Page 74 of Manny's Surprise Baby
“He likes to flirt.” She gave me a feeble smile. “He says it’s fun, that’s all. No harm.” She frowned. “No harm done.”
Luckily, I had my sunglasses on so she couldn’t see the disgust for her husband in my gaze. I made sure to keep my face blank. Her husband entered the hotel first and let the door almost swing closed on Lola. I grabbed it quickly and held it open for her, and she smiled weakly. She wasn’t a flashy type; her wool skirt was below her knees and her hair mousy brown. I suspected she’d met and married dear Brodie when they were both poor, but now he seemed to think he was a little too good for her. It was obvious in how he barely seemed to remember she was around, unless she accidentally cock blocked him.
I spent the next two hours sitting in a large banquet hall in the hotel, off to the side, while Brodie droned on and on about how terrific his washers were compared to others on the market. I was here because he’d received a couple of vague death threats during the last few months. That wasn’t that unusual for someone in his tax bracket, especially considering how obnoxious he was. But he’d wanted a higher caliber of security than the one provided by the hotel. So there I sat, listening to the dangers of vibrational loosening and how outdated conventional spring-lock washers were.
Once the lecture was over, and the majority of people had filtered out of the room, we went up to the penthouse, where Brodie wanted to party with some of his most devoted fans. Lola sipped hot tea and knitted quietly in the corner as her husband flirted and laughed with some of the women in the room. It was almost eleven at night, and I was annoyed at how loud they were. If they didn’t keep it down, they were gonna get us kicked out of the damn hotel.
At one point I took my break and went out into the hallway. I wanted to call home and check in with Emily and Pierce. I hated being away on an overnight trip right now, especially because Pierce and I had definitely been growing closer over the last few weeks. I wanted things to keep going in a positive direction, and I felt I needed to be attentive to him.
“Hello.” Pierce answered his cell, sounding breathless.
“Did I get you at a bad time?”
He laughed. “No. I’m embarrassed to say, I ran in to grab my phone in case it was you calling.”
My stomach warmed. “That’s nice to hear.”
“Well, Emily likes to talk to you.”
“Oh, really? That’s the only reason you hurried?”
His voice was riddled with amusement as he replied, “What other reason could there be?”
I leaned against the wall next to the suite door. “I thought maybe you’d want to hear my sexy voice before you went to sleep. Then you can dream about me all night.”
“Who are you again?”
My laugh echoed in the hallway. “Won’t even give my ego a little stroking?”
“When you get back, I’ll stroke something else instead.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
He snorted. “Like you’d have to force me or something. I’m horny twenty-four seven. Surely you’ve noticed?”
“Yep. I love it.”
He put his hand over the phone, and I heard muffled voices. Then he came back on. “Emily wants to know if she can rentKill Bill.”
“She’s eight. No way.”
“She says she’s a very mature eight and she’s seenJohn Wick.”
I chuckled. “The answer is still no. RentMary Poppinsor something.”
“Oh, God. Why don’t I just put on the Teletubbies while I’m at it?”
“Great idea.”
“You can’t stop her from growing up. It’s going to happen.”
I sighed. “I know.”
“She wants to talk to you.”
“Okay.” I was always happy when Emily showed interest in me. We’d definitely come a long way from the shy little girl who’d arrived on my doorstep three weeks ago. Back then she’d seemed almost scared of me, but now I could tell she trusted me more.
“Hey, Dad.” Her cheerful voice came over the line.
