Chapter Twenty-One

Holly

Holly woke a full hour before her alarm went off. She lay in bed with the covers up to her chin. Her cheeks were cold, but she didn’t want to turn the heat up. The old apartment building leaked warm air like a sieve and her heating costs were already too high this year. Better just to wear an extra sweater. Or stay in bed.

She heard her coffee-pot click on, the machine on automatic. Soon the scent of coffee filled the air and she found the siren’s song of endless energy irresistible. She slid out from under the covers, wrapped a robe around her and shuffled into the kitchen.

The sun was still barely cresting the horizon, and the kitchen was full of shadows. Holly went on autopilot, reaching for a mug, the creamer, and finally the coffee. She sighed with contentment at the first sip.

And then she thought of Nathan.

He liked his coffee with sugar, no cream.

She shook her head. It didn’t matter how he liked his coffee. He was probably back in San Francisco by now. She wondered if h