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More words of wisdom from her mobster father.
“I’ll keep it in mind, but back to us—I know we’re not going to have a teary reunion, or do holidays and birthdays but I’d like to think of you as my father and Portia’s grandfather.”
He stared at her with those unreadable brown eyes. A skill he surely perfected and probably served him well in his business, but was fucking frustrating in real life.
“Well, thanks for hearing me out.” She turned and headed for the door.
“I’d like that,” Frank said to her back. “I’d also like you to call me if you ever need anything.”
“Like if I push another pimp down a flight of stairs?” Her lips quirked up.
“Yeah, or you want to take Portia to Disneyland.”
“Thanks.” Father and daughter exchanged a look and just maybe, very slowly they could try for a somewhat normal relationship.
EPILOGUE
Two Months Later
After much consideration, and sleepless nights, Cheryl and Nick reached an agreement about Portia. She’d live primarily with Cheryl, but have weekend visitations with Nick. Neither wanted to involve a lawyer since they were both in agreement the child deserved a chance to get to know her father.
Surprisingly, Nick and Portia were more alike than Cheryl cared to admit.
They both liked roller coasters—Cheryl did not. And neither of them liked chocolate ice cream—which, of course, Cheryl found extremely odd.
Slowly, father and daughter were developing a relationship. It warmed Cheryl’s heart to see them together, and she would never do anything to jeopardize their sincere joy. Portia was literally Nick’s mini-me with her dark brown hair, ebony eyes, and tawny Mediterranean complexion. There was no doubt the two were related and they were finally getting a chance to really get to know each other.
What started out as weekend visits, turned into Nick showing up every morning to take Portia to school. She introduced him to her teacher and he even attended the fifth grade art contest where Portia won first place.
Neither Nick nor Cheryl broached anything further with their own relationship and that’s the way she intended to keep it. She didn’t want to confuse Portia or have her hoping for something that would never happen. Cheryl wanted Portia and Nick to be focused on their own relationship first.
As her realtor predicted, Cheryl sold the house at Country Club Hills, amazingly fast, and was renting a condo by the week on the other side of I-15. A good twenty minutes from Nick’s penthouse. Twenty-five minutes with traffic. What Cheryl considered a safe distance.
At first, she hadn’t wanted to commit to anything permanent, but Izzy’s persistence and the obvious fact they needed more room pushed Cheryl to meet with the agent who sold her home at Country Club Hills. Cheryl could certainly afford to make the investment, and she did want Portia to have a feeling of permanency.
Cheryl had checked the house out online, and even Izzy approved, but the pictures didn’t do it justice. The beautiful landscaping with the view of the mountains in the background were a pleasant surprise. She agreed to meet the real estate agent at the house, so she parked in the wide driveway and went up to the door.
The property was considerably smaller than what she had in Country Club Hills, but the neighborhood was just as nice and in a good school district. She’d already seen a few of the agent’s suggestions and not to sound like Goldilocks, but they were either way too big or way too small.
She rang the bell and when no one answered she tried the door finding it unlocked. She eased it open and called out for theagent. When no one answered, she entered a foyer with a vaulted ceiling and a view to the patio in the back of the house. An open floor plan of a living room and kitchen sat on the right with a staircase and short hallway on the left. She admired the kitchen’s stainless steel appliances, granite countertop, and slate flooring.
“So, does this meet your standards?” She spun around, startled by the rough rasp behind her.
“What are you?—?”
“My favorite is the pool.” Portia entered from the patio doors. “It’s even got a hot tub.”
“What . . . what’s going on?”
“Didn’t I tell you this was a great house?” Izzy followed Portia inside.
“What are you all doing here?”
“We came to sell you a house.” Nick moved into the kitchen casual and matter-of-fact like it wasn’t crazy they were all there.
“But I . . .”
“Good thing we all know you better than you know yourself.” Izzy wrapped her arm around Portia’s shoulders. “Let’s leave and let the adults figure this one out by themselves.”
