Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
A THURSDAY IN SEPTEMBER
Istab a piece of lettuce with my fork and take a bite, finishing up an email to one of our applicants about our next event. Just as I hit send, my phone lights up with a call from Claire’s school.
“This is Marlowe Reyes,” I answer, putting the phone against my ear with my shoulder so I can put the lid back on my salad container.
“Hello, Marlowe, it’s Mrs. Nielsen, the school nurse,” she tells me, and I sit up a little straighter.
“I just wanted to inform you I have your daughter here with a fever. She hasn’t exhibited any other symptoms, and it is a low fever, but school policy requires children to go home if they have one. ”
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose between my pointer finger and thumb. “All right. I’m unable to leave the office, so I will have someone come pick her up. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Of course,” the nurse says. “Just call the front desk and let them know the name of who is picking her up when you figure it out.”
After a few pleasantries, I hang up the phone and instantly dial Blue. She picks up on the fourth ring.
“Did you know lilies are toxic to cats?” She asks in greeting.
“Explain to me how it is somehow my fault that a man came in and got lilies for his girlfriend and now her cat is sick. I mean, am I supposed to ask everyone that comes in if they have pets and if they’ve done their research? I don’t think so.”
“Maybe put together a list and hang it by the register of what plants are toxic to animals? That way, you can say you did your due diligence and anything that happens from there isn’t your fault.”
Blue releases a scoff. “Why the hell didn’t I think of that? See, this is why you’re the brains. Okay, now your thing. What’s up?”
“Claire is sick, but I can’t leave the office for another few hours. Kirstin is gone at an expo and I’m expecting a client here after lunch,” I inform her, spinning in my chair so I can kick my feet up onto my desk. “Can you go get her for me?”
“Sorry, honey,” she apologizes. “I’m stuck at the shop all day. We have two weddings this weekend and I need to finish these arrangements and prep for delivery. One of my florists is out on site today so I’m short on hands for a while, otherwise you know I would. Want me to ask RJ?”
I hear the main door opening and turn to see Levi come walking in.
He’s got his hands shoved in his dark blue dress pant pockets, no suit coat, the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up to his elbows.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll call JJ and see if she can.
Thanks, though. Good luck with the arrangements. ”
I hang up and turn to Levi with a strained smile, and his eyebrows shoot up instantly. He leans against my desk, folding his arms in front of his chest as he stares at me. I scroll through my contacts to call JJ when he rests a hand on my forearm.
“What’s going on, Lowe?”
I set my phone down and sigh. “Claire is sick, but Blue is too busy to go get her for me, and I can’t leave until four today since Kirstin is gone.”
“I can go get her,” he tells me easily with a shrug. I stare up at him, my eyes growing wide. “What?”
“I don’t know,” I reply with a chuckle. “Just surprised, is all.”
Levi raises a brow. “Why?”
“I mean, it hasn’t been that long,” I say. “I guess I just assumed you wouldn’t feel comfortable with something like that.”
“I enjoy spending time with Claire,” he informs me, an easy smile gracing his face. “And I want to help, so let me.”
Standing up, I rest my hands on his shoulders, giving him a gentle smile of my own. “What would I do without you?”
“Good question.” He sets his hands on my hips, moving me so I’m standing between his legs. “I just need to move a meeting and then I’ll go get her.”
“Oh,” I say, my face falling slightly as I shake my head, but he stops me.
“Lowe, don’t,” he states. “I own and run this company. I can move meetings whenever I please. Plus, this isn’t an important one. But even if it was, I’d still help you.”
Wordlessly, I press my lips against his in a brief, appreciative kiss. “Thank you. Were you just coming to see me, or did you need something?”
“I always want to see your beautiful face,” he says, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. “But I actually came with a question for you.”
“Ask away.”
“I have this big fancy work gathering tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”
I gently cup his cheek with my left hand and nod. “I’d love to. Granted, Claire isn’t too sick.”
Levi suddenly pushes away from the desk to stand and wraps his arms around me. I wrap mine around his waist, resting my head on his chest and give him a light squeeze. His head rests on top of mine before he places a kiss to my temple.
“Send me the address of her school and I’ll go get her,” he says, pulling away. “I’ll take her back to your place and keep her company until you get home.”
