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“So they’re not regulars?”
What I really wanted to ask was if she wasn’t a regular, even though I already knew the answer. I would’ve remembered seeing her before if she was.
“No. I have a good memory. They haven’t been here before. Want some ice for that cheek? You’ll have a bruise tomorrow.”
I groaned. She was right. I could feel the skin around it pulsing. “Ice sounds good. Thanks.”
At thirty, I was already one of the youngest investment directors in the company, and my youth usually worked against me. I balanced it out with an all-encompassing knowledge of the market and an enviable track record. A bruised cheek would earn me no favors with the clients who trusted me to handle their million-dollar portfolios.
Grabbing the bucket Rose handed me and placing the damaged guitar back in the case, I headed to one of the couches in the corner. Even though I knew it was pointless, I looked around the bar again. She hadn’t left with him, had she? It had sounded as if he was ditching her. In public. I detested men who had no sense of responsibility or respect.
I held ice to my cheek for the rest of the evening... and made plans to find this mystery woman I couldn’t stop thinking about.
Chapter Two
Heather
“Mommy, it says on the box number thirty-eight?” My seven-year-old pointed her tiny finger to the numbers I’d scribbled on the box with silver marker.
“Yes.”
“Does that mean we’re done?”
I grinned. I’d told her that we’d stop after unpacking the thirty-eighth box, and she’d been paying attention.
“Yeah, we are.”
Avery squealed. I lowered myself to my haunches, and she threw her arms around my neck. I couldn’t explain it, but Avery simply smelled like love. My little girl was like my own personal sunshine. Blonde and blue-eyed, she looked like a little angel.
“Can we have a bubble bath now?” she asked.
“Sure, little bug.”
Our apartment had two bedrooms and a tiny living room. It was in a converted refurbished warehouse. I loved the huge windows. They allowed in plenty of light on sunny days. We’d moved here a week ago, hence all the unpacked boxes. We opened six boxes every night, and we still had a pile in the kitchen, which was also my office. As a reporter, I worked from home a lot, only traveling to my office in Manhattan if I had a meeting.
We headed to the bathroom, and while the water level rose in the tub, we had fun pouring all the almost-empty shampoo and shower gels in it, and a package of glittery goo with a unicorn on it. I had no idea how easy it was to scrub off, but my girl needed some glitter in her life, and honestly, so did I.
After Gerald dropped the bomb on me, I took Avery shopping and explained that our apartment would be an all-girl zone. That led to us buying all manner of glittery items such as nail polish, bath salts, lip gloss, and bedsheets. Since it was March, we got everything at an end-of-winter sale. I loved our purchases just as much as Avery.
The second I turned off the faucet, Avery jumped inside, splashing water everywhere. Laughing, I slipped inside too.
“We have our own small pool,” Avery exclaimed. We’d only had a shower at the old apartment. “Can we have a glitter bath every night?”
Ah, my girl had many talents. As much as I liked to say she was an angel, she could also be a little devil. She knew exactly when to ask for things, but I’d learned how to say no.
“Not every evening, but once in a while, we can do this.”
She perked up, her eyes wide. “YES!” After a few beats of silence, she added, “Mommy, Gerald
isn’t coming back, is he?”
My heart sank. Did Avery miss him?
“No, baby. He’s not.”
“I like it when it’s just the two of us, Mommy.”
I barely resisted the urge to hug the living daylights out of her.
