Chapter 30
SUMMER
“How’s that cereal?”
Quinn’s lost in the opening credits of her show. A soggy swamp of Cheerios float in the bowl in front of her.
“Do you want pancakes?” I offer instead. She ate fine for me after Everett left yesterday, but I don’t want her to go to school hungry this morning.
When she ignores my second attempt, her speech therapist’s voice bounces around in my head. It helps to have her looking at you before you begin speaking.
I grab two new options and tap her on the shoulder.
“Pancakes or oatmeal?” I hold up both boxes.
“I all done.” She pushes away from the table, carrying her bunny by the ear to the couch.
Well, this isn’t going as planned. My first full day of being entrusted with Quinn while Everett is out of town, and she won’t eat anything.
I grab a granola bar from the cupboard and stuff it in her backpack for snack time.
Tack on ten more minutes of a show and the five it takes her to get from the couch to car at the slow amble she is walking and I’m even more concerned than when she slept in.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods. With flushed cheeks and slightly red eyes, I think she’s about to cry. She missed him at bedtime. Cried herself to sleep, actually. After getting used to having her dad around, maybe she misses him. I can’t blame her. I miss him too.
“There’s a snack in your backpack,” I tell her as I walk Quinn and Henry to their classroom.
“Otay,” Quinn replies.
“See you after school, okay?”
I can’t count the number of times I’ve said the word okay this morning.
Nothing feels okay. But maybe it’s me and the pressure my nerves are causing.
Another rung on the dependable ladder I’m desperate to conquer.
Even Quinn’s leg hug and Henry’s thumbs-up were more of a confidence boost of an average morning than the one I’m attempting to give myself on my commute to Ford Law. Just an average morning. No emergency.
Everett’s event is tonight. The last thing I want to do is derail the concert he’s worked so hard for. I’m still deep in deliberation of whether or not to call him when a voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“Is it true you’re sleeping with Rhett Dawson?”
The doors of the elevator sail back open as Tara and Jasmine shove their way through them.
Every morning for the last two weeks they’ve beat me to work.
On opposite sides of the building, we rarely cross paths during the day.
I select the fifth-floor button again and the doors zip shut.
I’m not in the mood for their judgement or drama.
“Yes, Jasmine. Would you like to know his dick size too?”
That shuts her right up. A charged silence shadows us to our top floor destination until we part ways.
Emma’s the one who greets me today with a piping cup of creamer-loaded coffee. She knows me so well.
“The gossip train has landed,” I warn with an eye roll.
“Let’s get busy then.” Emma hands me a stack of new case files and disappears into her office.
Aside from the usual sorting documents and relaying messages about upcoming cases, my work hours are spent contemplating what’s next for me.
I’ve been stockpiling the money I’ve made knowing the day I’d need my own place was fast approaching.
Just because I’m fiscally prepared doesn’t mean I’m emotionally ready.
The thought of a permanent move for all of us has a crater the size of Mars forming in my heart.
Normally work is a great distraction. Not with Everett out of town. I refuse to be late picking Quinn up from school and exit at a prompt 3:10 with Emma following me to the elevator bank.
“Look at you leaving before nine o’clock at night.” I nudge her as the doors slide wide.
A bald gentleman sporting an expensive-looking gold watch and a tailored suit stands in the opening. He lifts his gaze from the phone clutched in his palm. “Hi, Emma.”
Emma acknowledges him with a nod. “Mr. Ford.”
Her formal greeting surprises me. Emma has mentioned she’s almost made partner. I assumed that meant these two were on fairly even playing fields.
His eyes bounce from her to me. He does a sweep of my body, stopping at the rhinestone cowgirl boots manacled to my feet.
“Who’s this?”
“This is my new assistant, Summer Rogers. Summer, this is Jason Ford, partner of the firm.”
His lips press into a fine line as we exchange a stiff handshake. “Welcome to Ford Law.”
It strikes me as odd that I’ve worked in his practice for over a month, and we haven’t met yet. Probably a good thing, considering the disdainful way he’s appraising my footwear, he’s making his disapproval of Emma’s hiring decision clear.
“Are you both headed out for the day?” He covers the slat, stopping the doors from closing as we trade him spots.
“Yes. Work-life balance,” Emma responds.
A low rumble of amusement follows his smirk like he doesn’t believe she’s capable of that. “See you tomorrow then.”
