AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And?”
“It was me and Macy dancing to Buddy Rich,” she said. “You know? The drummer? They thought—oh,” said Lola, shaking her head and putting her forehead into her palm. “Let’s not talk about this. It was so scary. I thought they were going to take her away.”
“Why would anyone ever take her away?” I said. “You’re obviously a great mom.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But it’s not like I’d be able to do this job if it weren’t for Sara. She looks after Macy when I’m not around. I just hate being so…reliant on others.”
“Why?” I said, curiously.
I don’t think I’d ever relied on anyone my whole life. I was curious to know that Lola and I shared that.
“Because that’s not what a mom’s supposed to be like.”
“You’re not just defined by being a mom though. You’re a key part of my team. You’re a great person. And you’re a singer.”
“Singing doesn’t pay the bills,” said Lola.
“It doesn’t have to—right now. What matters is that you realize you’re doing a good job.”
Lola looked at me, and a smile slowly spread off her face.
“How come you always say all this nice stuff, and you never smile?”
“What?”
“You heard me. You’re such a kind person, Alex. I know it.”
I snorted. “No, I’m not,” I said.
“Youare.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Smiles can be deceiving. Luca Desilva sure loves to smile at you. Right before he stabs you in the back.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Well, this has come at a good time. You know he wanted me to turnThe Blue Orchidinto a casino?”
“No way.”
“Yeah. I told him where to go. I couldn’t do that.The Blue Orchid’s all I have.”
“No, it’s not, Alex. You run like, four nightclubs. And you’re a billionaire.”
“That stuff means nothing to me without that place. You know, there was this place I used to walk by in Philadelphia. It was downtown. The fanciest restaurant. It was on the ground floor of this hotel. I used to walk by every night. I thought to myself, ‘if I could have a place like that, I’d find a way to make it work.’”
We were close now, and she turned towards me in the lamplight.
“That’s nice,” she said. She was close enough to kiss, and I wanted to, wanted to put my hands around her shoulders, turn her towards me, bend my face, and kiss the soft skin at her collarbone.
But then a little voice said, “Mommy?”
We looked up. A little girl stood in the doorway, holding a bear in her nightgown.
“I had a bad dream.”
“Oh, baby,” said Lola, and stood up, and walked over to her. She kneeled down and brushed a strand of hair away from the little girl’s face.
“Who’s that?” said Macy, and pointed at me, sleepily.
