Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jack
The next morning, I got up, showered, and woke Hope up to get ready for school. I headed downstairs and made a pot of coffee. A few moments later, she walked into the kitchen.
“What’s for breakfast?” she asked.
Oh shit. “Umm…what do you want?” Of all times for Madeline to be gone.
“Pancakes,” she spoke as she climbed up on the stool in front of the island.
“I don’t have pancakes.”
“What do you have?” She propped her elbows on the counter.
“Let me look.” Opening the pantry, I found it was pretty bare. I walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. “I have eggs.”
“Okay. I’ll have scrambled eggs and toast.”
“I only have wheat bread.”
“Yuck.” She made a face. “Just eggs then.” She sighed.
I took out the carton of eggs and grabbed a frying pan from the bottom cabinet. After cracking them in a bowl, I heated the pan and poured them in.
“Coffee?” I asked as I held up the pot.
“I don’t drink coffee.” She giggled.
“You don’t? I thought all kids drank coffee.” I smiled.
“I’ll have orange juice, please, because I’m sure you don’t have apple.”
A burnt smell suddenly filled the air. “Oh shit! The eggs!” I ran over to the pan.
“You said a bad word.”
“Sorry. Don’t tell your mom.” I tried to scrape the eggs from the pan.
“Did you put butter in the pan before pouring the eggs in?” she asked.
“No.” I sighed and looked at my watch. “Grab your school stuff. We’re going out to breakfast.”
“But I’ll be late for school.”
“No, you won’t. Hurry up.”
I threw the pan in the sink and grabbed my phone from the counter.
“Hello, Jack.”
“Tony, I’m taking Hope down the street to that diner for breakfast. Pick us up there in about forty-five minutes. We have to hurry, or she’ll be late for school.”
I heard snickering on the other end. “I will be there.”
“Ready,” Hope said as she walked into the kitchen with her coat on and her backpack over her shoulder.
We walked out of the building and down to the diner. When we were seated, I told the waitress we were in a hurry, and I slipped her a twenty-dollar bill to expedite our breakfast. Hope got her pancakes and orange juice, and I just ordered a bagel and coffee.
“I’m going to pick you up from school today, and we’ll go visit your mom, but we have to go to the grocery store after to get some food.”
“Okay. Mr. Sutton?”
“Yes, Hope.”
“You didn’t pack me a lunch.”
“Shit!”
“You said a bad word again.”
“I’m stressed, Hope. I can say that when I’m stressed. Just don’t tell your mom. Can you buy lunch?”
“I don’t like the school’s food.”
“Just this once? Please?” I begged.
She sat across from me, shaking her head no.
“Okay. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your lunch is delivered. What do you like?”
“Peanut butter and jelly is fine. Or I like ham and cheese.”
After rushing through breakfast, I told Tony to step on it.
“We’re going to be late,” Hope said.
“No, we aren’t.”
“Yes, we are.”
“Hope, we won’t be late.”
We were late. Just as Tony pulled up to the building, the doors shut, and we were locked out.
“Ugh!” I placed my hand on my head.
“Told ya we were going to be late. Just push this button.”
I did and the door unlocked. As we stepped inside, a manly-looking woman was standing at the entrance with her arms folded.
“I apologize. Traffic was bad.”
The woman glared at me and then looked down at Hope. “You may go to your classroom, honey.”
“Bye, Mr. Sutton.” Hope smiled as she waved.
“Bye, Hope. Have a good day.”
By the time I arrived at the hospital, I was exhausted. I had yet to learn how Lorelei did this full-time and by herself. I carefully opened the door to her room and saw she was awake. As I stepped inside, she looked at me.
“Jack,” she softly spoke.
Walking over to her bed, I placed my hand on hers. “How are you feeling?”
She shrugged. “Like shit.”
I gave her a small smile.
“How’s Hope?”
“She’s good. I just dropped her off at school.”
“Thank you.” She picked up Luna. “I’m sorry I missed you both last night.”
“Don’t apologize. You need your rest. I’ll be bringing her by after school.”
“She isn’t giving you a hard time, is she?”
“Nah. She’s a good kid.”
“Good. Words can’t express how grateful I am that you’re looking after her. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
I gave her a tender smile as I lightly squeezed her hand.
“It’s the least I can do since you do so much for me.”
“What do I do for you, Jack?”
“God, I don’t think there’s enough time to list everything. You get my coffee every morning. You put up with my yelling. You pick up my clothes from the cleaners. Hell, Lorelei, you even buy my condoms.”
“All those things are part of my job.”
“Maybe so, but this is my way of repaying you.”
“Can you do me a favor?” she asked.
“Anything.”
“Could you go back to my apartment and get my phone? It’s on my nightstand.”
“Of course. I’ll bring it by later. I better get going. You need your rest, and I have to get to the office.” I leaned over and pressed my lips against her forehead. “I’ll see you later, Lorelei.”
“Bye, Jack.”
After Tony dropped me off at the office, I handed him the keys to Lorelei’s apartment and asked him to get her phone and bring it to me. I also asked him to grab her sketchbook. Maybe she would want it once she started to feel a little better.
My first mission was to get Hope’s lunch to her. Sitting at my desk, I called the deli down the street.
“I need to order a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread. Also, throw in a bag of chips.”
“Is there anything else, Mr. Sutton?”
“Do you have any fruit?”
“We have apples.”
“Put an apple in the bag and one of your fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. I need it delivered to Hope Flynn at Sunnyview Elementary School in Harlem.”
“We don’t deliver that far.”
I sighed. “Okay. Have it delivered here to my office at eleven fifteen sharp.”
“Will do, Mr. Sutton.”
After ending the call, a text message from Coco came through.
“On my way to LA. I thought you like to have these. They’re sweet, Jack.”
She sent the two pictures she took of Hope and me. I closed out of it as Garrett walked into my office.
“How’s Hope?” he asked.
“She’s fine.”
“She’s an adorable little girl.”
I smiled. “Yeah. She looks so much like Lorelei.”
“Anyway, do you need me to call the temp agency to send over someone until Lorelei returns?”
“Nah. Lorelei is such a good PA. I’m afraid she’s spoiled me. Anyone who would replace her wouldn’t be good enough, and I’d make them cry.”
“Okay. That’s all I wanted to know.”
“How was dinner with my sister last night?”
“It was good. Why?”
I shrugged. “Just curious. That’s all. It was odd running into the two of you there.”
He narrowed his eye at me. “We talked earlier in the day, and I told her I was going to visit Lorelei. She said she was going as well and that we should go together. Neither one of us had eaten, so we decided to stop and have dinner after. Is that a problem, Jack?”
“No. No problem.”
After Garrett walked out of my office, Tony walked in with Lorelei’s phone.
“Ah, good. I’m going to need you to drop off Hope’s lunch to her at school as soon as it gets here.”
Tony gave me a small smile.
“What? What’s that look for?” I asked.
“Nothing, Jack.” He continued smiling.