Page 7 of Falling Slowly
“Mom!” Celia ran to hug me. “I threw up at school, but the teacher said it’s okay.”
“It’s fine, CeCe.” I stroked her back, but she wriggled away from my arms, back to Charlie and his toy.
“What is that?” I circled the robot, keeping a wary distance. It seemed to detect my presence, turning to face me with those unsettling, bright eyes.
“A Japanese robot maid.”
“And you need it because… you have so much dusting to do, and our regular cleaners don’t know the right dance moves?”
Charlie’s smile took on a guilty edge. “Well, they just clean and leave the building. Where’s the fun in that? Besides, Yuki can entertain our child visitors. She knows a lot of games. Most of them are Japanese so I haven’t quite figured them out yet, but I’m working on it.”
“Sounds… great.” Celia was the only child visitor I’d ever seen in the building, but I had to admit she looked thoroughly entertained.
“She’s so cool!” My daughter turned to me with pleading eyes that rivaled the robot’s anime ones. “Can we get one, Mom? I want it more than I want a sister.”
“Oh, sweetie.” I sighed, searching for words to let her down easy.
Celia opened her arms at the robot. “Can I hug you, Yuki?”
The robot copied her moves, returning the awkward hug. Damn you, Charlie. My chest squeezed at the sheer adorableness of the scene.
Celia let go of the robot, turning her anime eyes to Charlie. “Is she expensive?”
“No—”
“Yes, very expensive,” I cut in, flashing Charlie an alarmed look.
What the hell was he doing, fueling the fire?
“Yeah, I suppose,” Charlie corrected, taken aback.
“It’s all relative,” I amended quickly, offering him a polite smile.
Do not offend the boss’s son, Bess. You can’t afford that sort of sass.
“Okay, CeCe. Time to go.” I took my mutinous child by the hand and dragged her out of the room, thanking Charlie for his childcare efforts.
Why was he babysitting my 5-year-old in the first place? At his astronomical hourly rate (according to Teresa), it made as much sense as a surgeon cleaning the bathrooms.
“But I want to play with Yuki!” my child wailed.
“You can watchMy Little Ponyon my phone,” I promised, coaxing her back to Rhonda’s couch. “Mommy will go finish one job and then I’ll take you home, okay?”
Rhonda lowered the volume on her laptop, reaching into her desk drawer. “Lollipop?”
“Yes, please,” Celia said, accepting the treat before she gave me a resigned look, plonking her tiny frame on the couch and sighing like she was a hundred years old.
They didn’t call me Buzzkill for nothing.
Chapter Four
Charlie
“Are you… cleaning?” Trevor’s suspicious voice interrupted my thoughts as I was gathering potential mountain gear into a box.
I’d gone through the selection of recent online orders in my office, discovering several unopened boxes. Finally, I’d have some use for the gadgets.
“I’m just packing,” I said, ripping open another box.
