AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dee
Mycellscreamedfromwhere I left it on my kitchen counter. The headache I’d been struggling against all day had just started to mount a full-on attack as my right-now-most-hated of all devices was making it far worse before my meds kicked in. Alcohol hadn’t helped either. I knew I shouldn’t have had all that wine when Runa came over, but I couldn’t help myself. It wasn’t very often my sister had the luxury of a girl’s night and frankly, I felt like we didn’t see each other enough. That, and I hoped to get drunk enough that I’d pass out and forget all about the small mining community currently excavating the inside of my brain. I hadn’t. I wasn’t even tipsy and unfortunately, I was wide awake.
Forcing myself up from off the couch, I stumbled across the living room, barely managing to reach my phone without falling or causing myself serious injury.
“This better be good,” I answered without looking at who was bothering me.
“Dee?” The deep, husky baritone I had to listen to day in and day out said my name. A tingle trilled up my spine hearing the sexiest voice I’d ever laid ears on. That tingle hit a dead end as soon as I recognized the near-panic and frustration hanging from my name.
“Travis?” I shot up straight. My defenses were fully armed and I was able to push my headache to the sidelines for now. “Is something wrong? You sound frustrated. Is everything okay?”
“I . . . I have to be somewhere. It popped up unexpectedly and I need someone to watch Amie. I can't take her with me, and I wouldn't ask, but no one else I know is available,” he blurted out, sounding as if he were on the precipice of a glorious meltdown.
“You tried everyone? Even Jason and Casey?”
“Yes. Jason’s working and Casey’s is out with her dad. I tried my sitter, the back-up sitter, and even the back-up for my back-up. It seems everyone had plans tonight. I would have asked my parents but they’re out of town visiting my sister and her new baby.” He was truly vexed and seemed to be at the end of his patience. Since I knew what it was like to stand in his shoes, I did what I knew was the right thing to do. Offer to help.
The first time Dennis had gone out of town on business had turned out to be a nuclear disaster. Both boys came down with the stomach flu and proceeded to hose down my house and myself in a mixture of vomit, spit, pedialyte, and diarrhea. The resulting aftermath was not pretty, was hard to manage, but somehow, the three of us managed to scrape through.
“I can watch her.” I heard myself say even though I’d never met his daughter and after taking my migraine pill, I wasn’t supposed to operate heavy machinery. Including my vehicle. However, I wasn’t so far gone that I couldn’t watch over a child for an hour or two.
“Oh, my god! Thank you! Thank you so much. I owe you big time. How fast can you get here?”
“That’s the thing. I’ve had a migraine brewing all day and took my meds just over an hour ago. I also had a couple glasses of wine tonight when I had dinner with my sister. I’m not currently fit to drive.”
“Not a problem. I’ll send an Uber to come pick you up.”
My initial reaction was to have him drop the kid off here, but I knew it would be better for us to meet on her turf. “You don’t have to do that. I’m perfectly capable of ordering one for myself.”
“But you’re doingmea favor. I should be the one to order and pay for your ride. Your address is 1515 Brookside, right?” The sound of typing quickly followed.
“How do you know my address?” I asked, feeling slightly indignant that he knew what it was.
“It’s in the firm’s database. I just looked it up.”
“Fine. I’ll keep a look out for my ride. Care to tell me why you need me to watch your little girl?” My words came out sounding way bitchier than I’d intended, but hey? What was a girl to do? They were already out there and I was trying to put some distance between us and this wasn’t going to help.
“My hein— My ex-wife just called. She’s demanding I come talk to her. I asked her if it could wait until tomorrow or Sunday, but she’s . . . well, she’s difficult. You know what it’s like.”
“I honestly don’t know what that’s like.” Because I didn’t. When Dennis and I were together, we got along well. Granted we’d bicker and sometimes argue over minor things, but we always seemed to work things out. Our relationship was never contemptuous.
“And I hope you never do.” Travis blew out a weary sigh as I heard him moving about in the background. “The rideshare says it will be at your house in about two minutes. Thanks again for doing this. I really do owe you big.” With that, the line went dead and sure enough, less than two minutes later, the bright light of a car’s headlights shone through my front windows.
Twenty minutes later, I found myself in an elevator on my way up to Travis’s apartment. When we spoke earlier, he’d neglected to say that he lived in a freaking penthouse and that you had to be on a list to be allowed access. Fortunately, he’d alerted the man at the front desk that I was coming and the sweet-natured, white-haired gentleman named Francis went out of his way to assist me.
Travis was waiting for me as the doors to the elevator car opened. He beelined towards me, holding out his hand for me to steady myself as I stepped out into the hallway. “Thank you so much for coming.” He gave me the briefest, most awkward hug of my life before leading the way to his apartment.
“Come on in. Let me introduce you to Amie.” With my hand still grasped in his, he led me down the hall to the only door on this level. When I stepped into his apartment I expected something spartan. Something modern with clean, crisp lines that looked more like a showpiece rather than a place where someone lived, but that was definitely not what awaited me.
Travis’s house would have blown my socks off if I’d been wearing any. The only word I could think of to describe what I saw was ‘amazing’. A word I rarely used. Stepping in further, Travis let go of my hand as he stepped back, allowing me the freedom to explore.
My eyes immediately went to the far left wall. It was made up of floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out across downtown Chicago. Every nighttime light glowed outside the spotless, clear panes, providing any onlooker with the most breathtaking view. The main space was all open-concept consisting of a combined living-dining-and kitchen area. The living room was decorated in a mixture of brown, tan, and cream tones with buttery soft-looking furniture that I could easily fall asleep on. Beyond the living room, opened up to what looked like a chef’s kitchen, complete with top-of-the-line appliances that could easily grace the cover of Architectural Digest. To the right was the dining room with a rich, warm mahogany table and matching chairs. The table top was strewn with a stack of files, a laptop, and an assortment of crayons, markers, and coloring books. Every wall was adorned with a mixture of family photos, pieces of art, and several framed photos of a child’s drawings. When I’d thought of where Travis lived, I’d pictured something cold and stark. Like I said before, spartan. Something masculine and totally uninviting. A hookup pad at the very least. I would never have expected to step into an environment that immediately invited you in and demanded you make yourself comfortable.
The space was well-lived in. It warmed my heart to see that he’d built a home for him and his daughter. A space where they could escape when the world became too much or they just wanted to tuck themselves away. A space where they lived their life.
“Wow,” I said, truly awed by my surroundings. “This place is . . . It’s absolutely amazing. I didn’t think it’d be cozy.” I ran my hand along the back of his couch and the soft, white fleece blanket draped over it.
“Thanks,” Travis said almost bashfully before he moved to the bottom of the staircase and shouted, “Hey, Ami! Would you please come down here?” A second later, little feet pounded across the floor over our heads. I looked up just in time to see a red and brown-colored flash blast down the staircase and run straight into Travis’s arms.
