Page 33 of Dreaming Without Heartache

Kara jumps off the couch, rushing toward Olivia. They squeal at the same time, holding hands and bouncing up and down. I can’t help but laugh.

“What’s going on?” Maisie sits up, startled.

“Nothing to worry about, sweetheart.” Sam sits next to her, brushing the hair from her eyes. I love how attentive she is.

“Kara’s staying overnight with Olivia,” I tell Maisie. “You’re stuck with me, kiddo.”

Maisie holds up her arms for me to get her. She hasn’t done that in a long time. I lift her up, holding her tightly. “Can I sleep with you?” she says, resting her head against my shoulder, her arms wrapping around my neck.

“Of course. You give the best cuddles.” I hold her close, thinking of Annie. She used to let me sleep with her anytime I wanted. I would have nightmares quite often as a kid. My big sister made me feel safe. I want the same for her babies.

“I’ll walk you out.” Sam steps closer to me.

“Be good, Kara. I love you.” I linger a moment longer, hoping she’ll say something back. My expectations fall short as she continues to ignore me.

Sam follows me to the car where I put Maisie in the front. I close the door, propping my back against the window.

“We should grab dinner one day this week,” Sam suggests. “The girls would love it.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Good.” Sam backs away slowly.

“Want my number?” I ask, unable to hide my grin.

“There’s a teenager in my house that belongs to you. I’ll have it soon.”

My smile is instant. “True.”

“Sweet dreams.” Sam waves as she turns to go inside. I watch her the whole way, more intrigued than ever.

Chapter Twelve

“Danny, please tell me this is fixable. And hopefully quickly and efficiently.” I’m standing in the basement of the house on Pearson Street. This blind purchase has become a money pit. A repossession that sells on auction is always a risk.

“Of course, I can fix it. But quickly is another thing.” Danny walks over to the cracks that we didn’t know about when we bought this house on a whim. He runs his hand along one of them. A long horizontal line stretching across the wall, damp at the edges. “This isn’t just a patch job. We’re going to have to reinforce this section before it gets any worse. And we have to take care of the moisture problem down here too.”

“Do what you have to do so the remodel can continue. Send me the invoices.”

“You got it, bossy lady.” Danny clicks his tongue as he points at me. That’s Danny for you. He’s always calm. It’s nice, but also frustrating.

I dial Steven’s number as I climb the stairs. Danny’s crew are working on the plumbing throughout the house. That’s how they found the water problems in the basement.

“Hey, love,” Steven answers. “I was just about to call you.” His cheerfulness radiates through the phone.

“Where are you? We have some more issues on the Pearson house.” I walk quickly to get out of the house and away from all the noise of the workers. Steven tries to speak but I can’t hear him. “Hold on a second.” I get into the car and start the ignition. The call switches over to the car speaker.

“I’m heading to see Luke. I thought about having him do the kitchen cabinets on the A-frame house. He does good work.”

“He does,” I agree, thinking back to Sam’s cabinets. “Can you meet me at the office in about an hour?”

“Yes,” Steven says. “Allie, whatever it is, we can handle it. We always do.”

“I know. See you later.” I hang up and look at Judy’s message again. She wants the girls to stay with her this weekend. I haven’t replied to her yet. The answer is a big hell no and I don’t know how to say that politely. But I have to for the sake of the girls.

I drive toward the office, not wanting to face any more disasters today. Still, I need to get this one over with. I press the call button on the steering wheel. “Call Judy.” I don’t have anything planned to say. I’m better in the moment anyway. The only thing I need to do is stay calm when she starts with those snarky comments of hers.

“Allie, so glad you found time to call,” Judy says. “I know how busy you always are.” Her sarcasm is perfectly executed.