“And guess what?” Iris went on. “Tomorrow, we get to go to Auntie Athena’s. Right?”
“Yep,” Jack confirmed. “But only if you settle down and get some sleep tonight.”
Samantha was still conflicted. She wanted to be with the other Littles. It was something she’d always dreamed of! Havingrealfriends? Being part of a group that actually cared about her?
It was amazing!
At the same time, though… well, she wanted to be with Daddy.
Kendrick seemed to pick up on the internal conflict she felt, because he pulled her away from the group, put his arms around her tightly, and gently swayed her as he spoke.
“Be with your friends, honey. We have all the time in the world.” He kissed her forehead.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
For a moment, she almost pressed the issue, stating she wanted to go to his bed instead.
But then she realized what was going on.
Yes, she wanted to be with the other Littles. It was wonderful to be included.
More than that, though, it was her… guilt.
It seemed wrong to be with Kendrick—likethat—when she was still keeping a secret from him. Her mind tried to spin it in a way that lessened the severity.
Tonya is dead and gone. You’ve moved on. Why do you have to tell him? You’ve changed. You’re not pretending to be her anymore. The past is irrelevant. Just let it go.
She wasn’t so sure she could do that. Perhaps Auntie Athena was right.
A relationship couldn’t be built on a foundation of lies. Not a successful one, anyway.
Trying to keep her face neutral and even appear happy, she craned her neck up and stepped on her tiptoes so that she could kiss Daddy’s cheek.
“Thank you. Tomorrow night will be just me and you!”
“You bet, honey.” He snaked his hand down her back, patted her bottom, and then grabbed it. “Now, little girl, let’s go get you ready for bed. I’ll get some blankets and pillows for you, too. You and the others will have a lot of fun. But don’t stay up too late talking and laughing. You want to go to Auntie Athena’s, remember?”
Yes,she agreed silently.I want to go there.
And Ineedto tell you a big secret.
Tomorrow…
The following morning, it was actually a little chilly by Los Angeles standards.
“It’s forty-two degrees out there!” Annika noted, looking out the back window of the den. She shook her head and turned to look at the other girls. “I hope everyone on the streets is okay. I mean, I know it’s not like freezing or anything. But when you don’t have four walls protecting you, forty-something is pretty darn cold.”
Samantha took her hand. She had heard enough of her new friend’s story to know Annika had been unhoused for a while. Her heart broke for her new friend.
What a strange sensation she was feeling.
It wasn’t that she lacked compassion. It was that as Tonya, for so long, she’d pretended to. Now that she was truly being Samantha, it was very freeing.
“I’m sorry you experienced all that you did. But Holly’s House is going to be so cool when it’s up and running!” Samantha told Annika.
She was referring to the shelter and place of refuge Annika was working on. Once opened, it would give individualsexperiencing homelessness a place to drop in and get a hot meal and a cold drink. Annika had shared all the plans for it last night as they all laid near the Christmas tree, the soft, colorful lights casting their magical glow on them.
Samantha couldn’t wait to pitch in and help out!
