Chapter 23
CARTER
“Orange juice is coming right up,” I called out to Peyton and April.
A cold had hit both of them two days ago.
They were feeling better but weren’t one hundred percent healthy yet, so I’d announced at the office that I’d work from home today as well.
While I waited for the juicer to fill the cup, I downed my second cup of coffee.
I didn’t much feel like a lawyer today; more like the walking dead.
I’d been up with Peyton all night. She barely slept whenever she was sick, and I’d taken to sleeping on the small couch in her room on those nights.
Sometimes she climbed next to me, nestling her little body against me, asking for stories because they kept the monsters from coming out from under the bed.
I’d set them up in the living room, because April had proclaimed she didn’t want to be stuck in her room during the daytime too, and Peyton was still at the age where she did everything her sister said.
They were both asleep as I brought them orange juice.
April’s favorite Netflix show was still playing on her laptop, which was in a precarious position in her lap.
I removed it, careful not to wake them up.
They needed sleep. I did too, but a million work emails stood between me and sleep.
My apartment was a mix of ultramodern and classic, but the girls’ touch was visible everywhere.
They were messy, but I liked it. My office was the only orderly area.
I sat behind my desk, drafting documents for three cases simultaneously.
Around noon, the girls woke up, and we ordered in.
As we finished, I knew I had to call Val.
I’d postponed this for as long as possible, but I couldn’t leave the girls with the nanny this evening.
I didn’t like to leave them when they weren’t feeling well.
I’d had plans with Val, and I’d really wanted to see her. I moved into another room to make the call.
“Hey,” I greeted when she picked up.
“Hey.”
“So listen, I know we had plans this evening, and I’m very sorry to cancel them. I can’t leave my apartment today.”
“What happened?”
“The girls have a cold, and I’m working from home.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“They’re better now, but I don’t want to leave them.”
“I understand, of course.” After a pause, she added, “I can stop by, if you want.”
I hadn’t expected that.
“I’d love that.”
“Do you need anything?”
“No, we’re good. I’ll order dinner in.”
“I can cook something.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“But I’m a great chef.”
“Humble too.”
“Never when it comes to my cooking.”
“Don’t worry, we don’t need anything.”
“Okay if I drop by at seven thirty?”
“Sure.”
It was only after hanging up that I wondered if this was such a great idea. Until now, our encounters had always been light and playful, and I’d kept what I had with Val separate from everything else. Those moments had been in a bubble of their own. What if reality would burst our bubble?
The truth was, I wanted to see Val too much to worry about anything else. We hadn’t spent Thanksgiving together last week, because I flew with the girls to visit my parents.
She arrived at seven thirty on the dot. Peyton was waiting by the front door. She was beside herself with excitement every time she was about to meet someone new, but then when she came face-to-face with said person, she hid.
Predictably, the second I opened the door, Peyton stepped behind my legs.
Val grinned at me before crouching to her level.
“Hi, Peyton. I’m Valentina. You can call me Val. All my friends do.”
Peyton tentatively tilted her head to one side, but when Val held out her arms, she stepped out.
“I’m your friend?” she asked suspiciously.
“If you want to be. I would love to be your friend.”
Peyton inched closer, then threw herself in Val’s open arms, kissing her cheek. It was sloppy and wet, but Val didn’t seem to mind. Warmth spread in my chest as I watched the two of them.
Val had cheated. She’d brought the girls sweets, and both April and Peyton munched on them happily.
“Val, you’re my hero,” April exclaimed. “Carter, take notes.”
I scowled at my niece. When April was out of earshot, I turned to Val. “Sweets?”
“Comfort food.” She shrugged as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“I usually make them something healthy when they have a cold.”
Val looked as if she was fighting a smile, then whispered, “Tell you a secret. No one actually wants healthy food when they’re out of sorts. It just drives home the fact that you’re feeling like crap. Not the best mood lifter, if you ask me.”
“Interesting logic.”
She grinned. “It might be a little… different, but hey, worse than being ill is being sick and grumpy. And grumpiness was just as contagious in the Connor household as a cold. So I cheated and twisted rules to the max to keep that from happening. But hey, everyone grew up to be healthy and responsible adults, so I’m not feeling too guilty. ”
She was lovely. I leaned in to kiss her, intending only to give her a quick peck, but at the first taste of her mouth I became hungry for more.
