Debt Collector's Due

I don’t want to beholden to anyone again. It was hell growing up with a father who lorded everything over me. He wasn’t horrible, but he let me know at every turn that he ran things, how he expected me to behave, and what my place was in his life. Everything was about image. I had to drive the best car, wear the priciest clothing, and make sure I was always on point. It was exhausting and not me at all. I’m just as happy in a comfy pair of jeans and a t-shirt with gym shoes as I am in heels and finery. There’s anonymity that comes with living here. It’s alluring.

The sound of barking from Daisy, the resident pit bull precedes a key in the lock. I leave my room and see Kier rushing toward Alfie who smiles down at him. Their connection is already forming. A bond is being made in front of my eyes.

“Alfie.” He hugs the man around the waist, and I see the shimmer in Alfie’s eyes.

“Well, hello to you too. I’ve got a surprise for ye.”

“For me?” His blue eyes widen, and I bit my cheek to keep my laughter from spilling out.

“Aye, my boy.”

My boy. I shove my fist into my mouth. How can I even think of separating these two again?

“We’re going on a tour.”

“Of what?” Kier asks.

“Well, I heard there’s a lad here who likes Harry Potter. Figured he might like to go to the Studio tour.”

His eyes widen, and his body stills. A moment later, he breaks into a cheer, fist-bumping as he hops around to get out the extra energy.

I cover my mouth with my hands. Alfie is already proving what an amazing Dad he’ll be. I always knew that. The loyalty he showed those he cared for told me everything I needed to know. This was my first time meeting Ifan, but I’d heard all about him when he was in Boston. More brothers than friends, the two kept in touch over the years and always had each other’s back. I envied that tight-knit relationship. Sometimes I felt like the princess from the Never-Ending Story, alone in an ivory tower, completely cut off from civilization in a beautiful building that became a prison.

“What do you think, Ma? Should we hit the road?” Alfie asks, turning toward me.

Of course, he knew I was here. The man never misses anything. Ma? The word flows from his lips a tempting sweet morsel I want to gobble and demand seconds for.

“Yeah we should, or he might combust.”

“This is the greatest vacation ever.”

The words make me cringe. We’re lying to his face. We can let him have this one final thing. Tomorrow we’ll face the truth head-on.

“Well you’d better go change out of your jammies and get on shoes,” I say as he takes off like a shot. I turn back to Alfie. “Thank you for this.”

“He’s my boy too. I’m playing nice now, but I won’t forever.”

“I know. Tomorrow we’ll start to sort the mess we’ve landed in.”

“It doesn’t have to be a mess, love.”

I shake my head. “No job, no house, and the inability to contact any of the people who’ve meant something to me the past ten years.”

“You got a bloke back home, then?” he asks.

I hesitate. Saying yes would give me instant gratification, but I’ve never been that petty. I’m not about to start now. “No.”

“Good.”

“Why?”

“You won’t have to disappoint anyone, and I won’t have to kill anyone.”

“You’re that confident?”

“Some things are as sure as the sunrise. You think we’ve come to this point without the fates weaving it into their loom of life? No.” he shakes his head.

Just like that, he’s weaving his brand of magic, showing his knowledge with that sexy accent