Wyn arrived home and immediately began preparing dinner. She told Raif it would be served at seven so she didn’t have much time. 

She didn’t know why exactly, but it seemed like everything he said was made of gold since their conversation with the kittens. 

She hummed to herself as she cooked and told herself that he deserved to have a little fuss made over him. He’d brought her kittens, vacuumed the couch, and for the first time in her adult life, someone else had put ice in the freezer. He’d also given up his player ways, however temporarily, because he wanted something more. She was inspired.

She was also a very good cook, so the meal went off without a hitch. Except that it was five minutes to seven and Raif was not back yet.

Tapping her toe and looking around, she wondered if there was anything else she needed to do. The appetizers were warm in the oven. The salad was chilling in the fridge. There was no dessert that night, but she had fizzy drinks getting a quick cool-down in the freezer. Dinner was in the warming drawer and the table was set. 

Suddenly, she thought of the jar. It wasn’t in the kitchen anymore. Doubtless, Raif had taken it into his room. An impish thought occurred to her. If he wasn’t home, maybe she could snatch it back from him. He no longer needed to jump through hoops to talk to her, so she felt a little silly with him having it. Some of the requests in the jar were pretty embarrassing.

He wasn’t home, so she quietly slipped into his room and kept her ear open for his key in the front door. 

The first thing she noticed was that his bed wasn’t made. There was a blob of bedding in the middle of the mattress. She looked around for the jar, but it wasn’t on his nightstand, his desk, or his dresser. She looked inside his closet and didn’t see it. Then she crouched on the floor to see under the bed.

It was there. 

Before she could reach for it, Raif popped out from under the covers. “What are you doing?” 

Wyn grabbed at her heart and jumped to her feet. “Nothing. Dinner’s ready. Hungry?”

Raif knew it was a quick evasion. He also knew exactly what she had come in for. She was looking for the jar and it was under his bed, but she didn’t really want the jar. She wanted the notes that had been inside, and they weren’t there anymore.

“Yeah, I’m hungry,” he said, moving the blanket aside. He had been enjoying the aroma of her cooking for the last half an hour. 

He followed her back to the kitchen and saw the table she’d set.