Chapter 1 #2
The lighting is low in the lobby, with more Christmas trees scattered around the comfy furniture in various groupings.
Each tree is unique, with different themes and colors, and as I check out one nearby, I see it has a tag on it.
Decorated by the family of Kay (Day Shift Manager).
I look all around me with new eyes, enchanted with the trees.
It makes the lobby the kind of space that guests can come down and hang out in and feel right at home.
Like they’re sitting next to a tree their family might have decorated.
Blinking red and green lights outline a huge fireplace, roaring with a crackling gas fire behind a glass screen, and the smell of cinnamon and cloves dances lightly through the air.
Quiet laughter sounds from one corner, and I look around to see a handful of people sitting and chatting.
“Mr. Law!” a voice cries, followed by another: “It’s Mr. Law!”
“Great disguise,” I mutter as Scarlett and Zoey Harrell, Chad’s girls, barrel toward us. “Really fooled a couple of preschoolers.”
“Scarlett’s in kindergarten,” he replies, and I snort with laughter.
Even though the girls are probably too big to carry around at five and three respectively, Law scoops them both into his arms when they reach him.
To be fair, they’re both tiny, with wavy blond hair like their mom’s.
They giggle and throw their arms around Law’s neck.
They loved him when I left Houston last July, but clearly they’ve spent more time around him since then.
Carlie is their nanny, so I’m sure he hangs out with them when she’s working.
I glance around to see Chad making his way toward us.
“Hey, Chad,” Law greets him, and Chad nods, cringing at the motion. I don’t know if it’s the lighting of the room, with all the Christmas decorations, but he looks a little green.
“You okay?” I ask quietly, peering at him.
“Migraine,” he says. “Started coming on when we landed last night and has gotten worse. I’ll be fine.” He closes his eyes and reaches out to a nearby chair to steady himself.
Law and I share a look. Carlie was supposed to be in Denver by now, and I’m betting Chad wishes she was here to help.
He forces a gruesome-looking smile and waves at me. “Welcome to Denver, Ivy. How did Law convince you to spend Christmas here instead of somewhere nice and warm?”
It was easy. Since my mom passed away when I was a kid, Christmas has never been the big deal that other families make it. My dad is working right up until Christmas and then the day after. There was no point in sticking around Nashville for an awkward dinner with just the two of us.
“I haven’t seen Law and Carlie in months,” I say to Chad, keeping my voice low and chill so it doesn’t aggravate his headache.
“And no boyfriend to beg her to stay,” Law teases.
I snort. “And no boyfriend anytime in the future.” I shake my head at Law. Considering he knew me all through college, when I was always dating someone, and then later, when I met his brother and we dated forever, it’s probably hard for him to picture me not dating.
Chad raises an eyebrow at this and then winces. Poor guy. Dealing with a migraine while caring for two excited little girls sounds like torture. “No boyfriends ever?” he asks, skeptically.
“I’m sure you know the tea,” I say, side-eyeing Law. The way Scarlett and Zoey are clinging to him, he’s clearly a fixture at their house. “Nope. No boyfriends for me.”
He grimaces, which could be in understanding or because he has a pounding migraine.
“Where are you guys headed?” Law asks the girls, who are bundled up.
“We’re going to see Christmas lights!” Zoey shouts excitedly.
Chad cringes again and closes his eyes. The man needs a dim room, an eye mask, and silence—not two excited girls and lights. I share another look with Law. He has to leave for a low-key practice once I get checked in, so he can’t take them, despite how much they love him.
With Law being gone until our dinner plans this evening, and Carlie not here to hang out with, I don’t have anything else to do. I could help with this situation.
I step closer to Chad, and Law chats with the girls about the garden they’re going to with the light display.
“Hey, do you think the girls would be okay if I took them?” I ask quietly.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen them, but we hung out a few times when Chad was looking for more permanent childcare after Shelby left.
Besides, it would be way better than hanging out in my hotel room alone.
Without Carlie here, and with Law gone for the evening, I’ll probably end up watching some cheesy Christmas romance movie and questioning my decision not to elope last summer because I’d be spending Christmas with my husband.
And that attitude is the exact reason I have sworn off dating for the time being.
“You don’t have to do that.” Chad shakes his head once and then looks like he’s about to throw up.
“I want to. You can’t go like this.” I use my firm voice.
“I’m fine,” he insists. Then he sways a little.
I cock an eyebrow, which he can’t see because his eyes are still shut. “It’s fine if you don’t feel safe leaving me with the girls. I understand. I haven’t seen them for a few months.”
Chad holds up a hand. “Stop, Ivy. I know you’re just trying to make me feel guilty.”
I wasn’t, actually, but it worked. “Chad …”
“Um, excuse me a moment.” He squints around the room and then hurries toward a nearby men’s room. Law and I share a look again.
“Is Daddy okay?” Zoey asks, looking after her dad with fearful eyes.
Law squeezes her closer. “He’s not feeling good. Remember when you were sick a couple weeks ago? That’s how he feels.”
“Okay,” Zoey says, but she still eyes the restroom he disappeared into.
“Is Daddy taking drugs?” Scarlett asks in a low voice. I blink at her, surprised, and Law opens his mouth, but she goes on. “Mommy takes drugs and it makes her sick, and that’s why we don’t get to see her anymore until she gets better.”
“Your dad wouldn’t do that, Scar,” Law says in a soothing voice. “He has a bad headache that’s making him feel sick.”
Chad emerges from the bathroom, looking even more pale and moving slowly across the room. “DADDY!” both girls shout as soon as they see him. His entire body tenses. No way this guy survives taking them to see a light display with him tonight.
Scarlett wiggles out of Law’s arms and rushes toward her dad, gripping his legs. “Daddy, did you take drugs?” she asks.
Chad crouches next to her and nearly falls over. He puts a hand on the floor to steady himself. He sighs. “No, I didn’t,” he says softly. “Remember, I promised you I wouldn’t ever do that.”
She nods solemnly at him. He leans over and hugs her.
“I know it was the right thing to be honest with them about Shelby, but it’s a double-edged sword,” he says to me and Law in a tired voice.
“Chad, you’re not going to be able to take them if you’re throwing up,” I point out. “You can barely stand.”
He presses his lips together.
“Let me help, okay?” I say. “Law has practice anyway, and Carlie’s stuck in Houston. I have nothing else to do.”
“Miss Ivy,” Scarlett cries, spinning toward me. Chad puts a hand to his temple at her loud voice. Thanks for proving my point, sweetie. “Are you going to come to the lights with us?” she asks, and she starts bouncing on her toes.
Chad clenches his fists. “If you’re sure, Ivy.”
“Yes! Yes! Come with us, Miss Ivy!” the girls cry.
Chad draws in a sharp breath, then stands quickly.
He pulls a set of keys and a hotel card from his pocket and shoves them at me.
“I’ll Venmo you the ticket money,” he says in a tight voice.
“Rental car is in the parking garage.” He kisses the girls on the cheek and then walks away, making a beeline for the elevator.
I look at Law and then at the girls. “Okay, can you ladies help me check into my hotel room and then we’ll go see lights?”
They both shout their acquiescence, and I grin. This beats another night by myself watching TV.