Bad Night, Worse Morning

Neither of us got any sleep that night. Before the first ray of sunlight peeked through the curtains, Kieran had risen and gotten dressed. He tiptoed out of the bedroom and left the apartment. I knew he was trying to avoid bumping into Erin. I stayed in bed for a while longer with my eyes closed, a dull headache beating at my temples. Kieran was being more than understanding by offering to move out, but I couldn’t let him do that. I brought Erin home. I was responsible for her. It was time to have a good talk with the girl. I rolled out of bed, padded into the kitchen, made a big breakfast—fluffy pancakes, poached eggs with smoked salmon, and banana and blueberry muffins. This was likely Erin’s last breakfast in this house. After the talk, I would help her pack up and move to a place I found online this morning. It was a two-bedroom apartment about twenty blocks away, with good security in the lobby and plenty of eateries downstairs. Erin would be safe there, and it would give her a ch