Page 12 of Whiskey Wednesdays

He shook his head. “I need to tell Connor. Something similar probably happened with Connor’s last assistant.”

“That’s why I asked Connor to talk to her. Let me think about it, okay? He’s not my favorite person. How are things going with his daughter?”

Dad sighed. “Not well. Connor doesn’t know what to do, and Elodie seems bewildered and lost. She follows me around outside while I work.”

“Why would she do that? I used to try anything to get out of hanging out with you.”

He smiled. “I remember. But I putyouto work. I give Elodie Skittles and cookies.”

“Her name is Elodie? Huh. That’s different. Cute, but different.”

“We need to have an intervention with Connor. He needs help.”

I sighed, long and loud. “How about we see what we can do when I come over tomorrow for Christmas?” I didn’t like Connor, but I wouldn’t take it out on his little girl.

“Okay. Now, what do you want for Christmas dinner? And pizza isn’t an option.”

After Dad left that evening I texted my best friend, Abigail. She lived with her parents in Seattle. I didn’t like her parents, and I worried about her and Stella, her daughter. Abby called me back two minutes later, and we talked for over an hour. I could hear her giving Stella a bath.

“How’re you doing?” I asked her.

“Okay. Mom and Dad are still as disapproving and judgmental as ever. It’s hard living with them.”

Her parents were some of the most self-righteous, rigid people I knew, and they were angry at Abby for getting pregnant and not being married.

“Let me know if you need a break this winter. You can come visit me. The weather is perfect here right now.”

I could hear the smile in her voice. “Thanks, Isa. I might take you up on that. Now tell me about Connor McCoy and his little girl.”

I told Abby what had happened, and about Connor’s daughter coming to live with him. “He needs help with her.”

“Geez. Your life is never boring, I’ll give you that. The main thing Connor needs is support,” she said. “Does he have family around?”

“He has a worthless brother who I wouldn’t leave a pet rock with, let alone a five-year-old. But Connor is rich and can hire help.”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s richer than Midas. Being a single parent is hard on so many levels. He needs people he can trust, who love his daughter and can pick up the slack and help out. That’s hard to find. Hell, I live with my parents and they don’t give me that kind of support.”

“That sucks, Abs. You and Stella are always welcome. You know that, right?”

She was quiet for a moment. “Thanks, Isa. That means a lot. You know you’re going to have to work with Connor, right?”

“But I hate that man,” I whined.

Abby laughed. “Hey, you asked. Now tell me what else is going on.” We talked for a few minutes until she had to go.

When we said goodbye, I had a new respect for Abby. And along with my intense dislike, I also started feeling a little sorry for Connor.

On Christmas Day, Dad and I slept in. We’d both stayed up way too late talking with Liam in D.C., and playing Settlers of Catan with most of the extension packs.

Before I went to bed, I’d made the rookie mistake of not closing my bedroom door. So after the third time Shawnda crawled across my face and meowed in my ear for her breakfast,I finally rolled out of bed to feed her. Then I got ready for the day and started coffee.

When I glanced out the kitchen window, I noticed a nice white truck in Connor’s driveway. A few minutes later as I was pulling eggs and cheese out of the fridge to make a breakfast casserole, I looked up and saw Connor and Damien Andreasen coming out of the main house. They walked toward the front gates of the estate. I wondered what was going on, and had a suspicion Noah was somehow involved.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the front door. Harley and a beautiful little girl with dark brown, messy hair and mismatched clothes stood in the doorway. Harley held a few Christmas treats.

The girl had on red Christmas leggings and what looked like an orange Halloween t-shirt. I was also sure she’d done her hair herself. Probably without a mirror.

Harley raised her hand. “Hi, Isa. I don’t know if you remember me–”

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