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The first flight out was not until six a.m.
Ares called the models back to the set and in no uncertain terms informed them we had one chance to get it right.
I had my doubts but to my surprise the model that had the hots for Ares worked the hardest, and we got it done.
There was no way Ratcliffe could give me any flack.
The night passed in a blur of outfits, flashes, phone calls and text updates. After the shoot, Ares accompanied me back to my room and helped me to pack up my stuff.
Taking the whole lot to his suite, he tucked me into bed beside him and ordered me to sleep.
With both of our alarms set, there was no fear of sleeping in. Before I knew it, I was up, dressed, fed, and in the taxicab on my way to the airport.
Peering through the back window, I trained my eyes on Ares standing on the hotel steps with his hands in his pockets.
Watching me leave.
Fallout
Hope
“So, you admit you overreacted.”
“A bit.”
Lucky laughed as he passed me another pancake.
Minty admonished him lightly. “That’s what makes her an excellent mother.” She smiled wryly. “I, for one, am most grateful you came home.” She reached forward and dragged the back of her finger over Brayleigh’s apple cheek and murmured, “She refused to be comforted.”
While Brayleigh felt better, she was whiny and demanded lots of cuddles which I was more than happy to deliver.
As soon as the plane landed, I called in to work to say I’d be out of office then headed straight for Lucky and Minty’s. When I got there, I took Brayleigh back to bed with me in their spare room, spent the day with all of them, and slept at their house that night.
For the first time in months, I felt like I had my family back. The expanded version that included Minty.
Family 2.0.
Though Lucky teased me about overreacting now that the fever had broken, the worry on his face when I walked in the door was all too real.
I left them after breakfast and headed to work. Minty’s words ran through my head on a loop.That’s what makes her an excellent mother.Was that all there was to it? To be there when you were needed?
Throughout my childhood, no matter how small the wound, my mother was there. As a small child, it meant everything to me. As I grew older, her attention suffocated me. I began keeping things from her because once she knew there was a problem, she was relentless about fixing it.
My distress was her distress.
My happiness was her happiness.
My sadness was her death.
If there was one emotion she could not tolerate, it was my sadness. Could she sense it in me now? Was that the crux of the tension between us?
Lost in thought, I tapped my pencil on my desk. A brisk knock on my open door snapped me from my reverie.
“Daydreaming? Cutting out early? Calling in sick? Is this how you prove you’re fit for this position?”
Fucking Ratface.
Michael, his unfortunate protégé, cringed.
