Fallen

“Hi, Mom,” she said, smiling when her mother finally let her go, stepping back and closing the door.

Her mother knelt down, bringing her hands to Haddie’s face. “How’s my grandbaby?” she asked.

Haddie smiled. “Good, Gram.”

She kissed Haddie’s cheek. “Come on into the kitchen,” she said, standing. “I made some coffee cake and apple muffins. And I got you a new coloring book, miss,” she said to Haddie.

Haddie grinned, taking her gram’s hand as they went into the kitchen. Her mother’s house was small and somewhat dated, but it was spic and span and had the warm feel of home.

“Where’s Gerald?” she asked. Gerald was her stepfather, the man her mother had married ten years before. Although Scarlett had been eighteen when her mother married him and therefore Scarlett had never had a real fatherly relationship with him, he was a kind and decent man. Scarlett was happy her mother had found a companion not only to spend her golden years with but to relieve the financial burden she’d carried on her own since Scarlett’s father had died.

“He picked up an extra shift.”

“He’s a hard worker.” Scarlett squeezed her mother’s shoulder as her mother sat down, and then Scarlett took a seat next to her. Haddie had already climbed into a chair and was taking the brand-new crayons out of the package, coloring book spread out in front of her.

“Unicorns,” Haddie said happily, pointing to the book. “They’re magic.”

Scarlett smiled, brushing her daughter’s hair out of her face. “I see, baby.” Sometimes, so rarely, she was nothing but the purest vision of a seven-year-old child and it made Scarlett’s chest ache.

Once her mother had poured coffee for them and dished up the treats, Scarlett glanced at Haddie, immersed in her art. “Thanks for taking her for the night. She’s missed you.” She needs the comfort of the familiar, in a sea of recent upheaval.

“Are you kidding?” Her mother reached across and tipped Haddie’s face up, grinning into it. “I’ve missed this gorgeous face. Miss Haddie and I are going to have a PJ party, make popcorn, and watch a movie. Plus, I want to hear every detail about your new house and what room she’s picked out for me.”

A shadow passed over Haddie’s face but as quickly as it was there, it was gone, and Haddie smiled. “You can sleep in my room, Gram. Mommy says she’ll get me a twindle bed.”

Gram laughed. “I think you mean a trundle. And boy, that sounds fun.” She shot Scarlett a wink.

“I can’t wait for you to see it, Mom. I just want to get some of the bigger work out of the way.” She didn’t mention the fact that she’d fired her contractor and that she’d yet to hire a new one. Her stomach hurt when she thought about how Mason had sounded on the phone. He’d obviously been prepared for the call. Clearly, Camden had told him to expect it. But Scarlett had been unable to deny hearing the crestfallen tone in his voice, and his apology for the deception had sounded so sincere it’d made her cringe. Not only that, but Scarlett was disappointed too. Yes, he’d lied to her, she had every right to fire his ass, but his vision for the house had been grand and inspiring. Of course, now she understood that part of the reason he seemed so in tune with the place, and as though he knew it from every angle, and in every season, was because he did. She didn’t want to steal Mason’s ideas and give them to the next contractor she hired—that would be unethical—but she was definitely going to do something similar to what they’d planned. Mason had understood that the house deserved not to be remade, but to be the best modern version of herself. She straightened her shoulders. She had to move on. She simply couldn’t trust him anymore. Right?

When she got back, she’d put a call in to the other contractor in town, the one she’d never bothered calling after she’d met with Mason. And she wasn’t going to let this slow down the renovation. She was in LA to shop for tile and flooring, and a few other things that she wanted to see in person, rather than just an online picture.

She’d asked her mother to take Haddie for the night, and was going to stay at Merrilee’s house who was—unfortunately for Scarlett—out of town on business. Her mother’s house was small, but Scarlett could have slept on the couch and stayed with Haddie, but truthfully, she needed some alone time and was grateful Merrilee had offered.

She needed one night to sift through her turbulent emotions regarding so many things. One night away from Lilith House, one night away from Farrow, and yes, even one night away from Haddie. Since the moment she’d moved, it’d felt as if her life was a bottle of soda that was being shaken, shaken, and she needed a short break from it all to relieve some of the pressure.