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“Thank you.”
“You know I mean it.” Her smile widened. “Let us remember what happened about forty minutes ago.”
“I’ll dream about it.”
She laughed, knowing he was kidding, but still, the words were nice. Killion was good to her. He always had been. Right from the start, she’d sensed that he truly got her. She hadn’t ever had to explain or justify her work schedule or her passion for her business. If anything, he encouraged her to strive for more.
“We should all have dinner,” he said, his voice casual.
“You, me and...?”
He looked at her. “I’d like you to meet my daughters.”
Oh. Oh! “Why?”
“I’ve met Summer and your mother. And now Allison and Jackson. We could all have dinner together.”
The unexpected suggestion instantly made her uneasy. Meeting Killion’s daughters? That seemed so...so... Well, she wasn’t sure what, but something uncomfortable. It was as if Killion thought this was a regular kind of relationship, which it wasn’t.
“I’m not sure I want to explain who Allison is to your adult children,” she said.
“Why not? You come out as the hero of that story.”
“It’s not a story I enjoy telling.”
“Then we won’t invite Allison.” His gaze was steady. “It’s time, Erica.”
“But meeting family? That’s not who we are.”
“I text with your mother.”
She stared at him. “You don’t!”
“Ask her.”
“Oh, God! I didn’t know.” Betrayed by her own mother.
She shifted in her seat, wanting desperately to tell him no. That she didn’t want to get more involved. She liked what they had. But she sensed telling him that would change things between them and not in a way that would make her happy. She liked having Killion in her life. He was there just enough to satisfy her emotional needs, not to mention the great sex.
“Fine. Set up something in the next few weeks.”
Even she could hear her grudging tone, but Killion only smiled.
“Thank you for being so gracious.”
“You’re mocking me.”
“Only because the sex is so good.”
23
Erica didn’t have a favorite salon—each had its own personality. The Bellevue salon—her first—would always be home base. The Twisted in the U District, by the university, was edgy, with a younger vibe. Her Issaquah location was all about nature and organic and the one on Carillon Point was just plain gorgeous.
While she couldn’t always coordinate her schedule with the weather, she did try to get to the Carillon Point salon when the skies were clear. Her office had a beautiful water view. When she sat there, sipping her coffee and going over payroll or orders, she felt that she had finally achieved all she’d set out to accomplish. Her little empire was the fulfillment of her dreams and that made her happy.
Despite the craziness in her life, she was in a good place. Having Allison and Jackson in the house was less disruptive than she’d ever imagined. She adored spending time with the toddler and she and Allison were getting along better than she’d expected. A bonus was how she and Summer were getting closer. They were talking more, sharing things. Last night Summer had admitted she’d changed her mind about seeing her dad. Erica had reassured her that was okay—she could go whenever she felt ready.
She was a little less sure about what was happening with Killion. She knew in her head that his request that she meet his daughters made sense. They’d been seeing each other for nearly a year and he spent a lot of time with her mother and daughter, so his request was fair.
