by Beth Ehemann
“Okay,” she said sadly, her blue eyes dropping down toward the table.
I leaned down close to her and whispered, “I could use some help unpacking.”
Her head lifted and her eyes gleamed as she bounced up and down excitedly in her chair. “I’m a really good putter-awayer.”
She made me giggle again. “Then you’re hired.” I winked at her.
She beamed, shoveling the food into her mouth quickly.
As we all ate, I grew more and more impressed with the way Andy interacted with his kids. I had no siblings, and most of my dinners as a kid were eaten on the couch next to my dad while we watched sports highlights from that day, but the way Andy made eye contact and asked them questions, really seeming interested in what they had to say, was adorable. Becca told us all about how she’d done a somersault on the beam at gymnastics class, and Logan told his dad about the screwball his friend taught him how to throw.
“Yeah, that screwball almost broke the kitchen window.” Gloria eyed Logan playfully. “Missed it by about three inches. I was standing right by the window, too. Made such a loud noise that I nearly tinkled in my pants.”
Logan’s cheeks puffed out as he tried not laugh, and Becca threw her head back, giggling wildly.
“What did I tell you about throwing balls toward the house?” Andy asked, grinning as he shook his head.
Before Logan could answer, Andy’s phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked down at it.
“Daddy, you know the rule. No screens at the table,” Becca warned.
“Screens?” I asked, crinkling my brows at her.
“No phones, iPads, Kindles . . . anything with a screen,” Logan added.
“Ah.” I nodded.
“I know, guys, but this is important,” Andy answered, sounding distracted. His thumb scrolled the screen as he frowned down at his phone. “Okay.” His gaze swept up to me. “Gavin Mercer and his security team will be here in about thirty minutes.”
The knot that had become a permanent fixture in my stomach but disappeared since we sat down at the dinner table returned instantly. I’d been so wrapped up in Andy and the kids and their silly stories that I forgot the scary life that waited for me outside of that house.
CHAPTER 27
Andy
My bed felt so good that I was willing to sell my soul to the devil not to get out of it, but the light tap on my bedroom door reminded me that responsibilities were calling my name.
“Come in,” I called out.
The door slowly slid open, and Becca’s tiny face appeared, her blonde curls a wild, crazy mess. She gave me a big grin and climbed up into my bed as I rolled onto my stomach to hide my morning friend.
“What’s going on, princess?” I tapped the pillow for her to snuggle up next to me.
“Do you have to go to work today?” she whined, sticking her bottom lip out.
“Unfortunately, yes. I have a lot of work to do,” I said as I nuzzled my nose into her neck. “But the good news is that today is Friday, and that means I’ll be home for the next two days.”
“Yay!” she called out, throwing her arms in the air in celebration. “Can we do something fun tomorrow?”
“Like what?”
Sleep in. Please say sleep in.
She rolled toward me and squeezed my cheeks in between her hands. “Like go to breakfast, and then go to the Bouncy Bandit, then go out for lunch, then go to the park?”
“That’s a lot of stuff,” I mumbled with a squished face.
“I know.” She planted a sloppy kiss on the end of my nose and pulled back, letting go of my face. “Can Dani come, too?”
“Honey, I have no idea what Dani’s plans are, but I don’t think we should totally bombard her with stuff, ya know?”
“I know,” she said sadly, rolling onto her back again. “I just like her, Daddy. She’s nice and she let me help her put her clothes in the dresser last night. She even let me try on her shoes.”
“She did?” I chuckled at the thought of Becca prancing around Dani’s room in her heels.
Becca nodded. “She has black shoes, and red shoes, and blue shoes. Those ones are really big!” She turned back toward me again. “Can we just ask her if she wants to go?”
“Sure.” I nodded. “You may ask her once, but if she says no, no complaining and no begging. Got it? You also have to wait until she gets up to ask her. No going into her room and waking her up.”
“She’s already up,” she said nonchalantly. “Her and Gloria are sitting at the kitchen table, talking.”
“She is? I mean . . . they are?” I lifted my head off the pillow, my interest piqued.
She nodded. “Uh-huh. I like her robe, it’s pink like mine.”
Holy hell.
Like a ninja, I rolled out of my bed and sprinted to the bathroom to take a leak. “Why don’t you head down, I’ll be there in one minute,” I called before I shut the door.
I peed faster than I ever had in my whole life, ran my hand through my hair, and brushed my teeth in record speed, hoping to catch a quick glimpse of Dani in her pink robe. I’d never been jealous of my six-year-old daughter before, but I was just then.
The lower part of my body screamed Sprint! but my brain told me to keep my shit together and walk slowly down the stairs like a normal human being.
As I walked into the kitchen, disappointment washed over me when I saw Gloria sitting alone at the kitchen table. She had her coffee in one hand and a book in the other.
“Good morning, Gloria.”
She startled, turning to face me with a frown. “I didn’t hear you come down the stairs.”
“Must have been my stealth-like ninja movements, huh?” I teased as I walked over to the coffeepot.
“Mm-hmm, or you’re trying to give me a heart attack. Either way, good morning, Mr. Shaw.”
