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“I wish we could, honey, but I’m allergic.” I trudged up the staircase, my back aching from a full day of chasing a toddler. “That means we can’t be in the same house.”
“You could sleep outside!”
I chuckled, grabbing the keys from my purse. “Well, I don’t think I’d enjoy that, especially on rainy days like this. How about a fish instead?”
Jack jumped on the last step. “A shark!”
“That might be a bit much for our small apartment. Maybe a goldfish? We could name him…Captain Bubbles?”
He giggled. “Captain Bubbles!”
I opened the door to our apartment. My gaze traveled on the mountain of laundry, the three-year-old that demanded every ounce of my attention, and the bills on the counter. Impossible to afford even with two jobs. Somehow Elise had managed. I couldn’t, and it made me feel all the wrong things.
Helpless. Panicked. Doomed.
Think of your happy place.
I conjured images in my head—lightning bugs weaving through the night like tiny lanterns, the comforting scent of wood smoke mingling with a hint of molasses, guitar strings pressing into my hand. My sister, with her long, wavy brown hair dancing in the breeze, sitting on a picnic table in a frilly skirt. Both of us laughing so hard that tears streamed down our faces. The tight knot in my throat swelled and refused to go down.
I shoved those thoughts aside and helped Jack remove his jacket. Then I ushered him toward his room. After he changed, he played with his trains. He built an elaborate path beside the sofa, zooming cars over the tracks. I quickly whipped up dinner.
The stack of bills nagged at me. Waitressing barely covered rent, and tips were unpredictable. Singing at the local bar wasn’t much help, either. How on earth did Elise afford this? She’d claimed that she earned plenty, but how? Rent was twenty-five hundred dollars a month. Childcare was just as expensive.
After my sister passed, I moved into her apartment, determined to make it work. I hated the idea of ripping Jack out of the only home he’d ever known. He’d been through enough this year. The landlord allowed me to take the rest of my sister’s lease, but he was raising the rent once it expired. I needed to look for a cheaper place.
After a simple dinner and Jack’s insistence on two bedtime stories, I finally had a moment to myself. I sat with a cup of tea, staring out at the rain-soaked city. I couldn’t remember when I’d been relaxed. The only bright spot in my week was lunch at a restaurant. A half-off coupon in the mail had lured me there. I’d enjoyed ten minutes of peace before Jack threw a tantrum. And then he’d showed up.
Broad shoulders. Mussy dark hair. A mouth too soft for the sharp angles that made his face. Kill. Such a brutal name for a handsome man, but it matched his reputation. Elise’s baby daddy was dangerous. She’d spelled that out in the letter she’d left behind. A single sentence had stood out: Keep away from him, for Jack’s sake and yours.
I never expected to run into him like that. Almost gave me a stroke. When he’d smiled, it took everything in me not to recoil. I had to remind myself to breathe and not let the fear show. He had no idea about Jack, and I intended to keep him ignorant.
It was fine. Achille probably suspected nothing. God, I hope he didn’t, but when our eyes met he’d seemed…intrigued? Suspicious? The way he looked at Jack wasn’t just curiosity; it was a gaze heavy with unspoken questions.
I was curious about him, too. Why hadn’t Elise told him about the pregnancy? Why did she leave him four years ago? Did they have a relationship, or was it just sex? Did he scare her off? All I had to explain his role in her life was a few sentences in her letter.
I fished his business card out of my purse. My heart pounded as though he hovered over my shoulder. Then I ripped it into pieces and tossed it into the trash.
A gentle rap hit the door.
I got up, heading toward the entrance. I peeked into the hole before unlocking the door. Becky, a woman in her thirties who watched Jack for me, stepped inside.
She wiped her boots on the mat. “Is he already asleep?”
“Yeah,” I said, as she took off her shoes. “Feel free to watch TV or whatever. There’s blackberry cobbler on the counter for you.”
Her eyes sparkled as she pulled me into an embrace. “You don’t have to do that. You know I love watching him.”
“I can’t let you leave empty-handed.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
She released me and strolled to the couch, sinking into its cushions.
I grabbed my purse and keys, opening the door. “Thank you for doing this. You’re amazing. I’ll be back in a couple hours!”
I’d bumped into Becky at the farmer’s market. She’d been a lifesaver since my sister died. I couldn’t afford to pay her, but I always gave her something. Twice a week, she babysat my nephew to give me a break. I used that time to investigate my sister’s murder.
As the door closed behind me, I inhaled a deep breath. The encounter with Achille had shaken me, not just because he’d met his son without knowing it, but because of the suspicion gnawing my mind.
