Page 76 of Mistaken Identity
I worked until she called me to tell me she was awake, then I invited her to my sanctuary.
Eighteen
If I was a bird, I’d fly into a ceiling fan.
—Creole’s secret thoughts
CREOLE
I was expecting a beat-up trailer, not a sprawling double-wide with wraparound porches in the middle of nowhere, Texas.
“Wow,” I said. “This is beautiful.”
“Got it for a song,” he said. “I bought it from a guy who thought that country living was what he wanted. But he realized he couldn’t do the commute every day, so he sold it.”
“What commute?” I asked. “Honestly, I’m surprised you found this much land this close to the city.”
We were only about fifteen minutes outside of Plano, which was about ten minutes away from my dad’s place.
“What are you doing with all those row houses that you bought to build Laney’s house?” I wondered.
“Rental houses,” he said. “There are a few prospects that don’t give a shit about space and location, and I’m probably going to rent to them.”
“So you’re going to live here?” I wondered, trailing my fingers over the rough cedar wood that made up part of his huge front porch.
“I’d planned on it.” He looked at me. “It’s a little far from the airport, though.”
My heart melted. “I can commute…if you happened to want me to stay for a sleepover.”
His eyes warmed, and I knew that I’d said the right things.
“I’d definitely like you to stay the night tonight,” he murmured. “I stopped at the store and got Little Debbie powdered donuts.”
My eyes lit. “Did you get the good stuff to go with it?”
“You mean, Borden chocolate milk?” He laughed, and the sound was so hearty it warmed me to my toes.
“Obviously,” I teased. “What is the point of eating those without the good hit of chocolate milk after?”
I’d never met anyone with the knowledge of what pairs best with Borden chocolate milk until I met Audric.
“I taught Damon everything I could about that delicacy,” I teased. “He was a chocolate milk monster. He could always tell when it wasn’t Borden.”
“Like his mama.” He laughed. “You remember that one time Laney tried to pass off Nesquik as Borden? I thought I might die.”
“I tried that one on Damon.” I laughed as I remembered the look he’d given me when he was a toddler. “He never trusted me again after that. He always checked the fridge to make sure that I wasn’t poisoning him.”
Audric’s smile was soft. “Laney used to share all those pictures in the group…he was all you, Creole. From his beautiful blue eyes to all that blond hair? It broke Laney’s heart when he passed. She was bound and determined that y’all have kids and raise them together.”
I wiped a tear that slipped past my defenses. “Everything is all messed up, isn’t it?”
He squeezed my arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
I smiled. “I like when I remember the good times with him. His time on earth was cut short, but that didn’t mean he didn’t live the hell out of his life while he was here. And he’s with my mom…and now Laney.”
His hand moved up and down the length of my arm before he said, “Come on. Let me show you around.”
I reached up and took his hand, then pressed a kiss to his knuckles.
