Vance’s hand moved gently on my back, and I startled, having forgotten he was still half holding me.Ignoring how much support the small contact gave me, I took a deep breath and faced my angry friend.“I’m sorry, Malena.But you know that I can’t keep asking you guys for help.And I’d have to borrow a hell of a lot of money to be able to rent a house.Money that I’d need years to pay back.And I don’t want to put that sort of pressure on our friendship.”
Not when I already owed Keely a lot of money since she was paying for my lawyer.Who I’d found out was one of the highest paid in the industry.And who was currently listening to how messy my life was.
“I get it.I really do.But those apartments…”
“I have Winston and Orange.Nobody is going to get past them.”
“So a lazy dog and a moody cat are going to be your only protection?”
“Oh look, Addy waved at me.I think she needs me.”
Before either of them could call me out on my lie, I’d extricated myself from Vance.Speed-walking over to my daughter, who was busy playing with her friends, I told her we were leaving.I then collected Elana, who was still hanging around the grill, watching Thad and reminding him to turn the sausages so they wouldn’t get too black.
I said a quick goodbye to my friends, making sure I had my girls with me so they wouldn’t start lecturing me again.
It was only when I drove home that I realized Vance hadn’t said a single word in the whole exchange.
Chapter ten
“ElanaPorter.Istheresomething you want to tell me?”
My voice rang through the suspiciously silent house.A house that stayed silent.No footsteps, no giggling.
Glaring at the permanent marker on the wall, I wondered how I was going to cover it up before the open house.
Addy eventually joined me, Orange right behind her.“Why are you yelling?”
“I’m not yelling,” I yelled, narrowing my eyes at the empty hallway behind her.“Where is your sister?”
“Hiding under her bed.”
“Am not,” Elana’s muffled voice countered from her room.
Walking to her room, I lay down on my front so I could see her under the bed.She was curled up on her side, big eyes blinking at me.My anger evaporated.“Honey, you know you’re not supposed to draw on the walls.”
“It wasn’t me.”
My mouth twitched, not from annoyance but in amusement.“So it was Addy who drew on the wall, signing her artwork with your name and in your handwriting?”
Elana nodded.
I puffed out a breath and held out my hand.“Promise not to draw on the wall anymore?”She nodded and grasped my hand.“Let’s finish getting ready or we’ll all be late.I’ll sort out the wall later.And you’ll be helping me.”
After we’d both stood up, I swung her onto my hip.Elana buried her face in my neck, and I hugged her close.“Now, what’s left to do?”
Twenty minutes later, we were finally in the car and on the way to school and daycare.I dropped Addy off with no problems, but Elana was reluctant to leave.She always felt guilty after she did something wrong and usually stuck close to me to make sure I wasn’t mad at her anymore.
It took a lot of reassurances and eleven kisses and thirteen hugs before she was willing to say goodbye.
Five minutes later, I pulled into a parking spot near the office, cursing when I saw I was ten minutes late.A familiar figure was leaning against the building.
My handbag had fallen off the passenger seat when I’d taken a corner a little too fast, and I leaned over, shoveling all the contents back inside.My door opened when I was still head down in the footwell of the car.
Shooting back up, I came nose to nose with Vance.
Since flustered Mae was even worse than awkward Mae, I stayed where I was.“Oh, hey.Hi.”
For the first time, I noticed the green sprinkled in his dark hazelnut eyes.
