chapter 1, part 1

"How are you?" Kasey said into his phone. He spun a spoon around in his tomato soup; since she always cooked, he'd planned to make dinner before Olivia got home. "What are you doing?"

"Working," Olivia said. She used her shoulder to hold up her phone as she poured coffee into a cup. "You know this."

God, Kasey was always so clingy with her. He had to know everything; what she was doing then; where she was; who she was with. He acted like her guardian, in some ways.

"I have to hang up now. Another customer walked in."

Kasey stayed quiet, and Olivia wondered if he'd left the phone sitting somewhere. Just as she was about to hang up, his voice finally came through.

"Okay," he said, "Call me later?"

"Sure."

She decided not to.