No, definitely not.

Half an hour later, dinner arrived. Ivy eyed the four dishes and a soup—clearly enough for two—and hesitated, feeling a pang of awkwardness. Should she call Jamison and ask if he was still coming? She picked up her phone, but then set it down again. Forget it. If he was free, he’d call me himself. If he hasn’t, he must be busy. Muttering to herself, Ivy grabbed some food containers from the kitchen, portioned out half of each dish, and tucked them neatly into the fridge. If he showed up later, she’d just reheat it for him. If not, well, she’d have leftovers for tomorrow.

But as it turned out, she waited and waited—until nearly eleven at night. Ivy hadn’t turned off the lights. She’d drifted off against her pillow, so tired she fell asleep sitting up. Her phone buzzed, jolting her awake. She squinted at the screen. Jamison.

“Hey…” Her voice was soft and sleepy, eyes still closed.

Jamison was driving. Hearing her drowsy greeting, his heart softened. “Did I wake you?”

“Mmm… it’s late, right? You just finished work?”

“Yeah. Had two emergency surgeries tonight. Just got off.”

“That’s rough… You should get some rest. We can talk tomorrow.”

“Alright. Go back to sleep then.”

“Okay, goodnight…”

Ivy didn’t bother opening her eyes, assuming he’d end the call. She reached out, switched off her bedside lamp, rolled over, and slipped back into sleep. But Jamison didn’t hang up. He just listened quietly to her steady, gentle breathing on the other end. Each breath was soft and rhythmic, like a little piglet sleeping peacefully. He’d actually planned to drive over and see her, but hearing how soundly she slept he changed his mind. Better not to wake her. He kept the call connected the whole way home, through brushing his teeth and changing into pajamas. Finally, as he climbed into bed, he looked at his phone and, with a warm smile, whispered, “Goodnight, little piglet,” before finally ending the call.

The next morning. Ivy woke to the sound of rain still tapping at the windows. Maybe it was the endless gray weather, maybe her hormones—either way, she felt irritable and blue the moment she opened her eyes. A little after eight, Jamison called again. She was in the middle of yoga when her phone rang, and the interruption only made her more annoyed.

“What do you want now?”

Jamison could hear the impatience in her voice and felt a bit wronged. “What’s with the attitude? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

“I’m doing yoga. If you have something to say, say it.”

“You do yoga?”

“I just follow along with videos. Can’t exactly go for a run in this rain, so I have to exercise at home.”

“Not a bad idea. You really do need to move more.” After the brief chit-chat, Jamison got to his point. “I’ll pick you up after work today. I don’t care if it’s raining cats and dogs, I’m taking you out. So get ready early, okay?”

Ivy grumbled, “Why do we have to go out? It’s such a hassle when it’s raining.”

“You’re cooped up at home every day. Don’t you get bored?”

She didn’t answer, but her silence said enough.

“Alright, keep going with your yoga. I’m heading to work. I’ll have the weekend off—plenty of time to spend with you.”

“I didn’t ask for your company,” she muttered under her breath, hanging up.

Scrolling through her call log, Ivy noticed the call from him in the middle of the night. She couldn’t help but wonder. So he was working late, all the way until almost midnight. She tapped on the record of last night’s call—and suddenly, her eyes widened. The call had lasted an hour and thirteen minutes! How was that possible? She remembered only a brief conversation before hanging up. How could the call have lasted over an hour? Could it be… Jamison never hung up? He stayed on the line the whole time?

Chapter 230