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“That’s what I do sometimes.” She tapped a manicured finger against the side of her coffee mug. “I sometimes call my mom’s townhome, thinking he’ll be there to pick up the phone before I realize it’s been a long time since he has been around.”
“Speaking of your mother,” I started and watched as a guarded expression fell across Penny’s beautiful face, “I wanted to ask you what is really going on between you two. I know how close the two of you are.”
“Were,” Penny corrected darkly. “We were close. Things happened over the past few years, is all.”
My interest was piqued. “Such as?” I pressed gently. “I know your mother loves you. Nothing would change that.”
“It’s not about love. It’s about her respecting what I’m trying to tell her.”
“What is that you’re trying to tell her, then?”
Penny shrugged her shoulders, and she gazed down at the kitchen island to avoid my eyes.
“A lot of things,” she said softly. “She has her ideas about how I should live my life. I have my own ideas of how I want to live my life, or who I want to be a part of it.”
“I hate to break it to you, but all parents have their ideas of what their kids are going to do with their lives. It’s just part of being a parent.”
The corner of Penny’s lips curved up. “I’m sure that Alyssa would very much agree with me when I say it’s aggravating.”
“It’s not meant to be pleasant,” I said, grinning. “In all seriousness, Penny. I don’t want you to push your mother away because of a minor disagreement. You are obviously welcome here at any point in time, but don’t push your mom away. Once your parents are gone, they are gone. You know that.”
“I know,” she said. Picking up her coffee mug, she hopped off the bar stool
without spilling an ounce of liquid this time. “Well, have a good day at work. Thank you for this inspirational morning chat.”
Her coyness tugged at me as she walked out of the kitchen in the direction of the living room. I watched as her perfect ass swished while she walked and nearly slapped myself to break the spell. Blue morning light was pouring through the windows now. I glanced up at the clock above the stove before pouring the rest of my coffee in a to-go cup. I needed to get the hell out of here before my thoughts got me in big trouble.
The private underground garage was frigid, as I expected it to be, when I took the private elevator down. Frost covered the front windshield of my car, so I sat in the driver’s seat with the heater on blast while I scrolled through a few work emails that were waiting for my attention.
An unfamiliar number from New York popped on my caller ID halfway through an email I had been reading over. I answered the call with a frown.
“This is Gabriel Bradley.”
“Gabriel. It’s Nikki Lewis.”
I sat back in my seat, surprised to hear Nikki’s voice for the first time in years. She didn’t sound different on the other end of the phone.
“Nikki,” I said. “It’s been forever. How are you?”
“I’ve been good,” she said, and I heard a smile tug at her lips. “And I’ve heard amazing things about you from a few people in New York.”
“Amazing things, huh?”
“Amazing things,” she repeated with a laugh. “I don’t want to cut our conversation short, but I just want to make sure that my daughter is okay over there with you. I know that she had taken a private flight back to Chicago to spend Christmas break there.”
The hurt in Nikki’s voice was unmistakable. I ran a hand through my hair nervously because I didn’t want to get in between the two of them, but I understood Nikki’s concerns at the same time.
“She seems fine,” I said. “She arrived over the weekend with Alyssa. The two of them have been shopping and sight-seeing together.”
“Has she mentioned anything to you about me?”
“Not really,” I said, thinking back to our conversation in the kitchen. “I get the sense that she is upset about something.”
“When did our daughters become so complicated, Gabriel?” Nikki asked with an exasperated sigh. “I’ve tried everything to get her to come back home to talk, but she wants to avoid me like the plague. I don’t understand it.”
“I have no idea what’s going on, Nikki, but I made it clear that I don’t think she should push you away. Whatever is happening between the two of you, it isn’t worth your relationship with one another.”
“Try saying that to Penny. She is hardheaded, like her father.”