I wanted to lose myself in this woman, explore her for days.
When she rewarded me with a small moan, I became even greedier.
But I couldn’t touch her right now, so I took a step back.
“You make me lose my head, woman.”
“Hmmm… I wonder why that is.”
“Could be your soft skin.” I kissed her shoulder. “Or this gorgeous ass.” I squeezed it once before moving my hand slowly around the front. “Or your tight, delicious—”
“Carter.” She almost hissed my name. I grinned. “You can’t say things like these when there are kids around.”
“They can’t hear us. And I can’t help myself around you.”
“You say that as if I’m some sex goddess.”
“You are.”
She narrowed her eyes, tapping her fingers against her cheek. “I can’t tell if you mean it or you’re buttering me up for something.”
“I never say things I don’t mean. But that doesn’t mean I’m not buttering you up.” My voice was solemn, but I was laughing with her as we joined the girls in the living room. I suggested a movie, but April wasn’t in the mood for watching anything.
“I’ve sat around all day watching things. I’m bored,” April said.
Val bit her lower lip. “What would you like to do?”
“I don’t know. Hey, where did you buy that belt? It’s cool.”
“One of my favorite online shops. I’ll show it to you.” After a moment, she added, “Do you like closet parties?”
April piped up. “I don’t know what it is, but it has two of my favorite words in it, so I’m game.”
“We take a look at your clothes and how we can mix and match them to get different outfits than what you usually wear.”
April looked excited for the first time in twelve hours. Peyton was hanging around my neck like a little monkey, looking excitedly from her sister to Val.
“That sounds awesome.”
“And very scary to me,” I added, just to play devil’s advocate.
Val moved closer to April, whispering loud enough for me to hear, “Should we punish him for that by insisting he join us?”
“Nah, he’ll just ruin our buzz. Besides, I’m dying for some girl time.”
My heart gave a little squeeze at their playful banter. And then I decided to surprise them.
“You know what? I’ll join you.”
Val winked. April grimaced.
“Fine, but you must promise not to give your opinion… unless it’s a positive one,” April said.
“I love your idea of democracy. I’ll take my laptop with me. Need to finalize a few things.”
April led the way to her room. Peyton, never one to miss any excitement, ran along next to her.
Val walked a few feet behind them. I had a perfect view of that gorgeous ass of hers.
Damn, the way she moved, that sensual sway of her hips, was making my mouth water.
Was she doing it on purpose, to set me on edge?
When she cast a saucy smile over her shoulder, I had my answer. As payback, I slid closer to her and pinched her ass.
Val didn’t quite manage to muffle her sound of surprise, which caught April’s attention. When she turned around, I immediately schooled my expression. I felt as if our roles were reversed and I was the teenager trying to get away with fondling the girl he liked.
As April and Val took out most of the clothes in the dresser, spreading them on the bed, I sat at April’s desk, trying to get some more work done, but I couldn’t concentrate. The girls were taking this seriously. Even Peyton was hanging on to every word Val said.
“How do you even get these ideas? I wouldn’t have paired those, but they look fabulous,” April exclaimed.
“I took a personal course with a fashion consultant once.”
“You’re officially the coolest person I know.”
Val laughed. “I don’t know about that. But I’d just started my business, and since I wasn’t tied to a dress code like in my old job, I knew I was liable to go crazy. My sense of fashion has always been a little weird, but there is a fine line between different and ridiculous.”
“Well, I think you’re a knockout.”
Sometime during this exchange, my heartbeat had become erratic.
They were having fun, I realized. Val wasn’t patronizing the girls or finding them an inconvenience.
This was so far off my past experiences that I hadn’t even come to expect it any longer.
It was partly why I liked to separate these sides of my personal life.
When April pulled her hair in a ponytail, trying out an outfit Val had come up with, I had déjà vu.
“You look just like Hannah,” I told her. I missed my sister so much that some days it felt like a physical ache.
“I do, don’t I?” April grinned before explaining to Val, “In all her pics, Mom looks like a runway model. She was definitely a fashionista.”
“Am I a fashionista?” Peyton asked, frowning at the mirror as if searching for signs.
I laughed, but Val replied smoothly, “You’re on your way to becoming one.”