Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Lance
I woke up with the jeebies. Two hours later and the feeling hasn’t stopped. I have another hour before I need to be at the kids’ school, and another ten days of work suspension. All the other guys are getting pissed, and I don’t blame them. They all have to pick up the slack I left behind. I hate this.
I need a palette cleanser.
Midge is curled up next to me since Alana left for work already. Last night she went over the kids’ schedules. She needs to pop over for Olivia’s and Maria’s play, which is supposed to go on before Drew’s wax museum.
I grab my phone and shoot Izzy a text.
Me: How’s Drew holding up?
Izzy: He’s nervous and kinda cranky.
Izzy: You’re coming, right?
Me: Absolutely.
There’s no way I would miss it.
I scratch Midge under her chin, and she raises her head higher and closes her eyes. It’s almost like she’s smiling. Amazing how one tiny act can give so much pleasure.
So, now I’m trapped until the cat tires of my touch and leaves. If I stop, she will never like me again. And, if I’m being honest, now that I have this, I don’t want to lose it.
Um…okay…it’s not about the cat. It’s Izzy, it’s Drew, it’s all of it. I’m not sure what it would look like—I don’t know how to be a father—but with Izzy comes Drew, and they’re the best package deal I can think of.
Izzy: My dad’s not coming, neither is Joey. So, I’ve got an extra seat, if you want it.
I send her a GIF of a baby saying “mine.”
Izzy: But my mom and Nonna will be there.
Me: Oh, ummm…that’s going to be a problem.
Izzy: Why?
Me: Nonna hits on me every time I see her. Not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep my animal attraction at bay.
Izzy: Why don’t you deflect that attention to me?
Me: Done and done.
Izzy: Lol. See you soon.
I toss my phone to the side, but Midge doesn’t like the sudden motion and turns her head away before lifting up, stretching, and hopping off my bed. After I shower and shave, there’s a debate about what I should wear. It’s a family event, so I should look nice. But I’m not going in an official capacity, so the customary bodyguard suit is not required. I opt for jeans, a button-down shirt, and a casual jacket. Hopefully Izzy will approve.
It doesn’t take long for the second guessing to kick in. God, what if I don’t look right, or I’m too dressed up? Or too casual? Most of the parents attending are CEOs and world leaders. Maybe my off-the-rack jacket won’t be enough.
But Izzy doesn’t care about that. Drew doesn’t either.
Still, the doubt eats away at my brain. Feelings of not being enough. Not knowing exactly what it takes to be a man a kid can look up to. Did my dad feel like that? Probably not. That’s why he walked out. But this constant doubt and fear, like we’re all making it up as we go, sucks. I wish adulthood came with a manual. Or at least something to let me know if I was moving in the right direction.
That’s one of the reasons I like my job so much. If the client is alive, I did it right. It’s pretty black and white. I’m good at taking care of people. Hell, I kept Alana alive all this time. But, she is pretty self-sufficient.
On the way out, I feed Midge, who rewards me by rubbing up against my leg and sharing all her fur with my pants.
The school is packed, and it’s a security nightmare. Balloons obstruct visibility. The lines are long, which means a lot of standing in one place. All the other personal security officers from the other companies have straight lines for mouths and are constantly moving their heads like birds, surveying the area from behind their sunglasses. The jeebies must be in high effect right now. Glad to know I’m not the only one who has them.
The mood changes as the crowd shifts. I’m waiting in line to get checked in when the whispers start. I’m used to that. The whispers. But who makes world leaders, CEOs, and mafia bosses whisper? Only an Olympian.
“Lance, my man, how you doing?” Hadeon Olympian slaps my arm, and his three dogs sniff me before sitting nicely at his feet. For as long as I’ve known Hadeon, he’s always tried to be casual. And it never seems to work. His suit costs more than a car. He’s still awkward from a lifetime of private tutors. I think he went to public school for a year, but he was already a teen. Too old for that leopard to change his spots at that point, I guess. It’s a fucking miracle he convinced Penny to marry him, and his daughter Olivia is as magical as the Big Bang.
I smile back at him. “Just fine, my dude.”
He frowns. “Yeah, we shouldn’t do this.”
“Nope, it’s weird.”
“Hey, I texted Alana. She should be here, right?”
“Of course. I’m sure she’s already inside.” I nod at the black dogs who flank him. If his suit costs more than a car, his dogs are worth more than a house. “Still using the puppies as security?”
A wicked grin flashes on his face. “Yeah. You know what they won’t do? Fuck my wife.”
Ouch. “Oh, you heard.”
“Penny left a stockholders’ meeting to take Alana’s call. She screamed about you. A lot. Everyone heard.”
The woman behind me chuckles a little.
We both shift on our feet and adjust our jackets as we survey the crowd that’s at least twenty people deep. Hadeon motions with his thumb, “You want me to get you in?”
“Nah, I’m not in the most powerful family in the world. I’ll wait.”
Hadeon says nothing, but as soon as he moves, all the dogs perk up and keep pace with him.The crowd naturally parts. Moses would be proud.
