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“I slept for a whole day? Shit Promise me you won’t tell Meredith ”

Mom looked at her sharply “I do not make pro

Nina left the bedroo, hot, only-in-Ah she was dressed in her crumpled, ancient khakis, she felt human

Downstairs, she ure out what to make for lunch

In the freezer, she found dozens of containers of food, each one marked and dated in black ink Her mother had always cooked for a platoon instead of a fa fro was packed up, dated, and frozen for later use If Arry

Her eye went straight to the stroganoff and homemade noodles

Comfort food Exactly what they needed She put some water on to boil for the noodles and popped the sauce in the microwave to thaw it She was about to set the table when a blast of sunlight caught her attention At the , she looked down and saw the orchard in full bloom

She ran for her ca, chose one, and went outside, where she immediately lost herself in the choices presented She took pictures of everything, the trees, the blossoe pots, and with every click of the shutter, she thought of her dad and how much he loved this time of year When she finished, she covered her lens and walked idly back toward the house, passing her arden

On this surprisingly sunny day, the garden was a riot of white blosso sweet-s was in bloom and its perfume mixed with the fecund smell of fertile soil She sat down on the ironwork bench She’d always thought of this garden as solely herall around her, she felt her father’s presence as keenly as if he were sitting beside her

She picked up her careen leaf, a flawless, pearlescent nolia blossoe in this garden, with its blue-green patina—

Nina lowered the camera

There were two coluant scroll stamped into it

She brought the caain and focused on the new colu Scrollwork Leaves, ivy, flowers

And the letter E

She turned slightly and faced the other colu the vines and flowers aside, she studied the scrollwork