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“Hello?” a professional voice answers the call.
“Hello, Miss Stevens? I’m Andrew Connoly, a teammate of Jim Allan, your client,” I introduce myself.
“Oh, he just called about you,” she remarks, her tone serious. “How can I help you?”
“I have a contract that needs to be reviewed,” I explain. “I want to retire, and my agent mentioned I need to pay him a fee before I go. Can we meet today? I can bring the contract and you can advise if there are any concerns.”
“It’s Sunday, Mr. Connoly,” she says, sounding slightly frustrated.
“I can pay triple your hourly rate!” I plead with her, and that apparently convinces her.
“Alright… Give me two hours then head over with the contract. I’ll also send you the address to my office.” Stevens says.
“Alright, let me take note of it…”
I grab a piece of paper and pen and jot it down. When I end the call, feeling grateful to her and appreciative of Allan for sending her my way.
“Are you really going to see her?” Emily asks, settling into a chair.
“Of course.” I say, matter-of-factly. “If Terry is betraying me, I need to know.”
“Andrew!” Ali’s squeaky voice calls from the hallway.
I stand up and get to the door. Alissa meets me there, clinging to my pant leg, just like I used to do with my dad when I was a kid.
“What do you need?” I cross my arms and look down at her, knowing quite clearly that I have a part to play in this conversation.
“Can I go into the pool?” she asks, blinking profusely.
Dad is coming slowly after her, snickering and feeling his stomach.
“I told her the pool is yours and that she needs your permission,” he says, “Time to be a father, son.”
I look at Alissa after he says this and she’s just staring at me expectantly. I smile like a fool — Alissa did not dismiss the reference to me being her father, and I’m dumbly proud of myself for it.
“How long since you last ate? More than an hour?” I ask, trying to emulate my mom.
“Yeah!” she says gleefully.
“And did you bring your bathing suit?” I ask again. Eleanor made her a big suitcase, but hell if I know what’s in there.
“I did.” Alissa is now exasperated. She can barely wait for my yes.
“Um…” I place my hand on my chin, then finally, let it out, “Yes, you can!”
“Yay!” Alissa goes away running, heading for the room where we left her luggage.
“I’ll go help her,” Emily passes by me, leaving me with a kiss and a caress on my cheek.
“There’s sunscreen in my bathroom,” I alert her, watching as she goes.
“You’re a good father, you know that?” she says, winking at me over her shoulder.
I turn red as a tomato and go back inside the office to sort through my things.
Chapter Thirty-Two
EMILY
