3:26 am

e p i l o g u e

11 months later

"Again, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for me. I am so excited to write a feature about you this week, you deserve it." I smiled as I started to wrap up the phone call interview I had conducted with an older woman who lived in town and was the librarian of our public library. She had recently founded an after school program for kids that attend the local public school and she had done some amazing things in the last few months.

"Thank you so much for reaching out. These kids do so much... they deserve some spotlight, and I'm hoping your article will spread awareness of their efforts and talents," I smiled at the woman's response and nodded my head to myself, becoming entranced as I thought of how I was going to structure my article for the upcoming week's newspaper.

"I hope to honor you and the program as best as I can. I'll be in touch," I said, beginning to end the call.

"I can't wait to read the article, sweetie! Thank you so much. M'bye!"

"Bye, Mrs. Oliver!" I ended the call and took a deep breath in as I sat my phone down on the dining room table, where I was sitting. I looked at my laptop that was in front of me and minimized the document I was working on, to open up another one. Before I could open the document, I was distracted by my background image and it caused a smile to spread across my face.

It was my favorite photo of Holden and I, possibly ever. There were plenty floating around, but the look on Holden's face as he stared down at me while I laughed loudly at whatever Ellie had just said in the moment made the picture special to me.

Fuck, I thought. I have too much love for Holden Fredericks.

Wanting to take a break from typing and interviewing, I closed my laptop and stood up from the seat I had been sitting in for the better part of an hour. I stretched out my legs and walked further into the kitchen, deciding to make myself some hot chocolate.

Wednesdays were my least favorite days, but I had discovered a perfect routine to get myself through them. Holden was home four days out of the week, and he left every Monday. By the time it was Wednesday, he had been gone too long and it felt as though I had nothing to look forward to. Somehow the bed stopped smelling like Holden by the time it was Wednesday, the house was the most quiet on Wednesdays, and it was almost painful to sleep alone on Wednesdays.

However, I was never entirely alone. Finn was still the best cat in the world, and he helped on Wednesdays.

I liked Thursdays because Holden got home around nine o'clock and all day I was filled with nervous excitement to see him, and I liked that feeling.

Finn walked through my legs as I started to heat up some milk in a saucepan and I smiled before bending down and picking him up. He purred loudly as I held him close to me and I smiled as I ran my hand through his fur.

My phone started to ring and I sighed quietly before letting Finn down and walking back over to the dining room portion of my apartment and grabbing my phone. I smiled as I saw who was calling and I answered immediately.

"Hello, Mary!" I answered, ecstatic to hear from my boss, Mary Glasgow, who owned the boutique that I was the social media manager for. Of course I never got around to choosing between two jobs, so I worked out an agreement to work part-time at the newspaper and put most of my effort into Mary.

"Quinn, I am so excited! The previews just came!" I let out a high pitched squeal as Mary spoke and she joined in, which caused us both to start laughing as we realized how easy to excite we both were. Not only was Mary my boss, but we had become each other's confidant. A year had almost passed since working for her, and we were both as clueless as the other to how to run a business and successfully advertise for it. We became a team, if anything. Sometimes I found myself giving her more work to do than she did me. "You have to look at them! The sweaters are cuter than I ever could have imagined."