Love Today by Delia Delaney Page B

as they were before, but it was hard to avoid stuff that had to do with the investigation, or Maggie’s custody, or even some of Rachel ’s affairs that I had to attend to because she was deceased. There were a lot of bu siness matters to take care with Rachel’s death , especially because it involved a child .
    My parents insisted that I move back to Kensington with them. I agreed that it was probably the best thing for Maggie eventually , but for the time being, I remained in Everett to make sure everything that could be done for the investigation was being done. There were dozens of inquiries that were taken care of over the phone, but occasionally detectives would stop by to discuss something further.
    There was also a matter of Rachel’s car, which had been found parked at a restaurant the night she was murdered. There was no evidence that showed she had actually eaten there that night, and the police concluded that someone else had parked her car there or she’d met someone there that night . As soon as they were done with the silver Lexus, I had it sent to my parents. I certainly didn’t want to see it everyday, but I also didn’t have the heart to get rid of it just yet.
    Zack was great a t helping me with a lot when I would let him, but mostly that week I just insisted that he resume his life at work and I would try to resume min e. As well as calling to check on us every lunch hour, h e still came over every day after work . Sometimes he’d even bring home dinner so I didn’t have to worry about making anything. I really appreciated that. A nd he and Maggie still had the same relationship with each other , so I was thankful for that also . She looked forward to him coming over each time and I hoped that it would help her adjust to life without her mom.
    I’ll admit that my relationship with Zack had changed, and it was my own fault. I just didn’t feel like the same person anymore, and it was almost like I had a carefree life that I could have enjoyed before but didn’t, and now that I couldn’t have it, I wanted the option back. I didn’t feel like he held that against me in any way—he was incredibly patient with me—but I think I was frustrated that we’d just entered a new level to our relationship, and then in the same night it all changed. I knew it could take some time, and Zack reminded me that he was there for me no matter what, but I never told him how pressured I felt to balance everything just right. I felt like I needed space to reassess things, just to give Maggie top priority. I wanted her to come first, and Zack always understood that, but I still felt guilty that he was giving more than I was in our relationship.
    “What do you think about taking Maggie to the children’s museum tomorrow?” he asked.
    It was a Friday night and the three of us had decided it was dinner-in-front-of-the-TV night. Maggie requested chicken strips and French fries, so we sat down in the family room to watch Rio .
    “I’m sure she would love that,” I said.
    “What do you think about bringing Ashlyn with us? That way Maggie could have a friend to play with.”
    I nodded my approval. “That sounds like a good idea.”
    I was very grateful for Zack, just for that reason. And I was especially glad that he had always included Maggie.
    “So did you get everything caught up at work?” I asked him.
    He considered it for a second and nodded his head. “Yeah, pretty much. I passed some of it along, so that helped,” he smiled.
    “Passed off your work, huh? Hopefully the boss doesn’t have a problem with that.”
    He slightly shook his head. “Nah, he was okay with it,” he smiled again.
    This particular weekend had been one of his scheduled marketing trips, but he deferred it to the next weekend instead. I knew he did it for Maggie and me, and I appreciated the gesture. I wasn’t quite ready to be on my own just yet, and I was glad he understood that.
    That’s why when he asked that night if Maggie