She was not there.
Where she used to sit was empty that morning. She wasn't there to run his errands, or to handle the mundane tasks he often assigned her; not there to remind him of meetings, to ensure he was never late or unprepared.
That handbag of hers was missing from the back of her chair and her desk was empty of the personal items she used to keep there. She wasn't there to hand him face towels after he was done exercising.
Rydar stood at the edge of the pool with a towel draped over his shoulder, and a look of mild annoyance on his face. He glanced around the poolside then looked down at his bag, sitting by the edge of the pool, untouched and unopened. She would have been the one to unpack it, to lay out his gear and make sure everything was ready for his training session.
He
