“And you’re okay with that?” she pressed, walking up to me. “You, the control freak, don’t know what’s happening with the woman who sleeps at your side? I don’t believe that for a moment. You cannot even handle when you do not know who comes into the house. We have a specific delivery man because you are that anal.”
“Nana, I really do have to work on this,” I said coldly.
Her eyebrow rose. “I was coming to check that you were all right with this, but it seems you are perfectly fine.”
I nodded, moving to the desk and taking a seat. I didn’t pay her another glance, and luckily, she got the hint and left on her own accord, leaving me with the blank card. What the hell was I going to say, as the whole world watched? She knew I wasn’t good with this type of shit.
Which is probably why she didn’t tell me till the last minute. Had I known, I would have pushed her to stick with the traditional “to have and have not” script, but then again, nothing about either of us was traditional, either.
Knock.
Knock.
“What?” I snapped. Was everyone going to come to check in on me because of this? The door opened; however, I didn’t see anyone behind it.
“Papa?” My eyes dropped down to the little girl with a bouquet of flowers and a mess of red all over her lips.
“Gigi?” I got up, moving to her. “What is on your lips?”
She frowned. “Sorry, Papa.” She lifted her hands to show me a tube of red lipstick smeared on her hands and her dress. “Don’t tell Mommy. Please.”
I stared down, not sure what to do, but the way she pouted and looked up at me with her big brown and green eyes really had me by the heart. Kneeling down, I took the lipstick from her hand. “Why did you take your mommy’s lipstick?
She shrugged.
“Gigi.”
“Mommy said today was a big day for you and Mommy. I wanna have a big day, too.”
I couldn’t help it; I laughed. Reaching over, I picked her up. “Every day with you is a big day. Come on, let’s go clean up before Mommy makes it our last day.”
She nodded and hugged me. I sighed, knowing her lipstick was most likely now on this suit, too.
This was a reminder that no matter how well you planned, there was still the element of surprise.
WYATT
“She’s a witch,” I whispered over to Helen as every Tom, Dick, and Harry entered the house. Honestly, I’d never seen anything like it. The district attorney was talking to some random local butcher who could not even wear a decent suit. The one he had looked like he’d inherited it from his grandfather and his great grandmother had patched it up during the depression. There was a woman in jeans and crocs videoing our house like it was the Vatican on her way to the gardens. “The only way Ethan would allow these types of people into our house is if Calliope is a witch and she’s cast some sort of spell on him. I think we should call a priest.”
“You are ridiculous.” Helen laughed slightly, but her eyes were focused on the door, waiting for her brother to enter.
I put my hand on top of hers. “He’ll be here.”
“I know.” She smiled, looking up at me, and she seemed to believe it. “I’m just a bit impatient, so I can’t fully appreciate your dramatics.”
“Dramatics?” I gasped, taking my hand to point at the random person feeling and sniffing our curtains. “We are supposed to keep our distance from our clients, not invite them for dinner.”
“I don’t think it’s a drug addict. They are just excited, you snob. Not everyone grew up seeing embroidered, Italian-velvet curtains,” she said just as the woman we were talking about pulled off a leaf from a rose and checked around before sticking it in her mouth.
I looked back at her, and her mouth was open in shock. Reaching over, I helped her close it. “Admit it, a crazy woman has left the insane asylum and is in our house, baby.”
“It’s only five,” she whispered, looking to her watch. “How much longer do you think we have to tolerate all of this?”
“The ball ends at midnight, like always,” the witch’s voice sounded behind me.
However, when we turned around, O’Phelan stood behind me w
ith a phone. I glared at him before moving to take the phone; however, he handed it to Helen.