36

RICHARD

I CARRIED THE TRAY TO the kitchen, leaving Laura and Katy talking. Graham followed me, carrying the box and waited so we could go into the den and talk more. He glanced at the papers on the counter, picking up the job listing for Calgary.

“Really, Richard?” He smirked. “You would have died of boredom

there.”

“I couldn’t take Katy to Toronto. She’d be miserable.”

He studied me for a moment, a smile crossing his face. “How you’ve changed.”

“Grown up, you mean.”

He nodded, clapping me on the shoulder. “It’s good to see.”

I glanced over his shoulder to where Katy was standing, hugging Laura. “It feels good,” I admitted. “I never thought it was something I would experience.”

“The right person can open our eyes to many things, Richard.” He was right.

He held out my new contract. “Let’s go sign some papers.” “Why did you bring my things if you planned on rehiring me?”

A strange look crossed his face, and he flipped open the lid. “The box is empty, Richard.”

I gaped at him. “What? Why