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“I’ll have noodles and beef. No soup for me,” he joked. He could use a substantial dinner after today’s activities.
“You had a good time with Dr. Kent?” Sienna asked her daughter.
“Great time. We went to his apartment.” The little girl pinched her lips. “I’m glad you’re moving. It’s not nice at all.” She shook her head, and he burst out laughing.
“I’ll look for a new place, and I’ll show it to you before I rent it, okay?”
“Okay.”
After dinner, despite Sienna’s protests, he cleared the table. “I’ll go out and get a few things for tonight.” He returned minutes later with his shaving kit, computer, and suitcase.
From her place on the sofa, Sienna smiled. “Show Dr. Kent to your room, Dalia.”
The little girl opened the door next to her mother’s room. He carried his bag in and set it down on the floor. The small pink room had a white captain’s bed and matching night table.
“Pretty room, Dalia. All pink.”
“I put my things in here.” She opened the drawers under the bed to show him her pajamas and clothes. “And my dresses are in the closet.”
The closet also served as toy storage with boxes of games and various dolls and stuffed animals arranged on the carpet.
He noticed two picture frames on the night table—one of a dashing African-American police officer and the other of the same man with Sienna in his arms.
“This is my daddy,” Dalia said, holding her new doll. “His name is Captain John.” She took the first picture and kissed it.
Although his mind reeled with questions, Tyler didn’t say anything.
“Daddy is up there.” Dalia raised her index finger. “He protects me from heaven.” She must be reciting what Sienna had taught her.
“I’m sure he does.” Tyler turned to find Sienna standing in the doorway.
“John was killed the week before our wedding.” Her unique turquoise eyes filled with tears.
“I’m so sorry. It must have been horrible for you.”
She returned to the living room and dropped down onto the sofa, her head supported by the cushion.
“It was a nightmare. I was devastated.” She shut her eyes and continued. “We were eloping to Las Vegas. All our dreams collapsed, shattered by a drug dealer and three bullets.”
The doctor in him realized she needed to talk to someone. He sat on a chair.
“Where did you two meet?”
A bitter-sweet chuckle escaped her.
“I was at a party with kids from my parents’ neighborhood. We were making so much noise the neighbors called the police. John came in with two others and arrested a few kids for smoking pot and underage drinking. They shoved them into a police SUV.”
“And you?” He arched his eyebrows, curious to know the details.
“John dragged me to another police car while I kept screaming that I hadn’t done anything wrong. He said, ‘I noticed that and wanted to know why a nice girl like you was mingling with such a bad crowd’, and then he added, ‘I’m not arresting you. I would rather take you out to dinner.’ I started laughing. He continued, ‘I don’t want jerks like those guys ruining you.’ We dated for two years until I got my degree in Political Science. My stepfather raised hell when he met him. A black police officer wasn’t good enough for his family.
“And your mother?”
“She kept begging me to leave John. I refused. I found a great job as a political writer for Senator Markson. Great pay, lots of travel. For a year, I rented a studio. John wanted to go to Law School. I promised I would support him. I bought this small house and saved the rest for his tuition.”
“And after he was killed?” Tyler felt like hugging her and comforting her, but held back. He still had to untangle himself from an emotional mess and couldn’t risk stumbling into another.
“After he was killed, my parents insisted I go back home and forget the past. I refused. Two months later, I realized I was pregnant.”
