against her legs. It smelled like n

dshield wipers sliced back and forth. Swish, swish. The rhythm was

ty Hall loomed through the curtain

sudden silence in th

and turned toward her. His move

here,"

the building, then at the man beside her. Reali

very expensive car-about to marry him because... because

on the buckle o

cleared her throat. "I can't d

't look angry. He just rested his arm

to make him regr

ld still see Javon's face, the smugness, the way he had lo

re baggage. That's what he ha

The vibration against her thigh

Home: Second Notic

ion, the room and board, the physical therapy. Javon had promised to help.

st debt and a grandmother

lumping shoulders told him everything he needed to know. He knew abou

rance," he said quietly.

head sna

ura

s more common than marriage for love. He wasn't offering a fairy tale; he was offering a busines

es. But more importantly, he was a li

d the phone back into her po

ed out onto the wet pavement, the col

ood close, his shoulder brushing against hers. She noticed that he was holding the umbrella entirely over her, leavi

up the steps

old paper. It was quiet, save for the s

od close to her, a solid wall o

middle-aged woman with glasses on a chain. Her eyes flicked

form across

was shaking so badly the tip tap

the letters came out jagged. Sh

cover

nd warm. He steadied the pen,

Kiley," he

first time he had used her name. It sounded

..

ign," h

With his hand guiding hers,

hrough the lines. There were no flowers. No music. Just the

take thi

ated. One s

er hallway. She thought of Grandm

," sh

dn't hesit

tamped the

encing her to life. Or maybe

cate to Kiley. She reached for it, he

ok the certificate from the cl

arted. "I sho

slid it into the inner pocket of

fe," he said. "Y

he lost her phone twice a week. But he couldn't know that. Unless he

don

ced a hand on the small of her b

, Mrs. Wi

h her spine. Mrs. Wilkinson. It

had stopped. A single beam of sunlight cut t

to a stranger. And she had a fee