“Thank you.” I watch as he walks toward the door, his phone in his hand. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
Levi stops and looks at me over his shoulder. “We’ll be fine, Lowe. Promise.”
Half an hour later, my phone buzzes on my desk. Seeing it’s a text from Levi, I hastily click it open and smile. He sent me a picture of him and Claire in the car, her in the backseat giving the camera a thumbs up with a big grin while half of Levi’s face covers the left side of the screen.
Typing out a quick response, the sound of the office doors opening grabs my attention. A woman walks in wearing jeans and a plain white tee underneath a black leather jacket. She smiles as she approaches, her bright pink hair that stops at her shoulders just as blinding as her teeth.
“You must be Sasha.”
A couple hours later, after an exhausting questionnaire and interview with the applicant and discovering that we have no reliable matches for her currently in our system, I finally pack up my work bag and prepare to head home.
Checking my phone before I throw it into my purse, I decide against double texting Levi and lock up the office.
Stepping into the cooling September air, I tighten my blazer around me slightly as I flag down a taxi and prepare for the longer commute home.
Forty-five minutes later, I stop outside the door of my apartment and listen for a moment. The soft sounds of the television reach my ears, but other than that, it is completely silent. Levi hasn’t responded to my text from an hour before, and I can’t lie and say I wasn’t a bit concerned.
Unlocking the door, I step inside and set my bag down near the shoe rack and slip out of my heels. Walking past the kitchen to enter the living room, I stop at the sight before me.
Levi is laying on the couch, fast asleep, his right hand tucked under his head and his other wrapped around Claire.
She’s asleep with her head on his chest, one arm draped over his midsection.
When I look closer, I notice his nails are painted a light shade of blue and I don’t miss what appears to be blush covering his cheeks and eyeshadow on his lids.
I pull out my phone and snap a quick photo before sliding it into the back pocket of my jeans. Tiptoeing over to the sleeping pair, I kneel beside them and gently brush the hair away from Claire’s face. When I glance up at Levi, I see his eyes open, staring at me with a sleepy smile.
“Don’t go crying on me now, Lowe,” he whispers, and it’s only then that I am aware of the tears that have welled in my eyes. “Otherwise, I’ll think this eyeshadow isn’t my color.”
I bite my lip to stifle my laughter. “The eyeshadow might not be, but the nail color certainly is.”
“Blue is my favorite color,” he says, glancing down at his hand. “I thought it looked the closest to your eye color, and Claire agreed.”
“How charming,” I respond, unable to stop the blush from creeping into my cheeks. “I can take her to bed.”
I stand to grab her, but Levi tightens his hold on her ever so slightly. “We have a couple of hours until the event. Come snuggle with us for a little while.”
As I squeeze beside him, sliding in as carefully as I can so I don’t wake Claire, I rest my head on his shoulder, my hand rubbing slow and gentle circles on my daughter’s arm. Levi removes the arm that was behind his head and curls it around me, running lazy patterns on my back.
My heart constricts as I look up and see him staring down at Claire, an adoring expression clear in his eyes.
This is a moment I have dreamed of for longer than I can remember.
Claire never got any moments like these with her father, and that knowledge pains me.
These sweet and simple moments, the quiet and easy ones, mean more than anything.
Once I became a mother and looked back on my childhood, that’s when I realized it wasn’t just about who showed up for you in the important moments, but it was also about who sat beside you while you ate dinner, or who did your hair in the morning.
It was just as important, if not more, to have someone supporting you in quiet rather than when there are others watching.
It is those people who you learn to realize you can count on. Always.
And Levi is becoming that for Claire.
An hour and a half later, Claire is curled up on the couch with the sitter, watching a movie as I slip into my coat at the front door.
I glance at the mirror hanging on the wall one last time, running a hand through my hair to loosen some curls.
Fake lashes cover my real ones and a simple nude eyeshadow and thin liner graces my eyelids.
I settled on a light pink lipstick, not wanting to go too dark with the black dress I had picked out.
It’s a simple strapless floor length dress with an intricate lace around the bodice and a cascading silk skirt. I pair it with simple black block heels, wearing my most comfortable ones to be prepared in case there’s dancing at this event.