Holly. I keep it a secret from Leonardo, I don't want this visit to make him feelthreatened

The sun is falling and it's bordering on blinding depending on which directionyou're looking in. Few kids are left in the park, most have gone home for dinner. Hollyis playing with three other children, content in the sandpit.I see Carrie stroll towards me, "Hi!" I call out."Hi," she says approaching me. She sits next to me on the bench. "Holly's growingquickly," she comments."You bet, do you want me to call her over?" I offer."No, she's having fun, it's okay, I'm sorry for the way I've been acting, I believeyou're not sleeping with Leonardo." 

"I'm definitely not," I reassure her. "It's a job to me, free rent and spending moneyuntil I decide what I want to do with the rest of my life," I explain. "How are you andHunter?""We're good. He doesn't understand my attachment to Holly. He wants our ownkids.""You can't erase the past," I say insightfully."Are you still planning on getting married? We haven't talked in so long!""We're putting our plans on hold, Hunter has a lot of pressure from the companyright now, sales are down."I glance at the sand pit and four kids has whittled down to three. I squint to makesure one of them is Holly. I don't make out her tiny little figure. Quickly I glance at therest of the park searching for her. Carrie catches on and starts looking too. I begin topanic getting up from the bench. I walk briskly to the sandpit, "Do you know where thelittle girl you were playing with went?" I blurt.The kids look dumbfounded and one points towards the road. There are other adultsin the park, but none close by. "You go this way, I'll go that way," Carrie suggests.

I don't really trust her but I have no choice, "Okay." I go in the direction the little boy pointed and pull my phone out of my pocket. Leonardo's going to kill me but I have to tell him I lost Holly or he won't be able to help me. I quickly dial his number while scanning my surroundings, "Leonardo! I'm at our park, Holly's missing. She was playing in the sandpit. I was talking to Carrie, I lost track of her." "I'll be right there," he says before the line goes dead. I keep searching, walking on the sidewalk, looking into peoples backyards. I check inside the variety store, no sign of her. I start looking under and around tree branches, in and behind cars, everywhere, until I'm so far from the park, I know there's no way Holly could be this far. I decide to go back to the park and try a different direction. That's when I see Carrie, "Have you found her?" she asks. "Does it look like I've found her," I say angrily. "You don't have to be like that!" she says defensively. I see Leonardo walking behind her. "You found her," Leonardo says. "No! We haven't," I say panicked. Leonardo smiles and I'm about to go apeshit until I turn around and see Will and Holly walking in our direction carrying ice cream cones. "You disappeared before I could tell you, I bumped into Holly," Will explains. "No harm done," Leonardo says forgivingly. "You're not the one who had a heart attack," I complain. "You should have been watching her better," Leonardo scolds. "You're lucky it wasn't a stranger," Carrie agrees with him. "Who's side are you on!" "My daughters," Carrie smiles. "Thank God she's okay," she says with relief. "Chocolate!" Holly says happily pointing to her cone. I never let that happen again