Zoe

I was nervous. I had every right to be.

“Are you sure you’re okay now?” I asked. “Maybe we should go to the doctor after all.”

Howard just chuckled and pulled me into his arms. His body was hot against mine, but his fever had definitely gone down since last night, and he could keep food down. I didn’t think he was well enough to be facing my dad, though, but Howard disagreed.

“Come on. I already called Mom and told her we’d be on our way. She’s keeping it a secret from Ben for now. We can join them for dinner.”

I hadn’t seen Dad in weeks, but he hadn’t tried to call me in that time. When I got back, the first thing I did was go see how Howard was doing, only to find he was sick and he hadn’t even locked his door. I didn’t think a day was long enough for him to get better, but he seemed completely sure that the illness had run its course.

“Let me carry your stuff down to the car,” he offered.

I came with all my luggage to his doorstep, though I didn’t intend to spend the night. There w