Page 21 of Skate the Line

I bypass them and head upstairs, taking two steps at a time. This house is too big for Ellie and me. But I needed a safe neighborhood with a yard. Those were my requests, and this historical, freshly remodeled home had the biggest yard. It still isn’t anything near what I’m used to nor what I grew up with.

But we’re in Chicago, not upstate New York.

“Printsessa?” I keep my voice low.

A faint glow shines into the hallway from her open door, and I exhale. I’m on edge because either Ginny came to her senses, or Sunny did, in fact, swoop in and save me while in an impossible situation. Though Sunny would be the lesser of two evils, I’m not necessarily prepared for either scenario.

My body is tight from the game, and the added stress from Ellie’s phone call hasn’t made things any easier.

The closer I get to Ellie’s bedroom door, the more I realize that it’s Sunny who’s here instead of Ginny. Her soft, melodic voice flows into the hallway, and it takes me a few seconds to realize that she’s reading Ellie a bedtime story.

It’s late.

Ellie should be sleeping.

But a bedtime story from someone like Sunny is less scarring than being locked away in her bedroom by someone like Ginny, so I let it go.

Ginny proves that not all background checks are foolproof. I’ll have to let my old-time friend, SGT Mel, in on that since he has assured me that they are.

“In order to save Rapunzel, Flynn Rider sacrificed himself with the help of his trusty companion, Pascal...”

Sunny, dressed head to toe in what looks to be merch from the art college up the street, is sitting cross-legged on Ellie’s floor below her bed. Her dark hair is piled on top of her head so high I can hardly see my daughter, but after craning my neck, I see Ellie’s rosy cheeks and closed eyes, resting on her pink pillow.

Sunny, unaware that I’m standing in the doorway, continues to read. She seems lost in the story, almost as if she doesn’t even realize Ellie is asleep, but every few seconds, her head tilts, and she looks at her.

Fuck, fine.

I should have hired Sunny instead of letting past experiences ruin all the rest.

My fucking bad.

I clear my throat once Sunny gets to the happily ever after, and it startles her. The book full of fairy tales goes flying into the air, and her shoulders end up by her ears. By some miracle, she doesn’t yelp and wake Ellie. Instead, she covers her mouth with her hand.

I watch her ribcage deflate when she recognizes me. I flick my chin to the hallway and turn. She leaves the door ajar after she slips out, and if I didn’t look back and see her tiptoeing behind me, I wouldn't have even known she was there. She’s quiet like a cat.

For the record, I hate cats.

Silence fills the gaping space between us when we’re back downstairs in the entryway. Sunny stares at me with bashful eyes. I should probably thank her for coming to my rescue.

Instead, I insult her.

“You look like a walking billboard for the Art Institute.”

I glance at her maroon sweatshirt with the logo smack-dab in the middle and then move to her black yoga pants that have the same logo printed on her thigh. Since she took her shoes off when she came in, I can see that she’s sporting their socks too.

“Oh, this?” She dips her chin and stares at her clothes. There’s a little bit of pink on her cheeks when she puts her attention back to me. “Next time you need me for a rescue mission, I’ll wear my cape.”

I want to laugh, but it surprises me so much that it comes out sounding like a grunt.

Sunny’s eyebrows shoot upward, and I clear my throat.

“Was Ginny still here when you arrived?”

I tried to access the video footage from my cameras, but with the poor service on the flight, it wouldn’t come through.

My heart claps behind my ribs. I grow angry at the thought of someone locking Ellie in her room.

Sunny crosses her arms angrily and nods. “You should have told me what she did. I would have tripped her on her way out.”

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