I woke up to an empty bed.However, the sounds of someone in the kitchen and the scent of coffee had me feeling better about it rather quickly. I brushed my teeth and hurried out to find Freddie in the kitchen.“I ordered donuts,” he said as soon as he saw me. “I wanted to make you a beautiful fancy omelet, but I also didn't want to burn down your aunt's house.”“I appreciate you not destroying the cabin,” I replied. “But the coffee smells great.”“Coffee is the one thing I can actually cook by myself,” he said. “That and a bowl of cereal. I'm quite good at that one too.”I grinned as he handed me a mug full of steaming caffeine. I grabbed one of the donuts from the box and took a bite of delicious sugary goodness. It wasn't on my usual diet, but this was vacation after all.“Come sit on the porch with me?” I asked, motioning my head to the sliding glass door. Freddie beamed and followed me out.We sat in the morning sunshine on two deck chairs, the box of donuts perched between us o

“I love how peaceful it is here,” Freddie remarked the next morning. We sat out on the back porch, sipping coffee and eating the waffles I'd finally made.“Me too,” I agreed. I sighed with contentment, licking the last bit of maple syrup from my fork. “This is even better than I imagined. Thank you for being here.”He flashed me a grin. “Believe me. It's been my pleasure. I think this is the first real vacation I've ever had.”“Really? You've never been on vacation before?” I frowned. “Your parents never took you anywhere?”He shrugged. “I've been on holiday to lots of places, but it was never relaxing. It was always scheduled with tours and meetings. I had to beg for a day off to just sit at the beach or the pool, but even then, I wasn't allowed just to relax.”“Why not?”“It's just not my family's way,” he replied. “We're always on. We're always smiling and doing. I've never been allowed to sit and do nothing. There's always something that should be getting done. If you aren't doin

Suddenly, not asking any questions about his business seemed like a colossal mistake on my part. What did I actually know about this man? Just because he had told me about his family and his dreams didn't mean I knew who he was. He had told me about parts of his life, but it felt like he had also left out a lot of important details. Cold dread at what he wasn't telling me started to settle in the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to think about what I didn't know and how it could end up hurting me.I left the bathroom and returned to the living room, trying not to panic.Freddie closed the front door. He turned the lock, making the old wooden door creak. I couldn't remember the last time the door had ever been locked. It simply wasn't something we'd ever needed to do. No one locked their doors around here.“I did forget to answer my phone. My brother called him all worried.” Freddie shook his head and smiled. The formal tone was gone entirely, and the Freddie I knew was back. “My brot

A few weeks later, Mid September“And I already gave Jones his PRN pain medicine,” I told the night shift nurse. “And that's it. Oh, and watch out for the guy in room 402. He's a little handsy and likes to put on his call light.”“Thanks for the heads-up,” Susan replied, making a mark in her notes. “Anything else to report?”I thought for a moment, and then shook my head.“You're getting good at this,” Susan told me. “I remember the first time you gave me a report. It was not this easy.”I laughed, remembering my first few days as a new-grad nurse. Despite being on the same floor I'd worked on as a CNA, it had been a whole new world for me. But three months of practice and I finally felt comfortable.“You're doing great,” Susan continued. She glanced around the room at the other nurses receiving a report for the change of shift. “I'm always glad when I get your patients. I'll take a report from you any time.”The compliment had me beaming. “Thanks.”She grinned. “So, what are you up t

No one was at the airport to greet us.Well, there was a chauffeur and a car, but none of Freddie's family or friends.We changed into nicer clothes in a private bathroom. I wore the suit I usually wore for job interviews- black dress slacks with a matching blazer and a conservative dark blue silk blouse. I'd managed to get two jobs wearing it, so I figured it was good luck.Freddie changed into a suit that had me feeling self conscious. His dark gray suit was impeccable. Mine suddenly felt a little threadbare. My slacks were slightly worn on the hems. The style was obviously dated. I fiddled nervously with a loose button on the cuff of my jacket I'd never noticed before.“You look great,” Freddie assured me, but I didn't believe him. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself more than me.I reached for his hand. He gave me one quick squeeze before pulling away.“We can't remember?” he said softly. “My mother has to accept you into the family before we can be seen togethe