The doorknob jingles and the acai bowl I scarfed down after spin class threatens to come back up.
A moment later, Bea’s mousy voice echoes through the hall. “I beat you!”
“I don’t think so, missy. Seems like it was a tie to me.”
“Nuh-uh,” she argues. “I beat you fair and square, Uncle Ezra.”
“Kane?” Millie calls. “You here? Something smells good.”
“Yeah, we’re in here,” he shouts back.
“We?” Ezra says, his voice taking on a deep, fatherly tone. As his footsteps get closer, my heart rate takes off at a gallop. “You better not have a boy—” He cuts himself off when he spots me standing in his kitchen. “Claire,” he says, a confused smile on his face.
“Claire?” Millie exclaims as she and Bea appear around the corner.
“Claire!” My favorite five-year-old runs across the kitchen and leaps into my arms.
When she buries her perfect little head in my shoulder, I catch a whiff of my shampoo. She pulls back, her legs tightly wrapped around my waist, and examines my face like she can’t believe I’m here.
“Why are you crying?” she asks, brushing away a tear I hadn’t even felt roll down my cheek.
I sniffle, hugging her again. “I’m just so happy to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”
She doesn’t wiggle out of my embrace, so I prop her on one hip.
“What are you doing here?” Millie asks in a tone that suggests this drop-by may not be as welcomed as I’d hoped. “When we texted earlier, you said you were in for the day.”
I shrug. “I was itching to get out of the house, so I went to thegym. Then I thought I’d surprise you with food from Bubbe’s since I was nearby.”
She glances over at the takeout bags and grins. “That was very thoughtful of you, but…”
“What’s going on?” I take a step closer. “Why didn’t you tell me you hadvisitors?”
Kane, who’s been watching this encounter awkwardly unfold, takes Bea from me. “Hey Dolly, let’s go finish that puzzle we started earlier.”
As much as I want to stay with her now that we’ve finally been reunited, it’s probably for the best, and fortunately she goes with him willingly.
“You have to get out of here,” Millie whisper-shouts.
My stomach drops. “Excuse me? What the hell is going on?”
“You were supposed to be home. I told him you were going to be home.”
“Told who?” I ask.
She smacks a hand to her forehead. “For a doctor, you’re not very smart.”
Hands on my hips, I hit her with a glare.
“Okay, okay.” She holds up her hands in defense. “Asher’s at your apartment… right now.”
Ezra steps up behind her, practically bouncing on his toes. “Well. What are you waiting for?”
With the quickest hugs in history, and a promise to Bea that I’ll see her later—I hope—I slip my shoes on, grab my bag, and hightail it out of their building. Too anxious to make the long walk back to my apartment, I bring up my ride share app. Just as I choose a car that’s five minutes away, the first fat raindrops fall from the sky.
My driver looks pissed when I slide into his car completely drenched, but all I can do is apologize and maybe give him a bigger tip.
The ten-minute ride turns into nearly twenty because of the weather, but it feels like an eternity. I don’t know which is racing faster, my heart or my thoughts. The driver offers to go around the block so he can drop me off on the correct side of the road, but I’m too keyed up to wait any longer. My legs are bouncing so furiously, I think I might smash a hole through the bottom of his car and take off like Fred Flintstone. I ask him to let me out now instead, then weave through cars and leap over puddles as water pelts me. I’m shielding my eyes from the rain when I run smack into someone under the awning.
