“Not happening.”
“I’ve already signed the contract. That was one of the stipulations. If you don’t do it, the whole thing will be void.”
Son of a bitch.
Was he serious right now? There was no way I’d move to Denver. What would I do with Josie? And I couldn’t leave Freddie with Oma. Not while she was a little hellraising demon. And I would miss them too much being so far away.
Cassie had been so good to me, giving me a job when I really needed one. Not once complaining about my shitty secretarial skills. Paying me more than I would earn anywhere else. Giving me flexible working hours. And she never once asked for anything in return. Until now. And I was going to let her down. The one time she actually needed me. God-damn mother-sucking effer. Time to compromise the shit out of this deal.
“Fine. But I’m not moving. I’ll commute.”
“That’s crazy. Why would you do that?” The confusion on Rhett’s face was comical. But I wasn’t laughing. Because the commute would absolutely kill.
“I told you, I have responsibilities.”
“Like what? A cat? Take her with you.”
“No, not the incarnation of evil. More like another human being.”
“I already told you to take Freddie with you. I’ll get you a big enough place.”
“How the hell is this beneficial to you? Paying for the secondment and accommodation? And it’s not just Freddie I need to worry about.”
“I own heaps of places in Denver, so it won’t cost me anything.”
I wanted to slap the smug grin right off his face. He thought he’d won.
“Mimi, Mimi, Mimi,” a little voice sang from the back room. Little miss must have woken up from her nap while I was busy arguing.
“Excuse me,” I said to a startled Rhett. I guess the cat was out of the bag earlier than I thought it would be.
I went into Josie’s room and was greeted with a gap toothed grin. Gah, that child. Every day she woke up with the biggest smile on her face. It was one of the best parts of my day. Except when someone woke her up, then she resembled an angry little gremlin.
“Did you have a good sleep?”
Josie jumped up and down, holding on to the side of her crib. “Mimi, Mimi, Mimi,” she continued chanting. I picked her up and rained kisses down her face, making her giggle. God I loved her giggle.
“Let’s get you something to eat. How about a banana while I get your sandwich ready?”
I turned towards the hallway and was startled to see Rhett standing in the doorway, staring at us.
“Rhett, meet Josie,” I said, taking her little hand and waving it in greeting.
“You have a child?”
“She’s definitely not Oma’s. Or Freddie’s. Though it is a miracle that she hasn’t gotten knocked up yet. Freddie that is. Not Oma,” I replied and squeezed past him, brushing my shoulder along his front. The contact felt nicer than I cared to admit, and I blew raspberries on Josie’s neck to distract myself.
I put Josie in her highchair and peeled a banana for her, handing her a little piece. It would keep her busy while I got a peanut butter sandwich together.
Rhett followed us into the kitchen. “How old is she?” he asked.
That was his first question? Fine, let’s go with it. “Almost two.”
I could see the wheels turning in his head. He probably wondered where her dad was. I braced myself for the usual disparaging comment that I usually got. His next words surprised the shit out of me.
“She’s cute. Got your hair.” And she did. That’s why nobody ever questioned if she was mine. We McAllisters all had crazy hair. It wasn’t just me. But it also meant we all looked alike and poor Josie got the crazy hair gene. Only that it still looked cute on a toddler. Crazy curls on an adult? Not so much.
I spent every morning straightening them. We also had a lot of hair which meant it took a while.