“Have you seen Dani yet this morning?” I asked nonchalantly, playing dumb.
“Daddy!” Becca called out as she ran into the room. “I just told you Dani was in here, remember?”
Thankfully, I was facing the counter so Gloria wouldn’t see my bright red face. “Oh, I didn’t hear you. Sorry.”
“Yes, you did.” Becca giggled as she ran over and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Remember, you said go downstairs, you’d be right here?”
I cleared my throat and ignored her, not wanting to dig myself a deeper hole. “So anyway . . .” I turned back toward Gloria, who was staring at me with one eyebrow raised, her lips pursed together. “What?” I asked defensively, holding one hand up.
“Oh, nothing,” she said in a condescending tone. “What were you saying now?”
“Uh, I don’t remember.” I shrugged and stared down at my coffee cup, avoiding her scrutinizing eyes.
“Mm-hmm, sure you don’t,” she said before turning back to her book.
As I made my way over to the table, I peeked into the living room. Becca was curled up on the couch and had already turned on My Little Pony. Logan was nowhere to be seen.
“No Logan yet this morning?” I asked as I set my mug down and pulled the chair out.
“Nope.” Gloria shook her head but didn’t take her eyes off her book. “Probably sleeping off his last few days of summer vacation.”
“By this time next week, it’ll be quiet around here again. You excited?”
Gloria’s eyes flashed up to mine. She set her book down and shrugged. “Not really. I like having them around. They keep me on my toes and make my days fun.” A hint of sadness filled her voice.
“Gloria, how come you never had kids?” In the eight years she’d worked for me, I’d never asked her that question, but I’d always wondered. She was in her late forties. I knew that she’d been married once, way before I hired her, but I never knew why she didn’t have children.
“I can’t.” A tight-lipped, sad smile crossed her lips. “I had an accident when I was very young, and I’ve always known I would never bear my own children. I was happy
when you hired me and Logan was only a baby, because it was my chance to see a baby grow up. Then, when you had Becca, I was over the moon to have a little girl to take care of. Secretly, I wished for you to have ten more kids. I love taking care of them, especially yours. I was worried when you and Mrs. Shaw got divorced that you wouldn’t need me anymore, because I couldn’t bear to not see them every day. I know they’re your kids, but they are my life, too.”
Her words punched me in the gut like a swift uppercut. I knew she enjoyed my kids, but I had no clue that she couldn’t have her own or that she cared for mine that much.
“Gloria,” I said softly, shaking my head. “I had no idea about any of this. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” She gave me a big smile as she swiftly wiped away a tear that had fallen onto her cheek. “Don’t ever apologize, Mr. Shaw. You’ve given me the best gift anyone has ever given me. A chance to see what it would be like to be a mom.”
I had to swallow twice to get the golf ball–size lump to go down so that I could speak again. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, we are the lucky ones, Gloria.” I reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
“So, anyway . . .” She cleared her throat and shook her head quickly. “That’s why I’m not really excited about next week. I like having them around.”
I took a swig of my coffee and chuckled as I set the mug back on the table. “Well, I could always pull them out and you can homeschool them if you want.”
Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open just a little. “Oh no, Mr. Shaw. You don’t pay me nearly enough for all that.”
We both laughed, and I took my mug over and set it in the sink.
The distinctive click of high heels on hardwood caught my attention, and I turned around. Dani walked through the doorway, looking fresh-faced and ready to kick the day’s ass. She had on slick black pants and a bright pink button-down, sleeveless shirt that showed off her tan, toned arms perfectly.
“Morning,” she said with a smile. The first genuine smile I think I’d seen on her beautiful face in weeks.
“Good morning yourself. How’d you sleep?”
“It took a while to actually get there, but once I did”—she shook her head slowly back and forth—“it was probably the best night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks. Thank you so much. It was nice not to have to try and sleep with my ears open.”
“Don’t thank me.” I shrugged. “You ready for work already?”
“Yeah, between getting nothing done yesterday and hoping I can sneak out a little early again today to go see Roxy, I want to get an early start.”
“Okay, well, let me grab a quick shower, and I’ll be ready to go.” I started toward the doorway even though I wanted to stand there and stare at her for the rest of the day.
“Actually, I think I’m just gonna go ahead on in,” she called out, making me stop in my tracks.
I took a step backward, leaning just my head into the room. “Huh?”
“I think I’m just going to go ahead on in,” she repeated.
“Um . . . you don’t have a car here.” I took a couple of steps into the room and leaned my hip against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. “We went from the office straight to the vet to your house and here, remember?”
“Shit!” She stomped her foot on the ground gently and looked around the room. “Wait, do you think my car is okay? Everything happened so fast yesterday I totally forgot that I left it at the garage again.”
“I’m sure it’s fine,” I reassured her. “He would be a complete idiot to do anything to it again. I can call and have someone check on it if you want to be sure?”
“No, that’s okay. We’ll find out when we get there, right?” She let out a heavy sigh as a strand of dark hair fell from her ponytail, landing down the side of her face. She licked her lips as she tucked it behind her ear. “Go ahead and get ready, and we’ll go in.”
I nodded and left the room, headed for the shower.
A cold shower.