Once I make my way inside, it’s even worse. Not even organized chaos. There’s a big program in the auditorium, but all the classrooms are open with little games, projects, and activities inside. The kids are running around free-for-all style. The principal’s typically perfect hair has a slight frizz to it. I will assume it’s from the humidity of all the bodies.
My leg gives out as I’m assaulted by a hug. “LANCE!” Maria beams up at me. “I lost a tooth!”
“Another one? That’s great.”
She wiggles her upper canine with her tongue. “And this one is wobbly.”
“Wow!” Bullet wounds, I’m fine with, but wiggly teeth make my queasy.
She’s wearing some sort of tree costume that makes her arms into branches and has a hat with leaves dangling from it. I push a leaf off her face as we hear a woman at the end of the hallway yell, “All forest creatures head to the stage.”
“You better get going. I’ll get my seat. I can’t wait to watch you.” Maria nods and runs off, leaving a trail of fake foliage behind her.
Heading into the auditorium, I reassess exactly how much I hate this. If I thought the hallways were bad, somehow this is worse. Four exits, plus the three behind the stage. Hundreds of people. I scan the perfectly polished parents, phones in hand, and make basic small talk as I search for Izzy. Toward the middle-left side, I see her, and somehow I’m instantly calm.
Thiago, Duncan, and Dimitri are behind her, along with a clan of other members of the Four Families. I give everyone a quick nod, and they peek up from their phones and flash me smiles. Izzy moves her purse off of a chair she saved for me. Her mom and Nonna are sitting next to her. Nonna has bright pink lipstick and perfectly curled hair, but age spots pepper her skin. Even in her eighties, she still sits straight with her feet crossed at the ankles. The other women from the families sit like that, I guess they had training.
“Nonna, you look wonderful.”
She tilts her head and puts her frail fingers to her lips with a sad frown. “Oh Lancelot, our love is never to be. Had you been in the back room of the Papaya Club in the 1970s, I would have done things to you that would make even the devil blush.”
OH MY GOD. This sets off a chain reaction. Behind me, Thiago gasps and says something I can’t understand under his breath. Duncan drops his phone, slamming his head against the back of my chair trying to get it. Dimitri chuckles, although I’m not sure if he’s laughing at their reactions, the statement, or both. But the two women next to the last matriarch of the Four Families both blush and lose color in their faces at the same time. A physical trait I thought was impossible.
“MOM!”
“NONNA!”
Nonna waves them off. “I’ve long forgotten to give a fuck about other people’s opinions. You should do the same before you become boring.”
I swallow. “Well, thank you, Nonna. I shall take this as the highest of compliments and heal my wounded heart with friendly company.”
“As you should.” Nonna shifts in her seat, the only one of us with a cushion on her chair.
Izzy drops her head forward and buries her face in her hands. I pat her on the thigh, giving her a little comforting motion that everything is going to be fine.
The principal comes out on the stage, and the crowd quiets. Imagine having the power to get the most powerful parents in the world to be quiet, with just your presence. Hadeon is in the front row. I can’t see Alana, but I’m not sure where she would sit in a situation like this. And I don’t have time to ponder it because, after quick introductions, the kindergarteners come up on stage.
They launch into a high-pitched song about trees and life. Both Olivia and Maria dance around from side to side. There’s a professional video team recording every move Olivia makes. I wondered if Hadeon is going to film the whole thing or only his daughter’s performance.
Next, two sixth graders come out and do “Who’s on First?” Not sure how that got picked, but it is a crowd pleaser. Nonna loves every second of it. The minutes turn into an hour, and it’s equal parts painful and adorable. Some moments drag while others are so cute and sweet, I need to make a dentist appointment.
The wax museum is the last to go up. Drew and Ian stomp onto the stage, pouting, because that’s what the character is supposed to do. They’re wearing tan fur costumes and Mongolian fuzzy hats. Drew starts out, “I AM A WARRIOR,” points to Ian, “SO IS HE!”
“Yes,” Ian says in a normal volume voice.
Drew continues, “I am here to seek the hand of Khutulun, the most beautiful princess in all the land. If I can best her in battle, she will be my bride. If I lose, she will get one thousand horses from me.”
“Me too,” Ian says.
They try to demonstrate a battle, which is basically a lot of improvising and swinging around until they both fall on the ground. Drew says, “Oh no, her fighting skills are too strong and I cannot defeat her. Now I must walk home, with no horses.”
“Me too,” Ian says as he pops his head up from the floor.
They get a big laugh. And a few minutes later, the show is over.
More chaos erupts as the parents and families all try to leave the auditorium at the same time. The jeebies are driving me nuts with constant panic that something terrible is about to happen. Scanning the room, the hallway, every space, I watch for whatever might be off. There’s movement by the wings of the stage. It could be a teacher cleaning up. But my gut tells me it’s not. A flash of light brown and black catches my eye. A Mongolian hat. And it’s too tall and moving too fast.
Drew.