Chapter 24 #2
“That’s why I ran away. I don’t want to leave school or go with Mum. I thought if nobody could find me, they wouldn’t take me away.”
I stagger back into the kitchen island. Is that what happened to Celine today? Poor kid.
A flurry of emotions wash over Sam’s face. “Celine, this is very, very important. I need you to tell me exactly what happened. What did Mum and your headmaster say?”
“I was in the middle of maths class when I was told to report to the headmaster’s office.
I thought I was in trouble, but Mum was sitting in there with Mr. Boyd.
” Celine takes a deep breath. “She was crying. When I came in, she hugged me and told Mr. Boyd she hadn’t seen me in a long time since you took Sarah and me away from her and Dad. ”
Sam’s hand clenches into a fist.
“I knew that wasn’t true and I tried to tell the headmaster, but Mum kept interrupting me to tell Mr. Boyd I was wrong.
She had some papers that she said would explain everything.
Mr. Boyd looked at them and asked us to wait while he rang someone in London.
When Mum and I were alone, she said everything had been arranged for Sarah and me to move to Somerset with her. ”
“What happened when Mr. Boyd came back?”
“I don’t know. He told me things would take some time to sort out and sent me back to class, but I went to the train station instead.”
Sam stands and winces as his joints pop and crackle. “Celine, that was not the right thing to do.”
“I know that, but I didn’t want to go with Mum. I just . . . I just . . . I needed to see you. I tried ringing you, but you didn’t answer your mobile.”
“I’ve been bad about checking it.” Sam rubs his temples. “I’ll work it out with your headmaster. What I’m more worried about is the fact that nobody at your school realized you’d gone missing.”
“I was wondering about that too,” I mutter.
“Sneaking out was easy.” Celine’s cheeks turn bright red. “Maths is the last class of the day. After that, I normally have two hours of free time until dinner.”
“What about your friends or your house matron? They should’ve checked in on you.”
“I don’t have any friends right now. They’re all mad at me because I got picked to dance the Kitri variation instead of Mia and Louise for the spring recital.
Our house matron has been sick. She thinks Mrs. Frank has been checking in on us every night, but nobody ever passed the message along to her. ”
Sam wasn’t kidding. Celine is devious and wicked smart to have figured out something like that.
“You’d make an excellent spy, Celine,” I say.
She’s only twelve and still very much a child, but I can see the adult beginning to emerge too. I’ll have to be careful around her in the future, not that I have anything to hide.
“Your pancakes are probably cold and soggy by now. Why don’t you two give me your plates and take a few new pancakes.”
Both Bakers protest, but I insist. They clearly need a little time to speak to one another with me out of earshot. I need a little time to myself too.
I take my time packing the toppings away and loading the dishwasher.
Celine can’t stop yawning when I rejoin them.
I show her to the guest bedroom, and give her a toothbrush and a spare T-shirt and sleeping shorts, but she never makes it that far.
Sam has to guide her into the room and lift her onto the bed.
She falls asleep in his arms. From the doorway, I watch as he tucks her in and kisses her forehead.
“Good night, little one,” he whispers as he turns off the light and closes the door behind him.
We slip into the living room. “Why don’t you take my bed. It’ll be much more comfortable than the pull-out sofa.”
“No, Fashion Guru. I can’t displace you from your own bed.”
“What if I issue you a direct order, Soldier Boy?”
He crosses his arm in challenge. “This trooper would willfully disobey it.”
I roll my eyes. “Sam, you’re exhausted. I’m wide awake and I may not even end up going to bed.”
The muscles in his forehead crease. “Don’t you have to go to work in a few hours?”
“Yes.” It’s going to be another long day too. We have forty-eight hours left. “But if I know I’m only going to sleep about four hours, I’d rather just stay up.”
“You wouldn’t even cat nap?”
“No. It ends up making me more tired.”
“That’s crazy.” He fights another yawn and tenses his jaw.
“Did you have a little time to talk things over with your sister?”
“I did.” Sam nods. “I made sure she got it into her head that Mum won’t be able to do anything to take her away from me. I have sole guardianship over her and Sarah.”
“Will that stand up in a court of law?”
“It had better. I spent a fair amount to have a top solicitor draw up the legal documents in case something like this ever happened.” Sam’s lips thin. “I’m willing to bet a month of stable duty that Mum only wants the girls in her care for the child maintenance payments.”
“Would she do something so bold to get them?”
“Celine’s deviousness comes from Mum.” He sighs. “The moment I turned sixteen and Dad was no longer legally tasked with giving maintenance payments for me, she was quick to ask me to move out.”
“Your own mother asked you to move out?” I stare in disbelief. What kind of person does that? The more I’m hearing about Sam’s mother, the less I want anything to do with her. She sounds like an incredibly seedy character.
“Yes. She said she needed the space for a home office.”
“That’s BS.”
“I agree with you, but it was a long time ago.” He sits on the arm of the couch. “The important thing is that tomorrow, I’ll sort things out for Celine.”
“What are your plans?”
“I’m going to take her back to school to speak to this headmaster in person. As much as I’d love to have my sister stay in town for a few days, it’s best if she doesn’t miss too much schooling.”
“Hopefully Sarah can keep an eye on her.”
“She would if they were at the same school, but they’re not.”
“Oh?”
“Sarah changed schools a year ago to be closer to a better gymnastics training facility. Celine didn’t want to change, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her ‘no’.
But after last night and hearing how unhappy she’s become, my gut instinct tells me this is a sign I should enroll Celine in a dance-centered training school. ”
“If Celine is serious about having a shot at being a professional, that would be the best thing for her. From my own experience, when a dancer turns twelve or thirteen, you either have to commit to training hours a day or decide it’ll be something that’s recreational.
Getting into the school isn’t always straightforward either. There’s usually an audition process.”
Sam hesitantly reaches for my hand, as if asking for permission. I hold it up and nod as he pulls me into him. I sit on his lap and rest my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arms around me. I’ve missed this.
“Is that what you did when you were her age?”
“It is. I moved to Los Angeles when I was about your sister’s age to train full-time. I loved every moment of it. We had six to seven hours of dance every day.”
“You’re describing Celine’s idea of heaven.” He chuckles. “Mmm, you smell so good. Like oranges.”
“Jo Malone.”
“That’s some high-quality fragrance, Fashion Guru.”
“It is, but I need to treat myself to something every once in a while.”
His chest rumbles with more low laughter.
We’re both finally relaxed. My heart aches for Sam.
As if he didn’t have enough on his mind already, now he has to worry about this stunt his mother is trying to pull.
I’m starting to gain a better understanding of what Sam has had to deal with for most of his adult life.
I was jealous when he spent time with his sisters, but seeing him with Celine has reminded me that he is their caretaker. Their surrogate father. He puts them first without hesitation, as he should.
Sam and I don’t have the same level of relationship as he has with his sisters. But I find myself hoping that in time, this may change. I never told him how frustrated I was feeling. As talented a magician as he is, he can’t perform telepathy.
“When I get back to London, before I return to the barracks, can you and I take some time to talk? Or if you can’t, name your time and place and I’ll ensure I’m there.
” He pulls me tighter to him. “Min, you’re important to me.
I want you to understand that I’ll do whatever it takes to fix my screwups.
I want to be in your life, and I’ll do whatever it takes to stay there. ”
“I have a long day ahead of me. If I’m in the right head space, we can talk tonight. If not, it will be after Friday.” I unwrap myself from him. “Take my bed, Sam. I’ll be up for a few hours.” I don’t give him time to argue and push him toward my room. “Good night, Sam I am.”
“Good night, Fashion Guru.”