CHAPTER 28
Danicka
“Dude, what the hell is going on?” Sadie yelled into my ear when I finally answered my phone. She’d called six times before I’d even gotten to my desk, but my phone was in my purse, and I couldn’t get to it without dropping everything that was in my arms.
“Hey! Sorry, my hands were full.” I plopped down in my desk chair.
“I don’t mean right now, I mean last night. You send me a text saying that you’ll be at Andy’s for a few days and then nothing? I texted you right back.”
Apparently I didn’t have as hard of a time falling asleep as I felt like I had.
My eyes pinched shut tight. “I know, I’m sorry. I sent it planning to fill you in on everything and then I passed out.”
She let out a heavy sigh and her tone softened. “So what’s going on? You’re staying at Andy’s? Why?”
“Remember how I told you about all those weird messages I’d been getting?”
“Yeah.”
“And then I told you about the car thing?”
“Yeah.” Her voice grew more anxious.
“Well, it’s gotten worse, Sadie. Way worse. June went over yesterday to walk Roxy like she normally does and found her under the kitchen table, barely breathing.”
Sadie let out a loud gasp followed by complete silence.
“That sicko got into my house, poisoned my dog, and left another message on my island. This one hit way too close to home, Sadie. It scared me. Scared the shit out of me.”
Just saying the words out loud made my stomach hurt. As good as I was at compartmentalizing my life and filing emotions away to deal with at a later time, nothing brought them out of their ugly little boxes like saying them out loud again. If I was hearing myself say them, I couldn’t pretend they weren’t real, and if I couldn’t pretend they weren’t real, I’d have to deal with them. Hiding them away in a dark, quiet, safe place was so much easier.
“Oh my God, Dani. I don’t even know what to say anymore. This is insane! This is way past insane.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So what’s going to happen now? Are you moving?”
I hadn’t even thought about moving.
Oh God. I don’t want to move!
“No, I’m not moving. I love that house. You know how much I love that house. For now, I’m staying at Andy’s.”
“That’s . . . interesting.”
“It’s not what you’re thinking. I’m in the guest room off of the hall by the kitchen, across from his nanny. On a completely different floor, so before you go thinking anything—”
“I just said it was interesting, but now I’m thinking it.”
“Well, stop. This is just temporary. With any luck I’ll be back home in a week or two.”
The disappointment that grew in my stomach surprised me. Yesterday I didn’t even want to go to his house, but after dinner last night with Andy and the kids and Gloria, I was kinda looking forward to spending a few days with them.
Baby Skyler let out a loud cry. “Okay, okay. Shh, shh. All right, I gotta go feed my minipiranha.”
“I need to work, anyway, I’m so behind.” I rubbed my temples with my fingertips, wishing I were lying on a sandy beach with a fruity drink in my hand, doing absolutely nothing. I wouldn’t complain if Andy were lying in the chair next to me, either.
“I love you, Dani. Please stay safe and call me if you need anything.” Her voice was serious, so serious that it took me aback. Sadie and I weren’t serious with each other, ever. Jokes and jabs were the foundation of our friendship, and when she used that tone with me, it sent chills down my spine.
“I love you, too, Sadie.”
The morning passed quickly, and quietly, which I was thankful for. I spoke briefly with Dr. Sells, who told me that Roxy had had a good night and seemed to be responding well to treatment. She wanted to keep her at least one more night, if not two, and that bummed me out, but whatever brough
t her home to me permanently in the end was fine with me.
Just before lunchtime, there was a soft knock on my door.
“Come in!”
Ellie’s blonde curls peeked around the door before her face did. “Hey. You busy?”
I sighed and looked down at the papers scattered across my desk. “I’m going to be busy for the next three years, but I could use a quick break. Come on in.”
As she slid into my office, I noticed she had on the cutest navy-blue-and-white chevron dress. “Cute dress!” I exclaimed.
She looked down at herself and back up at me quickly as her lips parted in a huge smile. “Thanks!”
“So what’s up?” I linked my fingers, resting my forearms on the desk.
Her knee bounced up and down as she fidgeted with a button on her shirt and avoided my gaze. “I just wanted to ask how Roxy was doing.”
I narrowed my eyes, not believing for a second that was the real reason she’d knocked on my door, but I figured I’d humor her. “She’s doing okay. Not great but better than yesterday.”
“That’s good.” She nodded. An awkward tension built between us, and I tilted my head to the side.
“What’s really going on, El? I know you didn’t come in here just to ask about Roxy.”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, her chin began to quiver, and her eyes filled with tears. “I just wanted to talk to you. I miss you. Since all of this started, you’ve pulled back more and more, and it’s freaking me out. I just need to know that you’ll be back once it’s over. Can you tell me that?”
The more she rambled, the more my heart broke. I’d gone so deep inside myself to deal with this, and I hadn’t realized it was affecting her the way that it was.
“Ellie! I’m so sorry!” I jumped up and rushed around my desk. She stood up, and we threw our arms around each other. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, it’s just been really tough on me, and this is what I do. I retreat. I hate it, but I can’t help it . . .”
The crack my voice made as I trailed off was more like a crack in my emotional dam. At that moment, I let everything out.