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Penelope signed the contract with a flourish and set the pen down.
“This is what he gave me, so this is how we’ll do it.” There were times to argue and times to just take a deep breath and go with things. We were dealing with Kane. He wasn’t going to do things the easy way.
She picked up her bag and hefted it on her shoulder. “I’ll drop it by on my way to work.”
“No,” I said quickly, then cleared my throat. “You’re busy with your case, and I’d like to take a walk.”
She narrowed her gaze. My daughter was too perceptive sometimes. So often I wondered how she’d turned out so bright. That didn’t sound right. Of course she was smart, but it was my role in the woman she’d become that I doubted. Not her. Never her.
“Dinner tonight? I want to try the vegan enchiladas Naomi is testing for her blog.” She bent and kissed me on the cheek.
“Send it to me and I’ll go shopping.” I slipped an arm around her waist giving her a side hug.
“Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
I never got used to hearing the wordMom. It always made my chest warm, like it was this special gift. Not everyone received it, and I was grateful for the privilege every single day.
I was also grateful my daughter wanted to have dinner with me or do anything at all. She was at the age where she was building her own life and moms were an interference.
We’d lived in thirty-two cities on six continents in her twenty-one years. That was a lot for anyone, but she’d never had to adjust because it was our normal. I’d homeschooled her out of necessity, although it had quickly become apparent she had a high capacity for learning.
She was accepted to Harvard at fifteen, and they’d allowed us to craft a catered schedule for her needs, which provided for online learning so we could continue our work with Earth Warriors.
By eighteen, she’d enrolled in Yale Law School. Those two years in New Haven were the longest we’d stayed anywhere.
We’d made every day different, even the hard ones. Now, she had a position at a prestigious law firm in New York. She’d been here a few months on her own, though I hadn’t been far. I’d spent that time in Washington D.C. lobbying on behalf of child hunger. It was hard to give her the space to grow into her own woman when my instinct was to hover, but even harder to be in the city. This was a new and different chapter for us, one we’d face as we had everything else . . . together.
Penelope was my greatest treasure. Her friendship and our closeness was more than I’d ever deserved.
I rinsed our breakfast dishes and grabbed my scarf from the back of my chair.
In the foyer, I adjusted the red fabric around my head, tying it in a knot at the base of my neck. As I examined my work in the mirror, I realized how tired I looked. How old. How unhappy.
I had everything I wanted, but I was worried about Penelope. Worried for her future.
And I was anxious to get out of this city.
Except my daughter had put down roots here.
Which meant I wasn’t going anywhere.
I picked up my tote and stuffed the signed papers into it. Before opening the front door, I took one last look in the mirror.
“Let’s get this over with, JoJo.”
It was early. Maybe Kane wouldn’t be in his office yet. I could go in, drop off the papers, and get out without seeing him.
“Couldyou please see that Mr. Zegas gets these?”
I offered the papers to the receptionist in the lobby of Kane’s office.
He pointed down the hall without looking up. “You can take them.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but closed it.Stick to the plan. Drop off the papers and get out.
My stomach tightened into a ball as I neared the closed doors. I was a grown woman. This was professional. I could handle two minutes with the man. Although if he called me “Barn” I might come unglued.
