Chapter 20 - The Empty Kitchen
Midnight struck quietly across the North Shore. I stood in the center of the dark kitchen, looking toward the pantry door. It remained wide open, bathing the stone floor in a soft, welcoming strip of hallway light. Upstairs, Lila and Micah were fast asleep in the guest suites, their laughter a permanent fixture of our daily lives. I poured a glass of ice water, walked over to the marble island, and smiled at the small sticky note June had left beside the fruit bowl: “Locked up, safe, and sound asleep. Don't wander too long, boss.”