He disappears down the right hallway, and I stare after him. Emma leans across me, punching the bottom elevator button. The button for the ground floor illuminates as the doors snap me back to reality.
“He seems—” Judgmental.
I could balance a teacup on Emma’s poised shoulders, so I decide not to comment.
“You know what, never mind. If you’re looking for a Friday night recommendation, Tell Me Lies on Hulu and popcorn for dinner are a go-to.
” That’s the one thing I do miss—my Friday nights with Jules.
Something I’ll be able to resume when Everett and Quinn move.
A bright spot I’ll hang on to on the hard days I know are ahead of me.
She relaxes. A smile curls the corners of her mouth. “That actually sounds perfect! What are you up to this evening?”
“I’ve got Quinn while Everett’s at his Denver show. I’m going to let her pick.”
A ding precedes our exit on the bottom floor.
“You’ll make the best mom, Summer,” she says, stepping out of the elevator while I stare at her, stunned by her compliment.
I don’t know what she means by that. I’ll make the best mom in general or for Quinn? I’m processing and overanalyzing when she notices that the only sound bouncing off the lobby tile are her stilettos. She looks over her shoulder and chuckles. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah!” I scurry toward her, grateful I gave up on heels after my first day. The blisters and toe rubbing weren’t worth it.
Emma is the first one out the door, greeting someone on the other side. “Can I help you?”
I glance to my right to see who she’s talking to. My ex-husband was the last person on the list of potential people I pictured.
“What are you doing here?” I demand.
“I came to talk to you,” he says, stepping around Emma.
I fold my arms. “I think we said everything there was left to say the last time we spoke.”
A hand rests on my shoulder—a gesture of support. I’ve told Emma I’m divorced before. Considering I don’t ward off men at work on a frequent basis, I’m sure she’ll put the two together. “I’ll see you on Monday” is how I tell her I’m fine. She nods and walks to her car.
“So, you do work at a law firm,” he continues.
“I told you I did. You’re the one who chose not to believe me.”
“Well, how am I supposed to believe a woman who’s never worked the same job more than two months in a row?”
I’m so tired of my job history being the only topic we ever discuss. He shouldn’t care anymore. As soon as he accepts that, the better off we’ll both be.
He happens to be blocking the side of the parking lot my car is on—probably on purpose—so I have to brush into his shoulder to get by him. “I don’t have time for this. I’m late to pick up Quinn and Henry.”
“Her grandmother already picked her up earlier this afternoon,” he says to my back.
I stop and turn around. “What are you talking about?”
Outside of their Sunday routine at the country club, Everett never mentioned Caroline being involved while he’s out of town. I must be failing at hiding my confusion based on his malevolent smile.
“Quinn came down to the office sick, and the nurse tried to call her dad. When he didn’t answer, she called the emergency contact we have on file in her records.”
The skipping breakfast, the slow to move, the pink cheeks and bloodshot eyes. Quinn wasn’t missing her dad this morning; she’s sick. That’s something I should have realized. I should have never sent her to school. This is all my fault.
“I need to go!” I sprint to my car.
Brian beats me there, pressing on the door with his palm before I can get it open.
“What are you doing?”
“How long does he plan to keep his secret for?”
“What?” I say, but there’s only one secret Everett has, and Brian can’t possibly know what that is unless… “You read her evaluation records.”
The blood in my veins turns to ice. He knows. When he looked up Quinn’s emergency contact he must have read her entire file. It’s written all over his face.
“Those were confidential! You had no right—”
“I have every right to know about the students attending my school.”
It’s my turn to press in closer to him. If he wants to have this conversation chest to chest like two gorillas, he picked the right contender.
“Did you come here to provoke me about Everett?” The red dress comment, the jab about him being my boss the last time we talked… “You can’t stand to see me move on with someone else, can you?”
“Psh.” He blows out a smug breath. “You think I’m jealous of a disabled guy?”
Anger boils like hot acid to the surface of my skin. It takes a true coward to insult someone behind their back. I know Everett doesn’t need me to defend him, but I can’t help it. I’m protective because… I love him.
“Don’t you ever say that about someone again. You lead a school with a special education program. You should be ashamed of yourself! Not only is Everett smart and talented but he’s supportive of me and a better partner than you ever were.”
Brian scowls as he starts to walk away. “We’ll let the world decide once they know the truth.”
I straighten. “Is that a threat?”