Chapter 5 The second shift
Lily
I leave the hotel in the morning, after pulling an overnight shift.
Working for vampires really messes up your circadian rhythm.
I check my phone as I get off the bus, heading toward my apartment building.
It’s almost nine a.m. I had to stay later than usual to make arrangements after Renata went to ground for the day.
Because of her schedule, she relies on me quite a lot to conduct business during the daylight hours.
Since I’ve started working for her, she’s given me more and more responsibility.
I like it. I’m the type of person who enjoys having things to do at work.
If I don’t, I get really bored, so I just keep on taking on new tasks.
Like dealing with Mrs. Harrigan, or making arrangements for Renata’s sisters.
And since my position is as an executive assistant, it’s easy to find things that fall under my job description.
But I don’t mind. I’m happy to be helpful.
And Renata seems to appreciate it, too. I think she gets overwhelmed, having so much responsibility as the CEO. And ever since her Creator was imprisoned, she’s had so much added to her plate. Not just running the hotel chain, but now the club and casino, too. I have no idea how she manages it all.
So I’m glad to help. And…I like the way she notices the little things I do. Like arranging the blood donors, or setting up her schedule to consolidate similar meetings and finding ways to automate tasks.
And this evening…when she said that we spend more time together than her sister and her partner.
When I think about it, I guess that’s true. There’s nobody I spend more time with than her.
Well, maybe Eli.
I put my key in the lock, looking forward to seeing his cheerful face when I open the door. But I’m surprised to find that the door is already unlocked.
“Mom?” I call as I swing the door open.
But another face greets me, and there’s a horrible twisting feeling in my stomach. Standing in my living room is a tall man with ruffled, brown hair and a beard. His light pink skin is covered with an orange tan, and he wears a navy blue suit with a matching tie that’s slightly askew.
“What are you doing here?” I ask sharply. “Where’s Elijah?”
“Mama!” Eli calls, running toward me cheerfully for a hug. He’s still wearing his pajamas.
“Hi, honey,” I say, returning his hug. Then he goes off to his bedroom to play with his toys.
“Great to see you too, Lilyboo,” says the unwelcome man with an even more unwelcome grin.
“Don’t call me that,” I reply, putting my purse on the kitchen counter. “Who let you in?”
“You used to like that nickname,” he responds, running a hand through his tousled hair. I see a glint of gold on his finger and my chest tightens.
“Why are you still wearing your ring, Dylan?” I ask. “You should take it off.”
“Nothing’s over ’til it’s over,” he says, with a frustratingly cocky tilt of his chin.
“We’re over,” I reply. I wish my voice sounded more assertive and less defeated, but I’m exhausted after my long shift, and surprised by my ex-husband’s sudden appearance. “And you should leave.”
“I have a right to see my son, Lily,” he says, a little more serious now. His lawyer voice breaking through.
“Don’t you have to go to work?” I say, eying his suit.
His eyebrow twitches, and his words become more sharp. “Not yet. I want to talk to you about Eli.”
I wish I could just kick him out of my apartment, but I know that trying to force him will just make things worse. It’s better to appease him. I know he’ll get in trouble with his firm if he’s late, so he won’t stay much longer.
“What are all these little horse toys?” he asks.
“They’re ponies.”
Dylan frowns. “Aren’t ponies more of a girl toy? They’re all pink and rainbow-coloured…”
“He likes them. There’s nothing wrong with him playing with pony dolls.”
“Not now. But he’s going to start school in September. If the other kids see him playing with rainbow ponies, they’ll think he’s girly. We should take them away now, before he gets bullied.”
“You’re bullying him,” I retort. “I’m not taking his toys away, he loves them! I don’t need you to tell me how to parent. I can take care of him…”
“This is exactly why you can’t take care of him,” Dylan says, moving closer to me. I take a step back, but that only antagonizes him. His voice rises. “You buy him girly toys and pink pajamas. Boys don’t wear things like that. Eli needs a man in his life. He needs his father.”
He’s now standing so close to me, I can feel the heat radiating off of his body. He always runs hot, figuratively and literally. His proximity makes my heart pound, and I find myself tongue-tied. But it’s safer to wait him out, let him run out of steam on his own.
My strategy works. Dylan looks at his watch. “I have to go to work. But this isn’t over, Lily.”
He storms out of the apartment, without even saying goodbye to Eli.
It takes me a moment to calm myself again. After a few deep breaths, I go into the bedroom. As suspected, my mother is fast asleep on my bed, her blond hair in curlers.
“Mom,” I say, shaking her shoulder. “Mom, wake up!”
She snorts as she awakens abruptly. “Lily! You’re home.”
“Yes,” I say, irritated. “And guess who I found when I got home.”
My mother sits up with a huff. “I told him to leave before you got back.”
“Why did you let him in at all? I told you I’m not speaking with him.”
“He’s Eli’s father, for goodness sakes, Lily. He’s not the Devil. He deserves to be able to see his own son.”
“He does see Eli, on the weekends, when he’s supposed to. I don’t want him hanging around the apartment…”
“Well, you weren’t home, and my hip was bothering me, so I called him to help. Sue me for being an injured old woman!”
I leave the room with a frustrated sigh.
I’m obviously not getting anywhere with her.
And I’m probably not going to. Dylan, my ex-husband, is the son of my mom’s best friend.
He can do absolutely no wrong in her eyes.
It’s been that way since we were kids. He was always the golden boy.
We saw each other occasionally as kids, and we started dating when we attended the same pre-law program in university.
But he went to law school, and I ended up at home, taking care of our son.
That was the beginning of the end.
“Is dad gone?” Eli asks when I go into his room.
“He had to go to work, honey,” I reply. “You’ll see him on the weekend.”
Eli doesn’t comment. He goes back to brushing the mane of his favourite pony doll, the one with the rainbow on her butt.
I don’t know why Dylan is making such a huge deal about not seeing Eli. When we were together, he never wanted to spend time with him. But now that we’re separated, it so important for him to be a father.
A wave of tiredness passes through me. I run my fingers through Eli’s hair.
“Did you have breakfast, E?”
“Not yet.”
“Let me go make you something.”
With all my willpower, I rise to my feet and head for the kitchen.
My first shift might be done, but my second one is just beginning.