I can’t help but laugh at the scene. Derek, however, scolds the girls. “Girls, you know it’s wrong to enter someone else’s home without their permission! You must apologize to Miss Esme.” The two girls look over, and the younger one whines, “But there’s a kitty here, Daddy!” My heart is going
The sisters reveal to me that they’ve wanted a cat for years, even admitting to putting it on their Christmas lists a few times. They were certain their father would finally bring them a cat, but sadly, he didn’t. “He says he’s too busy for a kitty,” Tris says sadly. She rubs at her eye, and I won
Interesting. Then, Bea questions me as if this is a game. “Is our Daddy really a tyrant at work? Does he scare people with his loud voice?” She reaches her arms out and roars like Godzilla, making sounds with her mouth as she stomps across the wood floor. I can’t even stop myself from bursting
It takes me a moment before I realize I know who this woman is. I remember her; she’s Natalie, a model who was recently listed in the Top 50 of young women in the workplace! She’s the spokesperson for one of our company's most recent product drops. She walks with perfect posture and strut, and it
I look around, shushing Lily for her raised volume. I feel the heat in my cheeks rising, wishing that I could melt away into the floor. “Keep your voice down!” Annie tells our friend, shoving her arms into Lily’s. “You want the entire country to hear you?” “If my boss was this hot and living nex
“What?!” The girls exclaim together again. “We are in public!” I hiss at the two of them, wishing they’d stop making a scene out of our conversation. “Please keep your voices down!” Lily shakes her head again, her blonde hair bouncing around her face. “You’re crazy, Esme; I mean, really.” “Wha
“What book did you get that out of?” I taunt. “I got that from me, thank you very much.” After Lily has done all she can, she pulls me out into the bar to find a man to talk to. I stand there feeling foolish, but to my surprise, a drink shows up for me. A cocktail is set before me, and when I
I want to crawl into a hole. I want to burst into tears and curl up into the fetal position, and just…pass away. What the hell has gotten into me lately? I can’t believe my mistake; I must be losing it. What, just because Daniel and Derek both have names that start with D, I sent the message to
For once in our friendship, my friends don’t pressure me to open up with them. They just protect me. I’m not used to such behavior from my sarcastic, goofy friends. It’s nice, because ever since I left Ryan I’ve felt as if the entire world has demanded answers, even if I’m not ready. It’s not unti
Annie and Lily come over for the first time in a while. It feels so nice to be surrounded with my girls, and their hugs when first arriving feel like something I’ve deprived myself of. “I wish you’d find out the gender,” Annie groans as she stretches herself out on the sofa. “I want to know if I’m
“That’s not—” “You don’t treat me like an underling.” “You’re not one!” “Yes, I am! I’m supposed to be under you! This isn’t a debate that we should be having. We’ve been pushing the envelope on what’s appropriate and what’s not. In the end, we have blurred any lines we had the day I left my h
“And I’ll have those numbers determined once the remainder of the information comes in,” I say into my work phone. “Don’t worry, I know everything is a mess right now but it’s an easy fix.” I sigh and look up, startled to see Derek standing at my open office door. He looks serious and also worried
Bea shoves the item in her hands at me. I take it softly, looking down at what she had. A picture of a beautiful redhead with a bright smile stare back at me. I see two small girls surrounding her. Bea can’t be more than three, and the baby wrapped in blankets held by the woman must be Tris. “Is t
“No. I called you. I couldn’t think of anything else.” I nod. “Call the front desk, security, any friends you might have in the building or complex altogether. Have the pool on lookout, and anywhere else she might feel she can hide.” “Okay,” Derek says, nodding but still clearly distraught. I
My phone starts ringing as I leave the restaurant I’ve just eaten at. Daniel and I had a meeting today to talk about the restraining order and other paperwork. Not only that, but now Daniel knows about Natalie’s claims, as well as our suit against Max. “I really wish I didn’t have these other pr
“Uh, there’s a difference?” He seems more confused than when he walked in now. “Cause I’m just worried about not being able to answer all her questions.” “Well,” I think. “They’ll be showing that health class video soon. Most girls don’t actually hit puberty and get their periods until middle scho
It’s around eight when I hear knocking on my door. I’ve been getting stuff done and cleaning the apartment. But the baby? That has been causing some issues. Even wearing better shoes and making sure I’m taking care of my health and stress; I’m still not having an easy time. And this is still the